Blue Iris vs Amcrest View Pro for iPad
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.
Amcrest View Pro for iPad
View live footage from your Amcrest HDCVI Camera DVR and NVR systems. This application allows you to configure your cameras and monitor them remotely from anywhere in the world.
- Remote camera viewing
- Camera configuration
- HD CVI support
- DVR and NVR integration
- Global access
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Amcrest View is used in conjunction with Amcrest HDCVI Camera DVR & NVR systems. Configure your cameras together with the Amcrest View app to see your cameras from anywhere in the world!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Amcrest View Pro for iPad at Free against Blue Iris's $9.99. Amcrest View Pro for iPad also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.6). Blue Iris's advantage is rating (3.7 vs 1.9) and review sentiment (56% vs 17%). On ads and in-app purchases 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
Amcrest View Pro for iPad is free to download; Blue Iris costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Blue Iris holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 1.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 423 and 141 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Blue Iris's written reviews are positive against 17% of Amcrest View Pro for iPad's.
Blue Iris ships an update every 4 days, Amcrest View Pro for iPad every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blue Iris | Amcrest View Pro for iPad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (423 ratings) — better | 1.9 (141 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews — better | 16.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 423 — better | 141 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #58 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 7.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | Ken Pletzer | Amcrest Technologies LLC |
Customer experience
Blue Iris
Amcrest View Pro for iPad
User reviews
Blue Iris
From 423 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Reliable and stable
- 🔒 Secure remote access
- 👍 Comprehensive features
- 🚀 Smooth video playback
- 💡 Useful push notifications
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery on mobile devices
- 👎 Outdated and dated UI design
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and configure
- 🚫 Requires Blue Iris desktop software
Amcrest View Pro for iPad
From 141 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📹 Good quality camera hardware
- 🌍 Remote access from anywhere
- 🎯 Motion detection with email alerts
- ⚙️ P2P connection capability
- 🎬 Playback motion skip feature
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes on iPad
- ❌ Connection failures and timeouts
- ⚠️ Poor UI/UX design
- 🔄 Inconsistent performance across devices
- 📊 Outdated and neglected software
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
Amcrest View Pro for iPad
Reported bugs
21 issues- App crashes when changing playback parameters
- Crashes when adding or deleting cameras
- P2P connection failures on iPad only
- Login timeout errors persist across updates
- Push notifications not working on iPad
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Failed to connect errors with new camera models
- Playback stuck on year 1969 timestamp
- Video playback jumps forward or to end unexpectedly
- Live view image freezing and jumping
- Out of memory errors after few hours
- Cannot save videos to iPad
- Screen recording doesn't capture audio
- App doesn't return to live view from menu
- Playback cannot reset to single camera view
- HD quality setting not saved between sessions
- App freezes and spins frequently
- Incompatibility with iOS 10 and iPadOS 13.2+
- User locked error requiring DVR restart
- Images freeze on screen with 4K cameras
- App doesn't launch or stuck on first screen
- Camera connection drops randomly
Requested features
16 requests- Dark mode/night-friendly UI
- Full screen mode with auto-hiding controls
- QR code setup for multiple devices
- Shortcuts integration
- 2-camera split screen view option
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Simple day picker for playback instead of time range
- Configuration center on iPad app
- Touch ID support on iPad
- Auto-play last opened camera on app launch
- Motion detection sensitivity adjustment
- Preset camera controls
- Video file format conversion on iPad
- Region mask selection for monitoring
- Recording management (format, delete, download)
- iPad Pro display optimization
- Support for new camera models
In-app purchases
Blue Iris
No in-app purchases
Amcrest View Pro for iPad
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Blue Iris free?
Is Amcrest View Pro for iPad free?
Which has better reviews, Blue Iris or Amcrest View Pro for iPad?
Do Blue Iris or Amcrest View Pro for iPad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Blue Iris or Amcrest View Pro for iPad?
Other comparisons
