Collections Database vs HomeLab Watcher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Collections Database
Organize anything with a personal database app. It offers over 20 field types, customizable layouts, and pre-built templates for common uses like books or expenses. Advanced features and iCloud sync are available.
- 20+ field types (text, number, picture, barcode, etc.)
- Customizable fields and display styles
- Pre-built templates (books, contacts, expenses, etc.)
- Organize with collections and subcollections
- Password, Face ID, and Touch ID protection
- iCloud synchronization across devices
- Advanced fields and calculations (Pro version)
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Collections is a personal database app to organize anything. 1. A field for every use Collections supports over 20+ field types: • Text, Number • Boolean • Picture • Select • Email, URL, Phone • Password • Date, Time • Color • Barcode And with the Pro version you can use even more advanced fields. • Document reference - Link documents together • Group - Add multiple values for a field • Formula - Create a formula for calculated values. Powerful formula editor with full support to math functions like SUM, AVG • Sources - Import documents from external APIs with Javascript 2. Customizable • Add and reorder fields • Add a separator between fields to better visualize them • Fields have different display styles like primary, secondary, thumbnail • Filter and sort data 3. Templates Collections includes basic templates to get started: • Books • Contacts • Expenses • Subscriptions • Credentials • Inventory • School 5. Advanced management Collections has different tools to help you creating the data model. SUBCOLLECTIONS Organize data into collections and subcollections. Simply said, they are like folders. LISTS A list contains items used in documents and it's very flexible. It could represent a Genre for a book or a Status like 'Available', 'Out of stock' for an object in the inventory. 6. Security • Protect collections using a password, Face ID or Touch ID • Sensitive data such as passwords are encrypted by default 7. iCloud Sync Data is synced automatically between devices through iCloud. 8. Apple's Shortcuts support Expand the app capabilities with Apple's Shortcuts support. 9. Pro version features • Add unlimited documents (free version is limited to 100 documents) • Add files to documents • Add advanced fields • Views • Grid • Use Summary to perform calculations across documents
HomeLab Watcher
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HomeLab Watcher gives you one calm, private glance at the latest known health of the homelab resources you care about. ONE HONEST DASHBOARD • See HTTP services, Beszel machines, and Proxmox VE nodes together • Separate the last successful observation from the latest refresh attempt • Recognize healthy, attention, unhealthy, unknown, aging, and stale states • Refresh all resources or one system directly from your iPhone USEFUL WIDGETS • Small Home Screen status widget • Medium resource overview • Lock Screen status • Interactive refresh without automatically opening the app • Explicit observation age because iOS controls background timing PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No HomeLab Watcher account • No cloud relay or hosted backend • No analytics, ads, tracking, or remote logs • Configuration stays on device • Credentials stay in Apple Keychain • Requests go directly to systems you configure READ ONLY HomeLab Watcher checks status and metrics. It does not start, stop, restart, delete, update, or otherwise administer your infrastructure. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Sample Lab demonstrates every important presentation state without credentials or a reachable homelab. The free app also supports two HTTP or HTTPS resources and the small widget. LIFETIME UNLOCK A one-time purchase unlocks unlimited resources, Beszel, Proxmox VE, and every widget family. There is no subscription. SUPPORTED CONNECTIONS HomeLab Watcher works with addresses reachable from your iPhone over LAN, an existing private network route, or public HTTPS. iOS system certificate trust is required; the app never bypasses TLS security. HomeLab Watcher is not affiliated with or endorsed by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH or the Beszel project.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HomeLab Watcher at every 5 days against Collections Database's fortnightly. Collections Database's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Collections Database sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and HomeLab Watcher sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Collections Database ships an update fortnightly, HomeLab Watcher every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Collections Database | HomeLab Watcher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (187 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 187 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Matteo D'Ignazio | YANCY SHEPHERD |
Bugs and requests
Collections Database
Reported bugs
2 issues- Keyboard issues when using search
- Inconsistent behavior between iOS and macOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Collaborative features for sharing databases
- More advanced reporting and visualization options
- Improved import/export functionality
- Ability to customize the appearance and layout
HomeLab Watcher
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Collections Database
- Collections Ultra (Upgrade)$1.99
- Collections Pro$7.99
- Collections Ultra$9.99
HomeLab Watcher
- HomeLab Watcher Lifetime$4.99
Questions
Is Collections Database free?
Is HomeLab Watcher free?
Do Collections Database or HomeLab Watcher have ads?
Which is updated more often, Collections Database or HomeLab Watcher?
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