Comparison

Tap Remote vs Remote Buddy Mobile 2

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Tap Remote

Transform your iOS device into a comprehensive remote control for your Mac. Effortlessly manage your computer's mouse, keyboard, trackpad, system dock, and favorite media applications. An optional Pro upgrade unlocks desktop mirroring and presentation controls.

Highlights
  • Simulated Mouse with click functions
  • Trackpad with two-finger scrolling
  • Keyboard with multiple layouts
  • Media app control
  • Mac system Dock control
  • Desktop mirroring (Pro feature)
  • Presentation remote (Pro feature)
Features
Read full description

Tap Remote turns your iOS device into a powerful remote control for your Mac computer. More than just a Keyboard, Mouse and Trackpad, Tap Remote also gives you control over the Mac system Dock as well as controlling your favourite apps like Spotify and iTunes. Enjoy these Features for FREE: -> Simulated Mouse - Left, Right and Double-Click -> TrackPad - Two finger scroll just like on your Macbook -> Keyboard - select from various layouts (email, numeric) -> Full support for Portrait and Landscape mode -> Media Remote - control your favorite audio and video apps -> Customize the interface with color themes -> Control and view the Mac system Dock -> Connect to any computer on your network -> Password protection Upgrade to the Pro version and get these features: -> Mirror your desktop to your iOS device -> Presentation remote -> Extended Keyboard 3 Simple steps to get started: 1) Visit https://dodisoftware.com/tapremote and download the Mac client software 2) Run the Mac client software and the iOS app 3) Connect by entering the IP Address or scanning the QR code

About

Remote Buddy Mobile 2

Control your Mac from your iPhone or iPad. Use it as a trackpad, keyboard, or for app-specific controls and media playback. Mirror your Mac's screen and manage power functions remotely.

Highlights
  • Remote control for 100+ Mac apps
  • Multi-touch trackpad with Mousespot
  • Web video playback control
  • Screen mirroring up to 60fps
  • Keyboard and numpad input
  • Power actions and Wake-On-LAN
  • Secure TLS connection
Features
Read full description

Control your Mac, with your iPhone or iPad acting as trackpad, keyboard, mirrored display and powerful remote control for 100+ Mac apps. Watch web videos and streaming services in Safari or Google Chrome and control playback, speed and volume from the comfort of your couch. Use the built-in, high performance screen sharing to mirror your screen on your device's display and control your Mac from another room. Deliver your presentations with confidence using the multitouch trackpad and its elegant Mousespot highlight. Launch, switch and quit apps - or pick from Remote Buddy's huge library of 1.200+ actions for 100+ popular Mac apps, right from your device. Remote Buddy Mobile is the mobile companion app for Remote Buddy, the remote control app for your Mac. KEY FEATURES • Remote Control Control 100+ popular Mac apps with 1.200+ tailor-made actions. • Multi-touch Trackpad with Mousespot Click, drag, scroll, switch spaces or invoke Mission Control. Want to highlight parts of your presentations? Or looking for the mouse pointer? Remote Buddy's Mousespot spotlight effect is just a tap away! • Shortcut Bar The configurable shortcut bar provides quick access to essential actions for the controlled app in the Remote and Trackpad modes. • Smart Remote Fusing the best parts of remote, trackpad and shortcut bar into a single, app-specific view, Smart Remote puts everything needed to control an app within reach. • Web Video Control Control playback, speed and volume of almost all web videos - without having to fiddle with controls in the browser. Works with YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, tv.apple.com, Vimeo and many more in Safari and Google Chrome. • Screen Sharing Instantly see your Mac's screen, with up to 60 frames per second. Supports zooming, dragging, clicking, scrolling, multiple displays and more. • Actions and App Control Pick from Remote Buddy's huge library of 1.200+ app-specific actions; launch, switch and quit apps right from your device. Favorite frequently used apps and actions for quick access. • Keyboard and Numpad Type text and numbers into browsers, search fields, editors, spreadsheets and more. Supports modifiers, cursor keys, the iOS keyboard's dictation feature, password manager integration and more. • Power Actions and Wake-On-LAN Save power by putting your Mac to sleep - and wake it up later through Wake-On-LAN. Or initiate a reboot or shut down right from the app. • Audio Settings Change your system's default audio output to a different device or AirPlay target. Control its volume and mute status where supported. • Connection secured with TLS Support for the new Secure Connection feature of Remote Buddy 2.0, keeping your connection private through strong, certificate-based TLS 1.2 encryption. SUPPORTED APPS Some of the Mac apps that Remote Buddy for Mac and – thereby – Remote Buddy Mobile can control out of the box: Acrobat Pro, Adobe Bridge, Adobe Reader, AirFoil, Aperture, Audio Hijack 3, Audirvana, Books, Broadcasts, Calendar, Deckset, DVD Player, Elmedia Video Player, EyeTV, FlexTime, Firefox, GarageBand, Google Chrome, Impress (OpenOffice.org & LibreOffice), iPhoto, iTunes, Keynote, Kodi, Lightroom 1/2/3/4/5/Classic/CC, Mac Blu-Ray Player, Movist, Music, OpenPHT, Photo Booth, Photos, Plex for Mac, Plex Media Player, Podcasts, PowerPoint, Preview, QuickTime Player, Roon, Safari, Skim, Spotify, TV.app, VoodooPad, VLC, XBMC, Yojimbo A complete list of supported apps is available at the Remote Buddy website. If you want us to add support for an app that's not listed there, please let us know through the contact form of our website. HOST REQUIREMENTS Requires a Mac running Remote Buddy 2.0 or later. Remote Buddy 2.0 requires macOS 10.12 or later. Licenses for Remote Buddy for the Mac are sold separately and not part of this app.

Screenshots

Tap Remote4 screens
Remote Buddy Mobile 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Remote Buddy Mobile 2 at 4.6 against Tap Remote's 3.8. Remote Buddy Mobile 2 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (75% vs 50%). Tap Remote's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.4). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Tap Remote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Remote Buddy Mobile 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Remote Buddy Mobile 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Remote Buddy Mobile 2 has 36 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Tap Remote's written reviews are positive against 75% of Remote Buddy Mobile 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tap Remote ships an update every 7 months, Remote Buddy Mobile 2 every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Tap Remote versus Remote Buddy Mobile 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTap RemoteRemote Buddy Mobile 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (6 ratings)4.6 (36 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings636 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 months — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.4
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEun Ah JungIOSPIRIT GmbH

Customer experience

Tap Remote

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Remote Buddy Mobile 2

All ratings34 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tap Remote

One-time1
  • Tap Remote - Pro Upgrade$0.99
None

Remote Buddy Mobile 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tap Remote free?
Tap Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Remote Buddy Mobile 2 free?
Remote Buddy Mobile 2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Tap Remote or Remote Buddy Mobile 2?
Remote Buddy Mobile 2 is rated higher. Tap Remote averages 3.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Remote Buddy Mobile 2 averages 4.6 from 36 ratings.
Do Tap Remote or Remote Buddy Mobile 2 have ads?
Neither Tap Remote nor Remote Buddy Mobile 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tap Remote or Remote Buddy Mobile 2?
Tap Remote ships an update every 7 months, and Remote Buddy Mobile 2 every 12 months. Most recently, Tap Remote was updated on November 2, 2026 and Remote Buddy Mobile 2 on November 7, 2026.

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