SwannView Plus vs CStore Essentials
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SwannView Plus
Access live video feeds and recorded footage from compatible Swann NVR and DVR systems. Control camera movement, zoom, and capture snapshots directly from your iPhone.
- Live video preview (up to 4 channels)
- Playback recorded footage
- PTZ control and camera movement
- Pinch-to-zoom
- Live view snapshot
- Multiple device management
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SwannView Plus allows you to view your cameras live and play back previous recordings from supported Swann NVR and DVR models on your iPhone. The key features of SwannView Plus include: · Live video preview of up to 4 channels · Play back earlier recordings from your NVR/DVR (high upload speed internet connection required) · Swipe for PTZ control and camera movement, pinch to zoom in and out in preview mode; · Live view Snapshot · Simple management of multiple devices This version supports the following models only (x will be a number representing the channels on your unit which will be 4, 8, 16 etc): DVRx-1500 DVRx-1525 DVRx-1550 DVRx-1575 DVR24-4300 DVRx-4350 DVRx-4500 DVRx-4900 DVRx-8050 DVRx-8075 NVRx-7000 NVRx-7200 NVRx-7250 NVRx-7090 NVRx-7095 NVRx-8000 HDR8-8200 HDR16-8200 Note: This app uses a data stream that will connect to your Swann NVR/DVR via 3G/4G or WiFi. When using 3G/4G, the video from your NVR/DVR will likely be considered "downloads" by your phone service provider and will contribute to any download limit your phone data plan may have. If you exceed any plan limits you may incur additional usage charges. Consult with your mobile service provider regarding the use of a video streaming app and how it may affect your plan. For the latest information, visit http://support.swann.com For assistance with this app, contact Swann Tech Support – tech@swann.com
CStore Essentials
Monitor and manage all your retail stores remotely from your smartphone. Get real-time insights into sales, transactions, and inventory changes, even when you're away.
- Remote store management
- Live transaction monitoring
- Full transaction receipts
- Live department and gas sales
- Add new items
- Change item prices
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Manage all your stores from your phone. Stay on top of everything happening in your store even when you are not present. - View full day reports - See live transactions as they are happing on your register - See full transaction receipts with line voids, full transaction voids and no sale register openings - See live department and gas sales - Add new items and change prices for existing item
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CStore Essentials at 3.0 against SwannView Plus's 1.8. CStore Essentials also leads on review sentiment (40% vs 12%). SwannView Plus's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 30 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 62). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CStore Essentials holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SwannView Plus has 1.2K ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 12% of SwannView Plus's written reviews are positive against 40% of CStore Essentials's.
SwannView Plus ships an update every 3 months, CStore Essentials every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SwannView Plus | CStore Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.8 (1.2K ratings) | 3.0 (62 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 12.3% of reviews | 39.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 62 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 30 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Swann Communications Pty Ltd | Excentus |
Customer experience
SwannView Plus
CStore Essentials
Bugs and requests
SwannView Plus
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to view all cameras
- Inconsistent camera naming/labeling
- Playback feature not working
Requested features
3 requests- Update app for latest iOS versions
- Add support for more advanced features (e.g. zoom, motion detection)
- Improve remote access reliability
CStore Essentials
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SwannView Plus
No in-app purchases
CStore Essentials
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SwannView Plus free?
Is CStore Essentials free?
Which has better reviews, SwannView Plus or CStore Essentials?
Do SwannView Plus or CStore Essentials have ads?
Which is updated more often, SwannView Plus or CStore Essentials?
Other comparisons
