Comparison

DS cam vs TP

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

Head to head
About

DS cam

Monitor and receive alerts from your Synology surveillance cameras. Control PTZ, patrols, and lens functions in real-time. Easily filter recordings and manage essential tasks like disabling cameras or deleting snapshots.

Highlights
  • Real-time camera monitoring
  • Alert notifications
  • PTZ, patrol, and lens control
  • Advanced recording filters
  • Essential management tasks
  • Snapshot management
Features
Read full description

You must own a Synology NAS or NVR to run this app, and be running the latest Surveillance Station to get the complete set of features. DS cam makes it possible to monitor and receive alert notifications from all your surveillance cameras set up on a Synology DiskStation. Smart features such as PTZ, patrols or lens control allow for perfect control of your cameras in real-time, while advanced filters make it easy to pinpoint any specific event from large lists of recordings. You can even perform all essential management tasks, from disabling a camera to unlocking and deleting a snapshot. Find all detailed features about the app on our website: www.synology.com > Solutions > Surveillance > Surveillance Mobile > Specifications https://www.synology.com/dsm/7.2/software_spec/surveillance_station

About

TP

Configure and manage your network devices remotely. Monitor network status, manage clients, and change settings from your smartphone or tablet. Supports both standalone device management and centralized control for multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Configure Omada devices
  • Monitor network status
  • Manage clients
  • Standalone mode for individual devices
  • Controller mode for centralized management
  • Local and cloud access
Features
Read full description

Omada app is used for configuring and managing your Omada devices. You can change settings, monitor the network status and manage clients, all from the convenience of a smart phone or tablet. STANDALONE MODE Standalone mode is designed for managing EAPs or wireless routers right away without having to spend time configuring a controller. Each device is managed separately. This mode is recommended for networks which only have a few EAPs (or wireless routers) and require only basic functions, such as home network. CONTROLLER MODE Controller mode works together with a software Omada Controller or a hardware Cloud Controller, and is suitable for managing multiple devices (including gateways, switches and EAPs) centrally. Controller mode allows you to configure and automatically synchronize unified settings to the devices in the network. Compared to Standalone Mode, more configuration options are available and supports to manage more devices in Controller mode. You can manage devices in Controller mode in two ways: via Local Access or Cloud Access. In Local Access mode, the Omada app can manage devices when the Controller and your mobile device are in the same subnet; in Cloud Access mode, the Omada app can access the Controller across the internet so you can manage your devices wherever you are. Compatibility List: The controller mode currently supports hardware cloud controllers (OC200 V1, OC300 V1), software Omada Controller v3.0.2 and above. (To experience more features support and more stable services, we recommend that you upgrade your controller to a new version). Standalone Mode currently supports the following models (with latest firmware): EAP245 (EU)/(US) V1 EAP225 (EU)/(US) V3/V2/V1 EAP115 (EU)/(US) V4/V2/V1 EAP110 (EU)/(US) V4/V2/V1 EAP225-Outdoor (EU)/(US) V1 EAP110-Outdoor (EU)/(US) V3/V1 EAP115-Wall (EU) V1 EAP225-Wall (EU) V2 ER706W (EU)/(US) V1/V1.6 ER706W-4G (EU)/(US) V1/V1.6 *The latest firmware is required and can be downloaded from https://www.tp-link.com/omada_compatibility_list. More devices supported by the app are coming!

Screenshots

DS cam4 screens
TP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TP at 4.6 against DS cam's 3.0. TP also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (58% vs 32%). DS cam's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TP holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 172 and 616 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of DS cam's written reviews are positive against 58% of TP's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DS cam ships an update every 4 months, TP every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
DS cam versus TP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDS camTP
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (172 ratings)4.6 (616 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews58.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings172616 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB149 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSynology Inc.TP-Link Systems Inc.

Customer experience

DS cam

All ratings172 ratings
Positive41.3%
Neutral14.0%
Negative44.8%
Written reviews283 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral18.0%
Negative50.2%

TP

All ratings616 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews320 reviews
Positive58.4%
Neutral10.0%
Negative31.6%

User reviews

DS cam

From 172 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works great
  • 👍 Good and useful app
  • 🚀 Fast and stable
  • 👍 Completely control camera recordings
  • 👍 Toggle through events easily

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Regular app crashing
  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Cannot scroll back in timeline without issues
  • 🐛 Event viewer rarely works
  • 🐛 Slow and clunky

TP

From 616 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Convenient remote management
  • 🚀 Fast and simple setup
  • 👍 Powerful network management features
  • 🚀 Seamless configuration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and connection issues
  • 🔒 Lacks 2FA support
  • 👎 Limited functionality compared to web interface
  • 👎 Slow performance and UI
  • 🐛 Unreliable device discovery

Bugs and requests

DS cam

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Regular app crashing
  • Cannot scroll back in timeline without issues
  • Event viewer rarely works
  • Keeps buffering
  • Crashes constantly
Show 11 more
  • Battery drain
  • Push notifications not reliable
  • Cannot click on push notifications
  • Cannot download h265 videos
  • Notifications missing thumbnails
  • Slow login process
  • Loses remembered connections
  • Slow to connect
  • Notifications stopped working
  • Crashes iPhone 14 Pro
  • Incompatible with older Surveillance Station versions

Requested features

11 requests
  • Selective motion notifications
  • Custom notification sounds
  • Ability to categorize alerts
  • Live scrubbing on timeline
  • Bookmarks and advanced filtering
Show 6 more
  • Ability to download h265 videos
  • Faster login process
  • Ability to retain remembered connections
  • Apple TV app
  • Dark mode for all screens
  • Ability to quickly switch between cameras

TP

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes when accessing local controller
  • Cannot reboot devices from the app
  • Firmware update breaks cloud access
  • Incompatible organization error
  • Wireless client information not displayed
Show 1 more
  • Wireless device signal strength not shown

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add landscape mode support
  • Improve 2FA integration
  • Increase network speed reporting limit
  • More advanced configuration options
  • Persistent user settings and preferences
Show 1 more
  • Provide a 'clear all logs' function

In-app purchases

None

DS cam

No in-app purchases

None

TP

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DS cam free?
DS cam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is TP free?
TP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DS cam or TP?
TP is rated higher. DS cam averages 3.0 out of 5 from 172 ratings, while TP averages 4.6 from 616 ratings.
Do DS cam or TP have ads?
Neither DS cam nor TP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DS cam or TP?
DS cam ships an update every 4 months, and TP every 10 days. Most recently, DS cam was updated on September 24, 2026 and TP on September 25, 2026.

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