Yam Display vs OpenDisplay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Yam Display
Transform your iPad or iPhone into a second display for your Mac using a USB connection. Enjoy lag-free browsing and video playback, and control your Mac with touch gestures. Enhance multitasking with Split View and streamline your workflow with features like Drag and Drop and Teleprompter Mode.
- Second display for Mac
- USB wired connection
- Minimal lag
- Touch gesture control
- Split View support
- Drag and Drop (In-App Purchase)
- Teleprompter Mode (In-App Purchase)
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# iPad/iPhone as a second display for Mac via USB # Yam Display turns your iPad/iPhone into a second display for your Mac. Wired by USB, browse documents or watch videos without delay. Control your Mac with touch gestures and keyboard on your iPad. For multitasking enabled iPads, you can utilize every single pixel of your screen in Split View. Plus features such as Drag and Drop and Teleprompter Mode will make your workflow more efficient. Yam Display is fast, secure, simple and will help you to improve your productivity. Key Features: - Minimal lag for browsing or video playback - Energy efficient for static screens - Retina display - 60 FPS / 30 FPS - Split View (iOS 9 or later) - Touch gestures: Click / Zoom / Scroll / Drag / Rotate - Virtual Touch Bar (for Mac with macOS Sierra 10.12.2 or later) - Bluetooth keyboard and mouse Plus Features (In-App Purchase): - Drag and Drop between iPad and Mac (iOS 11 or later) - Teleprompter Mode System Requirements: - iOS devices with iOS 7.1 or later - Macs with macOS 10.9 or later Download app for Mac from: yamdisplay.com (free) For any questions or suggestions: help@yamdisplay.com
OpenDisplay
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a genuine second display for your Mac. This open-source solution allows you to extend your screen space, keeping essential apps visible. Connect via USB for minimal latency or Wi-Fi for easy setup.
- Use iPhone/iPad as a second Mac display
- Connect via USB or Wi-Fi
- Retina-sharp rendering
- Touch and scroll support
- Portrait or landscape orientation
- Private by design, no tracking
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OpenDisplay turns your iPhone or iPad into a second display for your Mac. It's the open-source way to put your spare Apple device to work as a real extended monitor — drag windows onto it, keep chat, notes, or logs in view, and gain screen space anywhere you go. It's not a mirror: it's a genuine additional display your Mac treats like any other monitor. • Real extended display — arrange it in your Mac's Display settings and drag windows across • Connect over USB for the lowest latency, or over Wi-Fi with zero setup • Retina-sharp, pixel-for-pixel rendering • Touch and scroll — tap, drag, and two-finger scroll to control your Mac • Works in portrait or landscape • Private by design — a direct connection between your own devices, with no accounts, no servers, and no tracking IMPORTANT: OpenDisplay requires the companion OpenDisplay app for Mac, running on your computer on the same cable or Wi-Fi network. Get it at https://peetzweg.github.io/opendisplay — without it, this app has nothing to connect to. OpenDisplay is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Read the code, report issues, or contribute at https://github.com/peetzweg/opendisplay
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: OpenDisplay at Free against Yam Display's $7.99. OpenDisplay also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 months). Yam Display's advantage is chart position (#146 vs unranked) and ratings volume (82 vs 18). On ads 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
OpenDisplay is free to download; Yam Display costs $7.99 up front. Yam Display sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. OpenDisplay asks for nothing beyond the download.
OpenDisplay holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Yam Display's written reviews are positive against 100% of OpenDisplay's.
Yam Display ships an update every 3 months, OpenDisplay every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Yam Display | OpenDisplay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (82 ratings) | 4.7 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 82 — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #146 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.1 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamstu Inc. | Philip Poloczek |
Customer experience
Yam Display
OpenDisplay
In-app purchases
Yam Display
- Drag and DropFree
- Teleprompter ModeFree
OpenDisplay
No in-app purchases
