Blue Iris vs SecuritySpy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blue Iris
Access and manage your home camera network remotely through a secure client for the Blue Iris PC software. View live streams, review recordings, and receive alerts from your cameras. Offers advanced controls and two-way audio for compatible devices.
- Manage multiple Blue Iris installations
- Receive push notification alerts
- Fast H.264 streaming
- Control PTZ and two-way audio
- Review and download recordings
- Broadcast live video from device
- Geofencing alerts
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This app is a CLIENT for the Blue Iris Windows PC software. In order to make use of this app, you must have Blue Iris version 6 installed and running on a Windows PC or VM. Instructions for connecting this app to the PC software are found in the Remote Access chapter of its Help file. This app provides a single point of contact to your home camera network. There is no need to insecurely open individual cameras to the Internet. This app connects using a secure and session-based protocol--no passwords are transmitted in plain text. Remote access does require router configuration or NGROK, which you can test without the app by using Safari. You should see your Blue Iris login page. Key features include: - Manage multiple Blue Iris installations - Geofencing: set status, send alerts, and more in response to device location * - Control the shield icon, schedule and profile selection - Receive iOS push notification alerts when a Blue Iris camera is triggered or there is a critical status message - Fast H.264 streaming - Control PTZ, IR and more for any camera that’s also controllable at the Blue Iris PC - Listen to and talk to any camera that’s also supported at the Blue Iris PC - Navigate cameras by tapping and swiping - Review recordings as stored on the Blue Iris PC, up to 64x speed - Download recorded video from the Blue Iris PC to the iOS device - Selectively delete recordings from the Blue Iris PC - Broadcast live video from the iOS device directly into a Blue Iris PC camera window - Remote control DIO output signals on compatible devices - Baby monitor functionality: continue to listen to audio with app closed or device in standby ** * Note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. ** Note that continued use of audio streaming running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
SecuritySpy
Monitor and control your macOS CCTV camera system remotely from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. View live feeds, playback recordings, and receive motion detection alerts. Essential for a complete video surveillance setup.
- Live video and audio streaming
- Playback of recordings
- Motion detection push notifications
- PTZ camera control
- Two-way audio communication
- Remote arm/disarm recording modes
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The official iPhone, iPad and Apple TV app for our macOS CCTV software SecuritySpy (securityspy.com). The essential component of a complete video surveillance system for your Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, this app allows you to easily monitor and control your camera system from wherever you are. This iOS app is completely free for registered SecuritySpy users, and also fully functional during the initial trial period. It offers the following features: - Live video and audio from your cameras - Multiplex: cycle through groups of simultaneous live camera views in full screen - Captures: play back recordings, including motion-detected clips, image files or whole-day movies - Save/share images and recordings via email, iMessage, iCloud Photo Sharing and more - Picture in Picture: watch a live camera in a floating window over other apps - Receive push notifications when motion is detected - PTZ control (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) - Two-way audio - Arm or disarm camera recording modes - Easy setup with auto-discovery of SecuritySpy servers on your network - View and manage multiple SecuritySpy servers Please note you will need a Mac running SecuritySpy 5.5.11 or later (securityspy.com), with a license that covers the number of cameras you want to use in the app. We are always happy to hear your feedback, so please get in touch if you have any suggestions for future updates.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SecuritySpy at Free against Blue Iris's $9.99. SecuritySpy also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Blue Iris's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On review sentiment, 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
SecuritySpy is free to download; Blue Iris costs $9.99 up front. SecuritySpy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Blue Iris asks for nothing beyond the download.
Blue Iris holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 418 and 86 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Blue Iris's written reviews are positive against 57% of SecuritySpy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Blue Iris ships an update every 4 days, SecuritySpy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blue Iris | SecuritySpy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (418 ratings) — better | 3.5 (86 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews | 57.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 418 — better | 86 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #60 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Ken Pletzer | Ben Software Ltd |
Customer experience
Blue Iris
SecuritySpy
Bugs and requests
Blue Iris
Reported bugs
5 issues- Inability to save video clips
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between live view and playback
- Push notifications not working reliably
- Cameras sometimes shown as offline when they are not
- Crashes when rotating device or accessing certain features
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for VPN connections
- Improve video scrubbing and playback controls
- Implement a more modern and responsive UI
- Allow for more granular user permissions and access levels
- Provide better integration with home automation systems
SecuritySpy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Blue Iris
No in-app purchases
SecuritySpy
- Multiplex & Captures$5.99









