# SwannView Plus vs CStore Essentials

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | SwannView Plus | CStore Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swannview-plus/id666246731/reviews) | **[3.0 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cstore-essentials/id968114138/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 62 |
| Positive reviews | 12.3% of reviews | **39.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 30 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Swann Communications Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/416404343) | [Excentus](https://appshunter.io/developer/525790670) |

## What reviewers say

### SwannView Plus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swannview-plus/id666246731)

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.

**Highlights:** Live video preview (up to 4 channels), Playback recorded footage, PTZ control and camera movement, Pinch-to-zoom, Live view snapshot, Multiple device management

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy setup
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 👍 Good camera quality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 High memory usage
- ⏱️ Slow live streaming and playback
- 🤖 Outdated and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to view all cameras
- Inconsistent camera naming/labeling
- Playback feature not working

**Requested features**

- Update app for latest iOS versions
- Add support for more advanced features (e.g. zoom, motion detection)
- Improve remote access reliability


### CStore Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cstore-essentials/id968114138)

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.

**Highlights:** Remote store management, Live transaction monitoring, Full transaction receipts, Live department and gas sales, Add new items, Change item prices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SwannView Plus free?

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

### Is CStore Essentials free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SwannView Plus or CStore Essentials?

CStore Essentials is rated higher. SwannView Plus averages 1.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while CStore Essentials averages 3.0 from 62 ratings.

### Do SwannView Plus or CStore Essentials have ads?

Neither SwannView Plus nor CStore Essentials shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SwannView Plus or CStore Essentials?

SwannView Plus ships an update every 3 months, and CStore Essentials every 30 months. Most recently, SwannView Plus was updated on October 10, 2026 and CStore Essentials on October 3, 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.*