Comparison

Garmin VIRB vs QRControl

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

QRControl

Control GoPro cameras with custom QR codes, even without an internet connection. Set modes, Protune, preferences, and trigger various capture types. Supports multiple QR codes and saving for sharing.

Highlights
  • Control GoPro cameras via QR codes
  • Set video, photo, and time-lapse modes
  • Configure custom Protune settings
  • Adjust camera preferences
  • Trigger time-delayed captures
  • Enable motion detection and GPS captures
  • Support for multiple QR codes
Features
Read full description

This is an unofficial app compatible with GoPro™ Labs enabled cameras. With the launch of GoPro Labs, users can control their GoPro cameras via custom QR Codes. This utility makes that easier on a mobile device, particularly for those without reliable internet connections. QR Codes generated support: 1) setting video, photo and time-lapse camera modes on the MISSION, HERO13, HERO12, HERO11/Mini, HERO10/Bones, HERO9, HERO8, HERO7 and MAX/2 cameras. 2) setting up custom Protune configurations 3) setting camera preferences 4) triggering time delay starts, including sunset and sunrise 5) motion detection video captures 6) GPS speed triggered captures 7) support for multiple QR Codes. 8) saving QR Codes for sharing

Screenshots

Garmin VIRB3 screens
QRControl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: QRControl at 60% against Garmin VIRB's 16%. QRControl also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.9). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

QRControl holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 205 and 115 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of Garmin VIRB's written reviews are positive against 60% of QRControl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Garmin VIRB ships an update monthly, QRControl every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Garmin VIRB versus QRControl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGarmin VIRBQRControl
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.9 (205 ratings)4.7 (115 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.3% of reviews60.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205 — better115
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size152 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGarminDavid Newman

Customer experience

Garmin VIRB

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

QRControl

All ratings114 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive60.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative30.2%

User reviews

Garmin VIRB

From 205 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for Garmin dashcam
  • 👍 Works well with dashcam
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Connectivity issues with dashcam
  • 🐛 Unreliable and unstable
  • 🐛 Doesn't work with newer iOS versions
  • 🐛 Slow video transfer speeds

QRControl

From 115 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Impressive functionality
  • 💡 Opens creative possibilities
  • 👍 QR-code workflow helpful
  • 🚀 Game changer for multicam shoots
  • 🌟 Revived bricked camera

Room to improve

  • 👴 Old style, bad looking interface
  • 👴 Outdated interface
  • 📱 Not optimized for GoPro Max 2
  • 🐛 Sends Hero 7 into spasms
  • 🐛 Random photo capture

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

QRControl

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • White screen on iOS 16.2 public beta
  • Doesn't work
  • White screen
  • Used to work, now white screen
  • Not working, white screen
Show 13 more
  • White screen after update on iPad Pro
  • No working, white screen
  • Doesn't work after updates, white screen
  • Stopped working after upgrade to version 1.73, white screen
  • White screen at the start, nothing happens
  • Scaling of text and boxes messed up
  • Attach QR Command in metadata not working
  • Issues when enabling Time Date and changing screens
  • QR code appears to stop updating with current time
  • All profiles were deleted
  • Stripped Pro Tune feature
  • Text in app does not display correctly with larger font
  • Some generated codes do not work

Requested features

15 requests
  • Night Photo mode with motion/lightning trigger support
  • Support for Night Photo mode with motion/lightning-style triggering
  • Sync configs across multiple devices
  • Add Performance Camera Mode setting
  • Instruction pages or info bubbles
Show 10 more
  • Option to format SD card with QR code
  • Add zoom function
  • Rearranging presets
  • Create duplicate of current preset
  • Update for new Hero 10 features
  • Add title for settings when saving
  • Make an iPhone version
  • Include missing toggles from web page (lens selection, auto settings)
  • Add delayed start / timed start codes
  • Add missing features

In-app purchases

None

Garmin VIRB

No in-app purchases

None

QRControl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Garmin VIRB free?
Garmin VIRB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is QRControl free?
QRControl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Garmin VIRB or QRControl?
QRControl is rated higher. Garmin VIRB averages 1.9 out of 5 from 205 ratings, while QRControl averages 4.7 from 115 ratings.
Do Garmin VIRB or QRControl have ads?
Neither Garmin VIRB nor QRControl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Garmin VIRB or QRControl?
Garmin VIRB ships an update monthly, and QRControl every 2 months. Most recently, Garmin VIRB was updated on October 24, 2026 and QRControl on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons