Comparison

UniFi Protect vs Custos

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

UniFi Protect

Access your camera security system from your mobile device. Stream live feeds, manage devices, and download recordings. Offers cloudless storage and customizable alerts for residential and commercial users.

Highlights
  • Adopt and manage Protect devices
  • Stream low-latency livestreams
  • Download localized recordings
  • Cloudless recording storage
  • Timelapse footage scrubbing
  • Personalized security notifications
Features
Read full description

UniFi Protect brings the full functionality of our web-based camera security application to your mobile device. Adopt and manage your Protect devices, stream low-latency livestreams, and download localized recordings directly to your phone. Designed for residential and commercial use, UniFi Protect also allows you to: - Maintain complete data privacy with Cloudless recording storage. - Quickly scrub through hours of Timelapse footage to pinpoint the exact moments you're looking for. - Personalize security notifications based on a wide variety of individual, vehicular, and atmospheric-based detections.

About

Custos

Features
Read full description

One forgotten subscription at $12 a month is $144 a year that nobody decided to spend. It is almost never the price that catches you out — it is the date. Contracts renew on their own, and the notice period expires weeks before the charge. By the time the line shows up on your statement, it is already too late. Custos watches that date. Not the payment date — the one before it, the only one you can still act on. Free, no account, no ads. YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOBODY ELSE'S BUSINESS Custos has no server. Your data stays on your devices and, if you turn syncing on, in your private iCloud space — which we cannot access. The app's only network traffic goes to Apple's own services. WHAT CUSTOS DOES • Warns you on the right day — The cancellation deadline, worked out from the notice period and the next payment. A notification on the exact day, plus calendar reminders at 1 month, 15 days, 7 days, 1 day and the day itself. • Tells you what it all costs — Adjusted monthly and yearly cost, whatever the billing cycle, and a breakdown by category. • Spots free trials — "Free until…" while the first payment is still ahead. A trial never inflates your monthly cost, but it does trigger the alert: that is where it has to stop you. • Writes the letter for you — Email or registered letter, ready to copy, with your details already filled in. • Keeps the proof — Date sent, channel, reference, acknowledgement. Something to point to if you get charged anyway. • Catches silent price rises — Three dollars more goes unnoticed; Custos works out what it costs over a year. • Reads your bank statement — Drop in a CSV or OFX file: Custos spots the recurring debits and suggests the subscriptions behind them. The file is read on your device, with no connection to your bank, and nothing is saved until you confirm. • Reads a screenshot of your App Store subscriptions — Photograph the Subscriptions screen in iOS Settings: Custos pulls out the names, amounts and dates. No API gives those subscriptions to a third-party app; a screenshot is the only bridge, and everything is read on the device. • Shows what is about to leave your account — This month's outgoings, split by account, and a day-by-day schedule. • Knows who pays for what — Bank accounts and subscribers, for a household or a small team. • Explains it all — Twelve illustrated chapters inside the app, on Custos and on cancellation notice periods. • Lets you leave — CSV export and a full backup, whenever you want. ON IPHONE, IPAD AND APPLE WATCH • Home Screen widgets in three sizes, and Lock Screen widgets. • Live Activity — The countdown to your next deadline on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. • Apple Watch — The watch app and its "Cancellation deadline" complication. • Siri and Shortcuts — Ask out loud for your deadlines over the next 30 days. • On iPad — The list and the details side by side, with the handbook in the left column. • Full Dark Mode, Dynamic Type and VoiceOver. • Optional iCloud sync with the Mac. Install Custos, enter your subscriptions once, and let it watch the dates for you.

Screenshots

UniFi Protect4 screens
Custos4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: UniFi Protect at 18.0 against Custos's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UniFi Protect ships an update every 3 weeks, Custos fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
UniFi Protect versus Custos: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUniFi ProtectCustos
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (77K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews52.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings77K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size270 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUbiquiti Inc.Henri Dominique Rapin

Bugs and requests

UniFi Protect

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Geofencing not working as expected
  • Doorbell audio/video not syncing properly
  • Frequent disconnections from cameras
  • Playback issues and video not loading
  • Notifications not reliable or timely

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add option to snooze/silence notifications
  • Improve video scrubbing and playback controls
  • Integrate with Apple HomeKit
  • Add custom notification sounds
  • Enhance multi-view and layout options

Custos

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

UniFi Protect

No in-app purchases

None

Custos

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is UniFi Protect free?
UniFi Protect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Custos free?
Custos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do UniFi Protect or Custos have ads?
Neither UniFi Protect nor Custos shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UniFi Protect or Custos?
UniFi Protect ships an update every 3 weeks, and Custos fortnightly. Most recently, UniFi Protect was updated on October 27, 2026 and Custos on October 23, 2026.

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