Comparing Helmarr and Cupola.
Helmarr runs only on Apple devices, needs iOS 26, and charges for its Pro and Ultra tiers. Cupola is free and open source, runs on Android too, and works back to iOS 17.
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Where Cupola stands out
- On Android as well as iPhone, iPad and Mac, and on iOS 17 or later.
- Free and open source: no subscription, no per-service unlocks.
- On iPhone, iPad and Mac, collects nothing, not even anonymous analytics.
- Reaches TrueNAS, Dockge and Nginx Proxy Manager, and family members can request with their own Seerr account.
Side by side
| Fact | Helmarr | Cupola |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon) and Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac; Windows and Linux builds not yet tested on real machines |
| Oldest system | iOS 26 | iOS 17, Android 7, macOS 12 (Apple silicon) |
| Price | Free to install. Pro at $3.99 a month or $34.99 once, Ultra at $4.99 a month, or single services from $3.99 | Free, nothing to unlock |
| Source code | No public source found | Open source, Apache License 2.0 |
| Data collected by the app | Usage data for analytics and crash data, not linked to you (App Store privacy label) | None on iPhone, iPad and Mac. On Android, the code scanner (Google ML Kit) sends Google diagnostic and usage data; we collect nothing ourselves |
| Media and requests | Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Bazarr, Seerr, Overseerr, Jellyseerr, Wizarr | Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, Readarr, Bazarr, Seerr (with sign-in for household members) |
| Download clients and indexers | SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, Transmission, Deluge, rTorrent, Prowlarr, NZBHydra2, Jackett | SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, Transmission, Prowlarr |
| Streaming and server | Plex, Emby, Tautulli, Jellystat, Tracearr, Tdarr, Unraid, SSH | Jellyfin, Plex, Unraid, TrueNAS, Dockge, Nginx Proxy Manager |
Where Helmarr is ahead
- More services in places: Emby, Tdarr, Deluge, rTorrent, NZBHydra2, Jackett, Tautulli, Jellystat and Wizarr.
- An SSH and SFTP client, and a Vision Pro app.
- A large App Store following, rated 4.8.
Moving to Cupola
- Cupola does not import Helmarr settings: add each connection again with the same address and key, plus an away address if you use one.
- Test each connection before you save it. If it fails, Cupola tells you why.
Questions
Does Cupola need a server or an account?
No. There is no Cupola account and no Cupola server. The app talks straight to your own services, and their keys and passwords stay on your device, in the Keychain or the Android Keystore.
Is Cupola free?
Yes. It is open source under the Apache License 2.0, with nothing to buy or unlock. If it helps you, a donation on Ko-fi keeps it moving.
How do I manage my home server from my phone when I am away?
With the route you already have: a VPN such as WireGuard or Tailscale, or a reverse proxy. Give a connection a second address for when you are out, and Cupola uses whichever one answers.