# CStore Essentials vs Elistars

The clearest difference is rating: Elistars at 4.5 against CStore Essentials's 3.0. Elistars also leads on update cadence (every 8 months vs every 30 months). CStore Essentials's advantage is ratings volume (62 vs 11) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.4). 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.

Elistars holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CStore Essentials has 62 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two.

CStore Essentials ships an update every 30 months, Elistars every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CStore Essentials | Elistars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cstore-essentials/id968114138/reviews) | **[4.5 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elistars/id1257912987/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **62** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 39.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 30 months | **Every 8 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 21 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Excentus](https://appshunter.io/developer/525790670) | [Elistars](https://appshunter.io/developer/1257912986) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Elistars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elistars/id1257912987)

This is a back-office tool for registered users of elistars. It allows users to manage their store's price book. Access is restricted to authorized personnel.

**Highlights:** Price book management, Store inventory control, Registered user access, Back-office support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CStore Essentials free?

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

### Is Elistars free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CStore Essentials or Elistars?

Elistars is rated higher. CStore Essentials averages 3.0 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while Elistars averages 4.5 from 11 ratings.

### Do CStore Essentials or Elistars have ads?

Neither CStore Essentials nor Elistars shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CStore Essentials or Elistars?

CStore Essentials ships an update every 30 months, and Elistars every 8 months. Most recently, CStore Essentials was updated on October 13, 2026 and Elistars on October 2, 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.*