Varys for Plex vs Quartermaster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Varys for Plex
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.
- 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
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Plex Dash? Compare both apps on features.varys-app.com! Varys for Plex connects to your existing Plex Media Server and gives you easy access to several data. This app requires your own Plex Media Server with remote access recommended for use away from home. Please note that most of the features require an active Plex Pass subscription. This app works with servers you are logged in as admin only. Latest version of Plex Media Server is recommended. Free trial of Varys Pro is available! FEATURES - Universal app for iPhone and iPad - App for Apple Watch - Easy app linking with Plex Media Server (incl. two-factor auth support) - List of current streams incl. details like user, player, quality, eta - List of running conversions incl. details like transcoding speed and remaining time - Option to terminate streams with optional message - All details to streamed media e.g. summary, file size, bitrate, resolution, audio/video/subtitle tracks, duration, release date, rating, related media and more - Watch history for media items - Cross linking between related media, track/album/artist, episode/season/tv show - Cross linking to the official Plex app (if installed) - Cross linking to IMDb, TMDb and TVDb - Fast server switching (if you own multiple Plex Media Servers) - Plex Media Server console - Dark Mode / Light Mode - Compact mode - Face ID/Touch ID support ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF PRO VERSION - Realtime server CPU / RAM / bandwidth monitoring - Complete user management incl. sending/accepting invites and granting/revoking access to libraries, allow/deny sync, and live tv - Plex Media Server update monitoring incl. release notes - Playback history (optionally choose Tautulli as source) - Playback history details (requires separate Tautulli server) - Recently added media - User list incl. playback statistics and filter option - Top played movie/tv show/artist - Statistics graphically represented as charts - List and details of all libraries incl. search and filters with access to all media details without having those streamed - Library size and total duration info - Library statistics - Manual update of libraries - List and manage collections - Change covers and artwork on the go - Authorized devices management - Plex Dance™ - Live TV & DVR guide refresh - Number of current streams as app icon badge - Siri Shortcuts - Huge number of Widgets - Lockscreen Widgets - Dynamic tabs - Multiuser support - Overview over all your servers Varys for Plex is not affiliated with Plex Inc.
Quartermaster
Manage your self-hosted media and home infrastructure from a single, native iOS application. Browse, request, and monitor your entertainment stack, alongside servers, containers, and smart home devices. Offers a private, direct connection to your services without any cloud intermediaries.
- Unified media management
- Server and container monitoring
- Automated network switching
- Diagnostic tools
- Customizable interface
- Private notifications
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Quartermaster is a native iOS control centre for your self-hosted stack. Browse your library, request films and shows, watch what is downloading and control your servers from one app on iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Mac. Entertainment brings your media servers, arr apps and downloaders together. Command Centre puts your servers, containers, network, storage and smart home within reach. KEY FEATURES - Your media, connected. Discover films and shows, request them through Seerr, manage titles in Radarr and Sonarr, and follow downloads into your library. Pro routing rules send requests to the right server. - Browse and watch. Now Playing, Continue Watching, Next Up and Recently Added for Jellyfin, Emby and Plex. Play films and episodes in the app, with audio and subtitle selection, AirPlay and Picture in Picture. - Know your library. See upcoming releases in a unified calendar, explore library statistics and discover your Taste Profile, calculated on your device. - Take control. Manage Docker containers and virtual machines, check NAS and drive health, control DNS blocking and inspect network devices. Read live stats and logs, control Home Assistant by room, and use a full SSH terminal with saved commands. - The Doctor. Find the cause of stalled downloads and blocked imports in plain English, with suggested fixes you can review and apply. - Home and away. Add local and remote addresses and let Quartermaster switch as your network changes. Keep different setups in separate profiles and use optional encrypted iCloud sync across your devices. - Family and friends. Give your household a simpler way to browse and request, with owner controls protected by a PIN. Pro is needed to create a Family setup; joining does not require another purchase. - QM Companion. Scan to import discovered services from your own Companion server. Pro adds live views of containers, stacks, volumes and updates, with controls governed by the permissions you approve. - Stay informed. Choose alerts for imports, failures, requests and server thresholds, plus a daily release digest. - Make it yours. Choose icons and accent colours, arrange your tabs and Home shortcuts, add a one-handed corner button, and use light or true black dark mode. Explore with realistic sample data before connecting anything. SUPPORTED SERVICES Media: Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr, Jellyseerr, Overseerr, Seerr, DroppedNeedle, Shelfarr, ReadMeABook, Prowlarr, Jackett, NZBHydra2, Bazarr, SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, Transmission, Deluge, qui, Jellyfin, Emby, Plex, Tautulli, Jellystat, Streamystats, Tracearr, Maintainerr, Wizarr, Tdarr, Dispatcharr, Immich, Audiobookshelf, Shelfmark, BookOrbit, Komga and Kavita. Infrastructure: Portainer, Dockhand, Komodo, Coolify, Arcane, Glances, Beszel, Scrutiny, Dozzle, Unraid, TrueNAS, Synology DSM, UGREEN NAS, Proxmox VE, Home Assistant, AdGuard Home, Pi-hole, Technitium, NextDNS, Control D, UniFi, Gluetun, Cloudflare, CrowdSec and SSH. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Quartermaster connects directly to your services. Credentials are protected in the system Keychain, and no Quartermaster account is required. Optional iCloud sync and backups encrypt your setup with your passphrase. Push notifications use an optional relay, or connect your own ntfy server for instant alerts. Apple and RevenueCat handle purchase validation. QUARTERMASTER PRO Use one service for free. Unlock unlimited services and all Pro features with a one-time lifetime purchase, an annual subscription or a monthly subscription. No feature tiers or add-ons. Available in English, French, Spanish and German. You need your own servers or service accounts. Quartermaster does not supply media and is not affiliated with the services it supports. Website: https://qmstack.com Support: https://qmstack.com/support Privacy Policy: https://www.qmstack.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Varys for Plex at 1.5K against Quartermaster's 47. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Varys for Plex sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Quartermaster sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Varys for Plex against 5.0 for Quartermaster. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Varys for Plex has 1.5K ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Varys for Plex's written reviews are positive against 93% of Quartermaster's.
Varys for Plex ships an update every 3 weeks, Quartermaster every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Varys for Plex | Quartermaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.5K ratings) | 5.0 (47 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews | 92.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 47 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tobias Fonfara | Lewis Egley |
Customer experience
Varys for Plex
Quartermaster
Bugs and requests
Varys for Plex
Reported bugs
3 issues- Restore purchase window keeps appearing
- Connectivity issues when not on local network
- Incorrect audio channel detection
Requested features
6 requests- GPU usage monitoring
- DVR recording status
- Ability to manage users and devices
- Ability to edit metadata
- Ability to rate watched content
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- Support for multiple servers
Quartermaster
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Varys for Plex
- Coffee Tall$0.99
- Coffee Grande$2.99
- Varys Pro$3.99
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- Coffee Venti$4.99
Quartermaster
- Quartermaster Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Continued Support2 variants$9.991 Month
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- Pro Annual$19.991 Year
- Quartermaster Pro$29.99
Questions
Is Varys for Plex free?
Is Quartermaster free?
Which has better reviews, Varys for Plex or Quartermaster?
Do Varys for Plex or Quartermaster have ads?
Which is updated more often, Varys for Plex or Quartermaster?
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