Comparison

DS cam vs NASDL Manager

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

NASDL Manager

Manage your Synology NAS downloads and system activity efficiently from your mobile device. Monitor download progress, access NAS settings, and view system information with this third-party client.

Highlights
  • List NAS downloads
  • Detailed download info
  • Open links via Share menu
  • Add/remove downloads
  • Sort and filter downloads
  • Change download properties
  • View NAS system info
  • Manage Download Station settings
Features
Read full description

This mobile application is designed by a long-time Synology user for fellow Synology enthusiasts, providing an efficient way to manage DS tasks and monitor activity on Synology NAS devices. This app is an independent third-party client and is not affiliated with Synology Inc. Key features are: • Presenting a list of NAS downloads • Display detailed information on each download process • Open links from Safari using Share menu • Open magnet links from any browser • Easy to add or remove downloads • Sort and filter downloads • Change downloads' properties • Display detailed system information for the NAS itself and VPN connection status (Admin rights for account required) • Display and change the key settings of Download Station application • Access to the NAS using the DDNS service (whitelisted IP-address required) • Access to the NAS using QuickConnect • Two-factor authentication supported • Search • RSS • Visual representation of the available disk space on your NAS (Admin and File Station access rights for the account required) • Connection history with the option of iCloud synchronization across all user devices • Widgets What user rights are required for use: • Access to Download Station – required • Access to File Station – optional, to select the download folder and get the info about storage system. Please note that the user must have the default download folder set, otherwise tasks will not be added. You can set the default folder from the application in the Download Station settings (if you have access to File Station), or through the web version of Download Station in the settings. • Administrator rights – optional. If the user has administrator rights, access to NAS system information such as VPN connection status, disk information, etc. will be available. In addition, a user without administrator rights can only see their own downloads. Downloads created by other users will not be displayed All personal data is securely stored in the Keychain (iPhone, iCloud). No data of any kind, including anonymized data, is collected. Synology NAS with DSM version 6.0+ and Download Station installed are required. Some features may only be available for Download Station version 4.0 or later. Please direct any comments or suggestions to support@joinersoft.app. We appreciate your support and cooperation in advance! Disclaimer: This application does not host, provide, or promote any downloadable content or links. Support for custom URL schemes and external connections is provided solely to allow users to manage their own systems, such as personal NAS devices. All use of the application must comply with applicable laws and remains the sole responsibility of the user. By downloading the application, you accept the Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

DS cam4 screens
NASDL Manager4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NASDL Manager at 95% against DS cam's 32%. NASDL Manager also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). DS cam's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. NASDL Manager sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. DS cam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NASDL Manager holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 176 and 131 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of DS cam's written reviews are positive against 95% of NASDL Manager's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DS cam ships an update every 4 months, NASDL Manager monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
DS cam versus NASDL Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDS camNASDL Manager
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (176 ratings)4.7 (131 ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.8% of reviews94.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings176 — better131
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSynology Inc.Grigory Stolyarov

Customer experience

DS cam

All ratings172 ratings
Positive41.3%
Neutral14.0%
Negative44.8%
Written reviews286 reviews
Positive31.8%
Neutral17.8%
Negative50.3%

NASDL Manager

All ratings124 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews473 reviews
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative3.4%

User reviews

DS cam

From 176 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

NASDL Manager

From 131 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple, clean and reliable
  • 👍 Great replacement for DSGET
  • 👍 Easy to use and reliable connection
  • 👍 Worthy replacement to DS Get
  • 👍 Works really well on iPhone and iPad

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or connection issues
  • 🔍 No option to select files before download starts
  • 🔍 No search feature for torrents
  • 🐛 Buggy after recent update, slow and unresponsive

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

NASDL Manager

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login screen freezes or shows 'Permission denied' error
  • Incompatible with some Synology NAS models or DSM versions
  • Crashes or connection issues after recent updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to select download folder before starting
  • Ability to add multiple downloads at once
  • iPad version or Mac app
  • Integrate with built-in Synology Download Station search

In-app purchases

None

DS cam

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

NASDL Manager

Subscriptions1
  • Sponsored Version (1 year)$3.491 Year
One-time1
  • Sponsored Version (Lifetime)$8.49

Questions

Is DS cam free?
DS cam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NASDL Manager free?
NASDL Manager is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DS cam or NASDL Manager?
NASDL Manager is rated higher. DS cam averages 3.0 out of 5 from 176 ratings, while NASDL Manager averages 4.7 from 131 ratings.
Do DS cam or NASDL Manager have ads?
Neither DS cam nor NASDL Manager shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DS cam or NASDL Manager?
DS cam ships an update every 4 months, and NASDL Manager monthly. Most recently, DS cam was updated on October 24, 2026 and NASDL Manager on October 24, 2026.

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