# Blue Iris vs Amcrest Cloud

The clearest difference is price: Amcrest Cloud at Free against Blue Iris's $9.99. Amcrest Cloud also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (5.9K vs 418). Blue Iris's advantage is review sentiment (56% vs 20%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 4 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Amcrest Cloud is free to download; Blue Iris costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Amcrest Cloud holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amcrest Cloud has 5.9K ratings behind it against 418, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Blue Iris's written reviews are positive against 20% of Amcrest Cloud'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, Amcrest Cloud every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Blue Iris | Amcrest Cloud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.7 (418 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blue-iris/id585350145/reviews) | **[4.2 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amcrest-cloud/id992489382/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 418 | **5.9K** |
| Positive reviews | **55.8% of reviews** | 20.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#60** | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ken Pletzer](https://appshunter.io/developer/585350148) | [Amcrest](https://appshunter.io/developer/930807300) |

## What reviewers say

### Blue Iris

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blue-iris/id585350145)

**Currently charting:** #60 Top Paid · Utilities (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable and stable
- 🔒 Secure remote access
- 👍 Comprehensive features
- 🚀 Smooth video playback
- 💡 Useful push notifications

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery on mobile devices
- 👎 Outdated and dated UI design
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and configure
- 🚫 Requires Blue Iris desktop software

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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 Cloud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amcrest-cloud/id992489382)

This AI-powered cloud service provides advanced video monitoring for IP cameras. It offers cloud storage, motion detection alerts, and sophisticated object detection for enhanced security.

**Highlights:** AI-powered cloud service, Cloud storage, Motion detection alerts, People, vehicle, animal detection, Camera health checks, 4K model support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Great camera
- 👍 Easy to set up
- 🚀 Very high resolution picture
- 🚀 Great performance in the app
- 🚀 No streaming latency

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 No video recorded despite motion detection
- 🐛 Cannot connect to WiFi
- 🐛 Will not record to SD card
- 🤔 Confusing app
- 🤔 Cannot add more cameras

**Reported bugs**

- Camera firmware update bricking cameras
- Inability to connect cameras to WiFi
- Cameras disconnecting from cloud
- App login issues
- Inability to change detection zones

**Requested features**

- Multiple saved camera locations
- Ability to view more than 4 hours of recordings


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Blue Iris free?

Blue Iris costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Amcrest Cloud free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Blue Iris or Amcrest Cloud?

Amcrest Cloud is rated higher. Blue Iris averages 3.7 out of 5 from 418 ratings, while Amcrest Cloud averages 4.2 from 5.9K ratings.

### Do Blue Iris or Amcrest Cloud have ads?

Neither Blue Iris nor Amcrest Cloud shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Blue Iris or Amcrest Cloud?

Blue Iris ships an update every 4 days, and Amcrest Cloud every 4 months. Most recently, Blue Iris was updated on October 13, 2026 and Amcrest Cloud on October 14, 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.*