Comparison

pilotCam vs Merkury Smart

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

Head to head
About

pilotCam

Remotely view and control your camera's built-in WiFi. Download video images directly from the device. Streamline your camera footage management.

Highlights
  • Remote camera viewing
  • Remote camera control
  • Download video images
  • Built-in WiFi camera support
Features
Read full description

This app is designed for the camera (built-in WiFi) and includes the following features: - View and control the camera remotely. - Download video images from the camera.

About

Merkury Smart

Control and monitor a range of smart home devices, including cameras, lights, and plugs, from anywhere. Watch live HD streams, review recorded footage, and customize lighting effects for a connected home experience.

Highlights
  • Live HD video streaming
  • Motion detection alerts
  • Review recorded footage
  • Control smart lights
  • Manage smart plugs
  • Multi-camera support
Features
Read full description

Use this app with the Merkury Indoor Smart Camera, Merkury Outdoor Smart Camera, Merkury Auto-Follow Smart Camera, Merkury Smart Color Bulb, Merkury Smart Plug, Merkury Smart LED Strip Merkury Smart Doorbell Camera, Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Floodlight Camera, and Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Outlet Extender. Use this app to: -Watch Live HD Streaming: Quickly access your camera’s live video to see what is happening at a glance. Monitor your home or business to get peace of mind when you are away. Get notified when motion is detected. Set up Rules to automatically record and save events right when they happen. -Look Back at Activity: Review recorded HD videos and photos to see what you missed. Download and share important video clips to let others know what happened. -Do-It-Yourself Simplicity: Expand your view by adding multiple cameras to a single account. Securely access cameras across multiple locations to keep everything safe. -LED Strips Light It Up: For cabinets, under furniture, TV’s and more, our brilliant room light strips add color and vibrancy to your home! Great for holidays or anytime these lights work to illuminate with thousands of color and temperature variations. -Smart Plug: The Smart Plug lets you control devices from anywhere, at any time. Take up less space with this in-wall option that’s ideal for your living room, kitchen, even your bedroom. -Wi-Fi Light Bulb: Easily control or dim your lights from across the room or across the country with just your voice or the Merkury Smart app. Smart bulbs have Wi-Fi built in for simple set up so you’ll never get caught in the dark again. -Control From Anywhere: Using the innovative Merkury Smart app, you can control your smart devices anytime, anywhere.

Screenshots

pilotCam4 screens
Merkury Smart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Merkury Smart at 4.7 against pilotCam's 2.8. Merkury Smart also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (38K vs 9). pilotCam's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Merkury Smart holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merkury Smart has 38K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of pilotCam's written reviews are positive against 23% of Merkury Smart's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pilotCam ships an update every 13 months, Merkury Smart every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
pilotCam versus Merkury Smart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpilotCamMerkury Smart
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (9 ratings)4.7 (38K ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews22.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings938K — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#180 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAcumen Robot Intelligence Inc.Merkury Innovations LLC

Customer experience

pilotCam

All ratings9 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral11.1%
Negative44.4%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Merkury Smart

All ratings38,046 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews462 reviews
Positive22.7%
Neutral9.7%
Negative67.5%

Bugs and requests

pilotCam

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Merkury Smart

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Issues with password reset
  • Trouble connecting cameras
  • SD card not recognized

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add option to invite family members
  • Improve motion detection and notifications
  • Allow saving of photos and recordings
  • Improve WiFi connectivity
  • Add more customization options
Show 1 more
  • Integrate with smart home platforms

In-app purchases

None

pilotCam

No in-app purchases

None

Merkury Smart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pilotCam free?
pilotCam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Merkury Smart free?
Merkury Smart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, pilotCam or Merkury Smart?
Merkury Smart is rated higher. pilotCam averages 2.8 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Merkury Smart averages 4.7 from 38K ratings.
Do pilotCam or Merkury Smart have ads?
Neither pilotCam nor Merkury Smart shows ads.
Which is updated more often, pilotCam or Merkury Smart?
pilotCam ships an update every 13 months, and Merkury Smart every 6 weeks. Most recently, pilotCam was updated on November 3, 2026 and Merkury Smart on November 8, 2026.

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