Comparison

DS cam vs Matrix

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

Matrix

Features
Read full description

1. 支援 iCam PRO / iCam Pro Live / iCam Max / iCam 4K PTZ 2. 不限攝影機數量 3. 可方位控制,水平、垂直旋轉速度可依照現場環境自行調整。 4. 控制內建八組預設點,可任意設定或旋轉至指定點 5. 可各別監看即時影像畫面及 PTZ 控制。 6. 即時畫面可全營幕顯示

Screenshots

DS cam4 screens
Matrix3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DS cam at Free against Matrix's $0.99. Matrix's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

DS cam is free to download; Matrix costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DS cam ships an update every 4 months, Matrix every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DS cam versus Matrix: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDS camMatrix
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating3.0 (177 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews32.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings177 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSynology Inc.Lan Yan Technology Corp.

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

Matrix

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

DS cam

No in-app purchases

None

Matrix

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DS cam free?
DS cam is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Matrix free?
Matrix costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do DS cam or Matrix have ads?
Neither DS cam nor Matrix shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DS cam or Matrix?
DS cam ships an update every 4 months, and Matrix every 2 months. Most recently, DS cam was updated on November 6, 2026 and Matrix on November 3, 2026.

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