Comparison

Garmin VIRB vs Camera Remote Watch

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Garmin VIRB

Control and manage your Garmin VIRB action cameras, including the VIRB 360. Playback, edit, and share your footage, or even live stream directly from your mobile device. Features include remote control, live viewfinder, and advanced editing tools.

Highlights
  • Remote camera control
  • Live viewfinder
  • Video editing
  • 360 video playback and editing
  • Live streaming
  • G-Metrix data overlays
  • Multi-camera control
Features
Read full description

Connect and control all your Garmin VIRB cameras with the VIRB app, which now supports VIRB 360! Quickly playback, edit, share, and live stream** directly from your mobile device.*** Also, has playback and video editing support for Speak Plus, Dezl 785, Drive Assist 51, Dash Cam 45/55/65W, and GDR E530/E530Z/E560/S550! Features: • VIRB 360 support – Easily view and edit 360 videos, add 4K spherical Stabilization, watch footage in VR Mode and add Augmented Reality G-Metrix™ data overlays • Frame your shot – See what your camera sees with live viewfinder • Remote control – Full remote control of camera functions and settings • Browse Content – Playback recorded videos and photos • Edit Your Videos – Trim a clip, adjust playback speed, add G-Metrix™ overlays and music • Highlight Detection – Find the most interesting parts of the video quickly using highlights in editor timeline • Share Your Content – Push photos and videos to sharing services • Live Broadcast – Stream from your VIRB live to YouTube or Facebook Live • Manage Your Files – Browse and delete files on your microSD card • Multi-Camera – View, control and access up to 8 VIRB action cameras simultaneously when VIRBs are in Multi-Cam mode, or many more when connected to a wireless router. • Locate Camera – Use the app to help find your lost VIRB • HyperFrame Director Mode - Reframe 360 video content after filming using smooth camera pans, impressively wide angles, and tiny planets Camera Compatibility • App is compatible with VIRB 360, VIRB Ultra 30, Speak Plus, Dash Cam 45/55/65W, Dezl 785, GDR E530/E530Z/E560/S550, Drive Assist 51, VIRB X, VIRB XE, and VIRB Elite cameras only Visit virb.garmin.com to learn more about VIRB. * Available with VIRB 360 **Available with VIRB 360 & VIRB Ultra 30 ***Playback, editing, and live broadcast features not available on VIRB Elite.

About

Camera Remote Watch

Control your phone's camera remotely from your smartwatch. Take photos without touching your device and preview them on your wrist. Ideal for hands-free photography.

Highlights
  • Remote camera shutter control
  • Take photos without touching phone
  • Preview photos on smartwatch
  • Store photos in phone gallery
  • Works with Fitbit and Garmin
Features
Read full description

Remote control the phone camera shutter from your Fitbit or Garmin smartwatch and take a picture without touching your phone. Please watch the video and read the FAQ: http://www.CameraRemoteWatch.com/ Open the phone app "Camera Remote Watch" and adjust the camera view. On your watch: open the app "Camera Remote Watch" and tap the Camera button to trigger the camera shutter on your phone. The photo will be stored in your phone photo gallery and you can access it with the iOS "Photos" app. A copy of the photo will be shown on your watch, so that you can check if it looks good or if you should take another picture. Please make sure that the watch and the phone are connected before starting to take pictures. The Fitbit phone app "Sync" step, shown in the video, is very important. Don't skip it and make sure that the watch app Camera Remote Watch is closed during the Sync. Please be patient when downloading the new photo (the Fitbit is slow). If the watch display goes black during the download of the photo, just tap the watch screen to switch the display on again. Please read the FAQ: http://www.cameraremotewatch.com/faq/

Screenshots

Garmin VIRB3 screens
Camera Remote Watch2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Garmin VIRB at Free against Camera Remote Watch's $2.49. Garmin VIRB also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months) and rating (1.9 vs 1.5). Camera Remote Watch's advantage is chart position (#130 vs unranked). On review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Garmin VIRB is free to download; Camera Remote Watch costs $2.49 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Garmin VIRB holds the better App Store score, 1.9 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin VIRB has 205 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 16% of Garmin VIRB's written reviews are positive against 18% of Camera Remote Watch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Garmin VIRB ships an update monthly, Camera Remote Watch every 8 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Garmin VIRB versus Camera Remote Watch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarmin VIRBCamera Remote Watch
PriceFree — better$2.49
Rating1.9 (205 ratings) — better1.5 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews16.3% of reviews18.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205 — better11
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#130 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size152 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGarminAppMosaic.com

Customer experience

Garmin VIRB

All ratings205 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral5.4%
Negative74.6%
Written reviews245 reviews
Positive16.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative69.4%

Camera Remote Watch

All ratings11 ratings
Positive9.1%
Neutral9.1%
Negative81.8%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive18.3%
Neutral12.2%
Negative69.5%

Bugs and requests

Garmin VIRB

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App doesn't detect dashcam
  • Can't connect to dashcam via WiFi
  • Crashes when trying to view videos
  • Dashcam footage not showing up in app

Requested features

4 requests
  • Live video preview
  • Ability to view and download videos directly
  • Improved video editing features
  • Better compatibility with wider range of dashcams

Camera Remote Watch

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Garmin VIRB

No in-app purchases

None

Camera Remote Watch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Garmin VIRB free?
Garmin VIRB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Camera Remote Watch free?
Camera Remote Watch costs $2.49, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Garmin VIRB or Camera Remote Watch?
Garmin VIRB is rated higher. Garmin VIRB averages 1.9 out of 5 from 205 ratings, while Camera Remote Watch averages 1.5 from 11 ratings.
Do Garmin VIRB or Camera Remote Watch have ads?
Neither Garmin VIRB nor Camera Remote Watch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Garmin VIRB or Camera Remote Watch?
Garmin VIRB ships an update monthly, and Camera Remote Watch every 8 months. Most recently, Garmin VIRB was updated on October 24, 2026 and Camera Remote Watch on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons