# CStore Essentials vs Core

The clearest difference is update cadence: Core at every 2 months against CStore Essentials's every 30 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 ships an update every 30 months, Core every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CStore Essentials | Core |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.8 (68 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cstore-essentials/id968114138/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **68** | — |
| Positive reviews | 39.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 30 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 21 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Excentus](https://appshunter.io/developer/525790670) | [W-Systems Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451591992) |

## 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

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Gets the job done
- 🚀 Barcode scanner is fast
- 👍 Mobile-friendly management
- 👍 Fantastic analytics
- 👍 Fast, easy, and clean interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App not working well
- 🐛 Poor service and problem resolution
- 🐛 App needs updating
- 🐛 Platform and app suck
- 🐛 Promotions, PLU, fuel, lotto don't work

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't work for a week
- Sign in problem after new app download
- Session expired, infinite relog loop
- Service down for over a week
- Live data doesn't work first hour of sales

**Requested features**

- Ability to change gas prices from the app
- Add ability to scan tags
- Add tender detail in live transactions
- Add departments and categories view
- Add ability to see departments and categories overall


### Core

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/core-mark-crm/id1476533455)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CStore Essentials free?

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

### Is Core free?

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

### Do CStore Essentials or Core have ads?

Neither CStore Essentials nor Core shows ads.

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

CStore Essentials ships an update every 30 months, and Core every 2 months. Most recently, CStore Essentials was updated on November 1, 2026 and Core on November 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.*