# DS video vs Butterlist

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Butterlist at 100% against DS video's 28%. Butterlist also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.8) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). DS video's advantage is ratings volume (257 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Butterlist holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DS video has 257 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of DS video's written reviews are positive against 100% of Butterlist's.

DS video ships an update every 2 months, Butterlist daily. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DS video | Butterlist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (257 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-video/id540949418/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/butterlist/id6744375352/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **257** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 27.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 35 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Synology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/321493109) | [Zachary Spitulski](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807413349) |

## What reviewers say

### DS video

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-video/id540949418)

Stream your video collection from your Synology NAS to your mobile device. Automatically retrieves movie information and organizes content into libraries. Record and manage TV programs remotely if you have compatible HDHomeRun devices connected to your NAS.

**Highlights:** Stream video collection from Synology NAS, Automatic movie information retrieval, Organized video libraries, Record and manage TV programs, Remote TV schedule management

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Simple and fast
- ⭐ Excellent ability to stream to Chromecast
- ⭐ Automatically fetches metadata
- ⭐ Allows sharing with family/friends
- ⭐ Works flawlessly with Synology NAS

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unstable, crashes frequently
- 🐛 Playback issues, video doesn't start or stops unexpectedly
- 🐛 Doesn't support common video formats like MKV, HEVC, DTS
- 🐛 Transcoding/download issues, videos don't play properly
- 🐛 Buggy on newer iOS/tvOS versions

**Reported bugs**

- Playback controls not working on Apple TV
- Subtitle display issues
- Inability to play videos over encrypted connections
- Synology NAS integration problems

**Requested features**

- Add support for more video formats
- Improve playback controls (skip forward/backward, resume, etc.)
- Implement auto-play next episode for TV shows
- Add Picture-in-Picture support on iPad
- Improve Chromecast and AirPlay support


### Butterlist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/butterlist/id6744375352)

Organize your movies and TV shows in one place. See where titles are streaming to easily find what to watch. Features a clean design, iCloud sync, and privacy-focused operation.

**Highlights:** Track movies and shows, See streaming availability, iCloud sync across Apple devices, Minimalist design, Privacy-first, no ads or tracking, Import/export data with CSV support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DS video free?

DS video is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Butterlist free?

Butterlist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, DS video or Butterlist?

Butterlist is rated higher. DS video averages 2.8 out of 5 from 257 ratings, while Butterlist averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do DS video or Butterlist have ads?

Neither DS video nor Butterlist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DS video or Butterlist?

DS video ships an update every 2 months, and Butterlist daily. Most recently, DS video was updated on August 26, 2026 and Butterlist on June 4, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*