Yam Air vs spacedesk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Yam Air
Transform your iPad or iPhone into a wireless second display for your Mac. Connect easily via Wi-Fi or AirDrop for enhanced productivity, with touch gesture controls and virtual keyboard support. Unlock advanced features like drag and drop with an in-app purchase.
- Wireless second display
- Extend or mirror display
- Touch gesture control
- Virtual keyboard
- Drag and Drop support
- Teleprompter Mode
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# Yam Air is a wireless version of Yam Display # # On your Mac, download Yam Display host app from www.yamdisplay.com # Yam Air turns your iPad/iPhone into a wireless second display for your Mac. On your Mac, download Yam Display host app from www.yamdisplay.com for free. Yam Air will automatically connect to a nearby Mac just by turning on Wi-Fi. For devices that support AirDrop, even internet connection is not required. Handy for simple tasks such as browsing or text editing when you are out in a café or outside. You can control your Mac with touch gestures and virtual 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. The extended display with Yam Air will help you improve your productivity. Key Features: - Peer-to-peer connection - Extend Display / Mirror Display - Energy efficient for static screens - Retina display - 30 FPS / 60 FPS (optional) - Split View (iOS 9 or later) - Touch Gestures: Click / Zoom / Rotate / Scroll / Drag - Virtual Touch Bar (for Macs with macOS Sierra or later) - Hardware keyboard and Mouse paired with iPad - Virtual keyboard (launch by 3 fingers tap) Plus Features (In-App Purchase): - Drag and Drop between iPad and Mac (iOS 11 or later) - Teleprompter Mode System Requirements: - Macs released after 2012 with macOS 10.10 or later: * MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later) * MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later) * MacBook (Early 2015 or later) * iMac (Late 2012 or later) * Mac mini (Late 2012 or later) * Mac Pro (Late 2013 or later) * Mac Studio (※ Other Macs can cause delay) - All iOS devices with iOS 8.0 or later (Best for devices that support AirDrop: * iPad 4G or later * iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad mini * iPhone 5 or later * iPod Touch 5G or later ※ Other devices need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network or bluetooth pairing) For any questions or suggestions: help@yamdisplay.com
spacedesk
Extend your Windows PC's desktop to another device wirelessly or via USB. Use your tablet or phone as a drawing tablet or a portable second monitor for travel and productivity.
- Windows desktop extension
- Screen mirroring
- Remote desktop viewer
- Drawing tablet functionality
- Wireless display monitor
- USB display monitor
- Remote control
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Windows computer desktop extension, mirroring and remoting tool for WiFi, USB or LAN. Supports applications like: - Screen Cast (to television, tablet or smart phone) - Desktop Remoting Viewer (over USB and Local Area Network) - Drawing Tablet (drawing and painting with digitizer pen) - Wireless Display Monitor (similar to Miracast, RDP, AirPlay and Sidecar) - USB Display Monitor (similar to DisplayLink) - Remote Access (over USB link, WiFi and LAN) - Remote Control (wireless and wired) - Screen Streaming (including audio) - Screen Mirroring (over the air and via cable) - Screen Cloning - Extension Screen - Windows Desktop Workspace Extension - Windows Desktop Duplication (clone) - Windows Desktop Streaming - Personal Computer Desktop Presenter - Virtual Monitor for Desktop PC - Second Display On The Go - TV, mobile or tablet screen as Side by Side Display - Alternative to Miracast, AirPlay and Sidecar - Portable Multimonitor Screen for Travel - Access main computer from mobile device - Software KVM-Switch (Keyboard Video Mouse) - Software Display Hub - Software Display Switch - Projector Screen Viewer - Input Console - Input Terminal - Tablet Input Device - Windows Graphics Tablet App - Windows Tablet as sketchbook for drawing artwork - Creative Video Wall App - Video Wall w. Any Angle Rotation Instruction manual, documentation and detailed setup: https://manual.spacedesk.net Quick Guide: 1. Install spacedesk DRIVER software for Windows Primary PC. Download from: https://www.spacedesk.net 2. Install this spacedesk Viewer app for iOS. 3. Open this spacedesk Viewer app and connect to Windows Primary PC. Connection: USB or LAN (Local Area Network). LAN: Driver and Viewer must be on the same network - via Mobile Hotspot Note: Does NOT need internet connection! The Windows Primary Machine running spacedesk Driver... ...supports Windows 11, Windows 10 or Windows 8.1. Apple Macs are not supported. Dual monitor and multi monitor configurations are supported. Needs spacedesk drivers installed. Download: https://www.spacedesk.net The Secondary Machine or Device (iOS network display client)... ...is an iPad, iPhone or device running the spacedesk iOS app. The wireless and wired cable connection... ...connects Windows Primary Machine to Secondary Machine or Device over USB, LAN (Local Area Network e.g. Ethernet) and/or WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). Local Area Network connection can be wired or over WiFi. TCP/IP network protocol is required. More information on: https://www.spacedesk.net Instruction Manual: https://manual.spacedesk.net/ Support Forum: https://forum.spacedesk.net/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/spacedesk/330909083726073 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkWZSwBD-XY — LIGHTNING FAST — To achieve unparalleled performance and display quality with zero lag, use cable connection over USB or Local Area Network. Try to circumvent WiFi and network routers. E.g. configure Windows PC or iOS device as WiFi Access Point (Hotspot) and connect directly before connecting spacedesk. Please check chapter "Performance Tuning" in the instruction manual: https://manual.spacedesk.net — REMOTE CONTROL INPUT AND OUTPUT PERIPHERAL ACCESSORIES — - Touchscreen (multitouch and single touch - Touchpad - Mouse Pointer Control - Keyboard - Pressure Sensitive Stylus Pen - Audio Speaker — SETTINGS AND OPTIONS — - Landscape View - Portrait View — SYSTEM SUPPORT — Supported are iOS versions 11.x+ (including MacOS on Apple Silicon Chips) and PCs with Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Apple Macs are not supported.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: spacedesk at Free against Yam Air's $3.99. spacedesk also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Yam Air's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
spacedesk is free to download; Yam Air costs $3.99 up front. Yam Air sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and spacedesk sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
spacedesk holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: spacedesk has 2.3K ratings behind it against 75, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Yam Air's written reviews are positive against 71% of spacedesk's.
Yam Air ships an update every 3 months, spacedesk every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | Yam Air | spacedesk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (75 ratings) | 4.7 (2.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews | 71.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 75 | 2.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yamstu Inc. | datronicsoft Technology GmbH |
Customer experience
Yam Air
spacedesk
Bugs and requests
Yam Air
Reported bugs
20 issues- Connection fails repeatedly
- App crashes after a few seconds
- Screen goes black, only cursor visible
- Freezes during typing or tab switching
- Screen hangs and lags
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Horizontal mode shows black screen with only cursor
- Public Wi-Fi causes app crash
- Connection status stuck on 'connecting'
- Works only on first connection
- MacBook not starting after installation
- App blocks access after a week, demands payment again
- Mirroring only, not extended monitor
- Automatically switches to mirroring mode
- Status bar always on, creating black bars
- Connection drops after ~30 minutes
- App becomes unusable after updates
- Mac software is unstable and crashes
- Cannot clone screen with additional HDMI device
- App requests payment again after purchase
- Not compatible with updated Mac OS
Requested features
9 requests- Stream audio from MacMini
- Virtual keyboard support
- On-screen keyboard support
- Add sound playback on iPad
- Allow choosing sound output device
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Improve horizontal mode
- Support for newer iPad Pro resolutions
- Allow iPad device control
- Support for Windows
spacedesk
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Yam Air
- Teleprompter ModeFree
- Drag and Drop$1.99
spacedesk
- Business License: 46-50 Conn.$9.00
- Business License: 41-45 Conn.$18.00
- Business License: 1 connection$19.00
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Business License: 36-40 Conn.$25.00
- Business License: 31-35 Conn.$35.00
- Business License: 26-30 Conn.$45.00
- Business License: 21-25 Conn.$50.00
- Business License: 16-20 Conn.$59.00
- Business License: 11-15 Conn.$60.00
- Business License: 2-5 Conn.$79.00








