# Emby vs DS Video+

The clearest difference is rating: Emby at 3.1 against DS Video+'s 1.0. Emby also leads on review sentiment (31% vs 0%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 11 months). DS Video+'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emby sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. DS Video+ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Emby holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emby has 656 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Emby's written reviews are positive against 0% of DS Video+'s.

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, DS Video+ every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | DS Video+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.1 (656 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-video-plus/id6474862754/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **656** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **30.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 126 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [青龙 倪](https://appshunter.io/developer/1683451647) |

## What reviewers say

### Emby

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193)

Unite your personal videos, music, and photos into a single, accessible library. Stream your media to any device with automatic on-the-fly conversion and elegant organization. Share with friends and family, and manage access with robust parental controls.

**Highlights:** Personal media aggregation, On-the-fly media conversion, Elegant media organization, Media sharing with friends/family, Parental controls, Cloud-synced media streaming

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emby Premiere | $6.99 | per month |
| Unlock Playback | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Awesome interface
- 🚀 Flawless performance
- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Customizable home screen

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Unreliable Chromecast support
- 🔒 Paywall for basic functionality
- 🐛 Playback issues

**Reported bugs**

- Playback errors
- Inability to play certain file formats
- Disconnection issues
- Syncing problems
- Crashes on launch

**Requested features**

- Picture-in-picture mode
- Swipe gestures for navigation
- Improved music management
- Offline playback enhancements
- Chromecast improvements


### DS Video+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-video-plus/id6474862754)

Organize and play your video collection from Synology DiskStation or personal devices. Sync playback across devices, search easily, and create smart playlists. Download videos for offline viewing.

**Highlights:** Personal video library management, Seamless cross-device synchronization, Powerful video search function, Smart personalized playlists, Offline video playback

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

Emby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is DS Video+ free?

DS Video+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Emby or DS Video+?

Emby is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 656 ratings, while DS Video+ averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Emby or DS Video+ have ads?

Neither Emby nor DS Video+ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Emby or DS Video+?

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and DS Video+ every 11 months. Most recently, Emby was updated on October 21, 2026 and DS Video+ on October 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*