Foscam Viewer vs Canary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Foscam Viewer
Monitor your Foscam IP cameras remotely from your iPhone or iPad. Watch your home, kids, and pets from anywhere with a 3G or WiFi connection. Enjoy enhanced security and peace of mind.
- View Foscam IP cameras
- Remote control
- Automatic camera search
- Real-time screenshots
- Pan/Tilt/Zoom control
- Video recording
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Foscam is the world leading brand focusing on IP camera products. This app is officially released by Foscam With Foscam IP cam viewer, you can view and control your Foscam IP camera from your iphone and ipad. You can use for watching your home, kids and pets anywhere if you can get a 3G or WiFi connection. Start to enjoy your security life now! Main Features Searching Foscam IP cameras automatically Real-time screenshot P/T/Z control record vedio
Canary
This app connects to smart home security devices to provide live and recorded video monitoring, intelligent motion alerts, and automatic mode switching. It also offers emergency response features and monitors indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity for a safer home environment.
- Live and recorded HD video monitoring
- Intelligent motion notifications with video clips
- Automatic arming/disarming based on location
- Emergency siren and direct connection to responders
- Indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity monitoring
- Customizable Home and Night modes
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Canary is home security made simple. The Canary app works with our security devices to connect your home to your phone, allowing you to view and protect those that matter most. Monitor your home: Watch live or recorded HD videos day or night. Access Canary’s timeline for a living history of your home. Save and bookmark your favorite clips. Intelligent notifications: When Canary identifies something out of the ordinary, you’ll get a notification with recorded HD video of the event, as well as the option to watch live. Automatic arming: Canary changes modes when you come and go. No complicated keypads or codes to remember. - Away When all members are away Canary monitors for activity and sends notifications - Home When a member is home Canary is customizable. You can set notification and privacy preferences. - Night Schedule Canary to monitor for activity while you sleep. - Privacy Camera and microphone are completely off. Emergency Options: Respond to incidents directly from the Canary app. Trigger the 90 decibel siren, or be connected directly to your home’s local emergency responders. A healthier home: Canary’s HomeHealth Technology™ monitors indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity. It all adds up to a smarter and safer home. Love your Canary? We read and appreciate every single review. Want to suggest a feature? Get in touch! -- Email: support@canary.is Facebook: Canary Twitter: @canary Instagram: @caughtbycanary From time to time, the Canary auto-mode switching feature may briefly access your GPS in order to have high confidence in your location. Battery life is very important to us and we do many things to ensure we use it sparingly. Please be aware that continued use of GPS services running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Canary at 4.2 against Foscam Viewer's 1.9. Canary also leads on ratings volume (5.6K vs 86) and review sentiment (33% vs 14%). Foscam Viewer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support 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. Canary sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Foscam Viewer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Canary holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canary has 5.6K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Foscam Viewer's written reviews are positive against 33% of Canary's.
Foscam Viewer ships an update every 6 weeks, Canary monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Foscam Viewer | Canary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (86 ratings) | 4.2 (5.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 13.9% of reviews | 32.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 86 | 5.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 158 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ShenZhen Foscam Intelligent Technology co., Ltd | Canary Connect |
Customer experience
Foscam Viewer
Canary
User reviews
Foscam Viewer
From 86 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📱 Multi-camera viewing capability (up to 4 cameras on one screen)
- 🔌 P2P connection technology eliminates port-forwarding complexity
- 🎮 Easy camera control with pan/tilt/zoom functionality
- 📸 Good picture quality when working properly
- ⚙️ Straightforward setup process for basic use
Room to improve
- ⏰ Extremely slow app launch and loading times
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- ❌ Poor iOS compatibility (especially iOS 9 and later)
- 🔄 App forgets saved cameras requiring re-entry
- 🚫 Abandoned by developer with no updates for years
Canary
From 5.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to set up
- 🔒 Reliable security system
- 📊 Comprehensive dashboard and data
- 🌡️ Monitors temperature, humidity, and air quality
- 💬 Two-way audio communication
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent disconnections and offline issues
- 🔍 Poor motion detection and false alerts
- 🕰️ Limited video history without subscription
- 🔒 Subscription required for essential features
- 📺 Slow video loading and playback
Bugs and requests
Foscam Viewer
Reported bugs
16 issues- App crashes after 1-5 minutes on iOS 9+
- Cameras not recognized or failing to connect
- Saved camera list not persisting between sessions
- Login session not maintained requiring re-authentication
- Screen garbling when rotating between portrait/landscape
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- Pan/tilt controls non-functional on 3G/4G
- Zoom controls unresponsive
- Preset deletion causing app crashes
- Presets not functioning correctly
- App closes after few minutes of use
- Video feed freezing and picture freezing
- Audio distortion and feedback issues
- Cellular data usage not controllable (excessive charges)
- Special characters in passwords not accepted (e.g., $)
- Scroll functionality broken on mobile data
- App incompatible with iOS 16 preventing full-screen images
Requested features
15 requests- Motion detection on/off toggle from app
- Auto-connect to previously used cameras on app launch
- Ability to control alarm and email alerts from app
- Remove or speed up splash screen startup
- Landscape mode support for iPad
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- Night vision on/off control
- Video recording capability for all camera models
- Date and time stamping for snapshots
- Support for more than 4 cameras simultaneously
- Background app playback capability
- HTTPS support for PTZ controls
- Ability to delete recorded videos
- Motion detection recording options
- Export video clips functionality
- Admin settings panel access from app
Canary
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch
- Inability to delete or remove cameras
- Inaccurate temperature and air quality readings
- Inconsistent live view and recording functionality
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to move and reposition cameras
- Longer video history for free users
- Improved geofencing and automatic mode switching
- Better motion detection and person identification
- Easier multi-camera management
In-app purchases
Foscam Viewer
No in-app purchases
Canary
- Premium Service4 variants$7.991 Month
- Premium Service3 Days trial$12.991 Month
- Professional Monitoring1 Month trial$19.991 Month
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- Premium Service3 variants$24.991 Month
- Premium Service$79.991 Year
- Premium Service1 Year trial2 variants$249.001 Year
Questions
Is Foscam Viewer free?
Is Canary free?
Which has better reviews, Foscam Viewer or Canary?
Do Foscam Viewer or Canary have ads?
Which is updated more often, Foscam Viewer or Canary?
Other comparisons
