# Varys for Plex vs Kestrel

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Varys for Plex at 14.0 against Kestrel's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Varys for Plex sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Kestrel sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Varys for Plex ships an update every 3 weeks, Kestrel fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Varys for Plex | Kestrel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varys-for-plex/id1450380518/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 69 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tobias Fonfara](https://appshunter.io/developer/429395867) | [Michael Wright](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895416865) |

## What reviewers say

### Varys for Plex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varys-for-plex/id1450380518)

Monitor your Plex Media Server's activity and health. View current streams, running conversions, and detailed media information. Manage users, libraries, and server updates with advanced features available in the Pro version.

**Highlights:** Monitor current streams and conversions, View detailed media information, Manage users and libraries, Server update monitoring, Real-time server resource monitoring (Pro), Cross-linking to IMDb, TMDb, TVDb, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee Tall | $0.99 | one-time |
| Coffee Grande | $2.99 | one-time |
| Varys Pro | $3.99 | one-time |
| Coffee Venti | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient monitoring
- 👍 Clean and intuitive UI
- 🔒 Remote access without VPN
- 💡 Tautulli integration
- 👍 Comprehensive server stats

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Restore purchase issue
- 🔒 Limited functionality without Plex Pass
- 🐛 Incorrect audio channel detection
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchase window keeps appearing
- Connectivity issues when not on local network
- Incorrect audio channel detection

**Requested features**

- GPU usage monitoring
- DVR recording status
- Ability to manage users and devices
- Ability to edit metadata
- Ability to rate watched content


### Kestrel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kestrel-ssh-and-server-manager/id6764020106)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kestrel Pro | $3.99 | per month |
| Kestrel Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Kestrel Suite | $39.99 | per year |
| Kestrel Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Varys for Plex free?

Varys for Plex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Kestrel free?

Kestrel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Varys for Plex or Kestrel have ads?

Neither Varys for Plex nor Kestrel shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Varys for Plex or Kestrel?

Varys for Plex ships an update every 3 weeks, and Kestrel fortnightly. Most recently, Varys for Plex was updated on September 24, 2026 and Kestrel on September 19, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*