Comparison

Collections Database vs HomeLab Watcher

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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)
Features
Read full description

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

About

HomeLab Watcher

Features
Read full description

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

Collections Database4 screens
HomeLab Watcher4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Collections Database versus HomeLab Watcher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCollections DatabaseHomeLab Watcher
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (187 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings187 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatteo D'IgnazioYANCY 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

3 purchases

Collections Database

One-time3
  • Collections Ultra (Upgrade)$1.99
  • Collections Pro$7.99
  • Collections Ultra$9.99
1 purchases

HomeLab Watcher

One-time1
  • HomeLab Watcher Lifetime$4.99

Questions

Is Collections Database free?
Collections Database is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HomeLab Watcher free?
HomeLab Watcher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Collections Database or HomeLab Watcher have ads?
Neither Collections Database nor HomeLab Watcher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Collections Database or HomeLab Watcher?
Collections Database ships an update fortnightly, and HomeLab Watcher every 5 days. Most recently, Collections Database was updated on October 1, 2026 and HomeLab Watcher on September 29, 2026.

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