PS4 Second Screen vs PS Remote Play
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PS4 Second Screen
Enhance your PlayStation 4 experience by connecting your mobile device. Control your console, view in-game content, and input text directly from your smartphone or tablet.
- Basic PS4 control
- Display second screen game information
- Enter text on PS4
- Connect mobile device to PS4
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Connect your PS4 and your mobile device with the PS4 Second Screen app to enjoy the following features: • Use your mobile device for basic control of your PS4. • Display information from second screen-compatible games on your mobile device. • Enter text on your PS4 with your mobile device. A Sony Entertainment Network account is required to use this app. Use of this app is governed by the license agreement at the following URL: (http://www.scei.co.jp/legal/index.html).
PS Remote Play
Stream your PS5 or PS4 console to your mobile device and play games remotely. Control your console using an on-screen controller or connect your wireless controllers. Enjoy voice chat and text input from your mobile device.
- Stream PS5/PS4 screen to mobile
- On-screen controller support
- Connect DUALSHOCK 4 controller
- Connect DualSense controller
- Voice chat via mobile mic
- Text input using mobile keyboard
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Use PS Remote Play to access your PS5™ or PS4™ wherever you go. With PS Remote Play, you can: • Display the PlayStation®5 or PlayStation®4 screen on your mobile device. • Use the on-screen controller on your mobile device to control your PS5 or PS4. • Connect your DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller. • Connect your DualSense™ wireless controller. • Connect your DualSense Edge™ wireless controller to mobile devices with iOS 16.4/iPadOS 16.4 or later installed. • Connect your Backbone One PlayStation® Edition to your iPhone. • Join voice chats using the mic on your mobile device. • Enter text on your PS5 or PS4 using the keyboard on your mobile device. To use this app, you need the following: • A mobile device with iOS 16/iPadOS 16 or later installed • A PS5 or PS4 console with the latest system software version • An account for PlayStation • A fast and stable internet connection When using mobile data: • Depending on your carrier and network conditions, you may not be able to use Remote Play. • Remote Play uses a lot more data than most video streaming services. Data charges may apply. Note: • This app may not be compatible with some games. • You need to grant this app access to connect to devices on your local network. If you haven't already, you can do this from the Settings menu on your iOS or iPadOS device. • Your controller may vibrate differently than when playing on your PS5 or PS4 console.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PS Remote Play at 3.4 against PS4 Second Screen's 2.6. PS Remote Play also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 17%) and chart position (#85 vs unranked). PS4 Second Screen's advantage is iOS requirement (12.1 vs 16.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PS Remote Play holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PS Remote Play has 19K ratings behind it against 3.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of PS4 Second Screen's written reviews are positive against 33% of PS Remote Play's.
PS4 Second Screen ships an update every 3 months, PS Remote Play every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PS4 Second Screen | PS Remote Play |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (3.7K ratings) | 3.4 (19K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.8% of reviews | 32.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.7K | 19K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #85 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PlayStation Mobile Inc. | PlayStation Mobile Inc. |
Customer experience
PS4 Second Screen
PS Remote Play
User reviews
PS4 Second Screen
From 3.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Responsive and easy to use
- 👍 Useful for typing in games
- 💡 Allows remote control of PS4
- 👍 Works well when connected
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
- 🔒 Requires extensive data collection
- 🔋 Drains device battery quickly
- 🤔 Limited functionality beyond basic controls
PS Remote Play
From 19K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Reasonable remote access
- 🚀 Works seamlessly with proper connection
- 👍 Amazing app, but
- 👍 Exeptional app
- 👍 Surprised
Room to improve
- 🐛 Too much lag
- 🐛 Connection without iOS 13
- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🐛 Terrible update
- 🐛 Doesn't work correctly on mobile data
Bugs and requests
PS4 Second Screen
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to find or connect to PS4
- Keyboard input not working as expected
- App freezes on startup or during use
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for PS5 and newer games
- Improve second screen functionality
- Allow control of media apps like Netflix
- Provide a dark mode option
PS Remote Play
Reported bugs
22 issues- UPDATE BOTH DEVICES TO YOUR LATEST SYSTEM SOFTWARE
- Black bar on bottom on screen
- App shuts down
- Doesn't work after update
- Crashing
Show 17 moreShow fewer
- App will not register away from home with my iPhone XR or my iPad Pro 2020 anymore
- Doesn't allow me to play away from my home
- Controller won't Connect to my PS4 and look it up how to reconnect and it won't work
- Doesn't work with my phone apple iphone xr won't connect to ps4
- Connection without iOS 13
- Cannot connect to PS5
- Captcha system needs to be addressed
- Crashing
- Motion is broken
- Works with some carriers, not with others
- (8801330d)
- Fix login server issue
- Impossible on Sony TV Bravia 2023!
- Wont turn on the PS5
- Remote Play Has Killed Audio on TV
- Very picky with what devices you can use, completely unusable in any place where it would be useful
- Doesn't work
Requested features
14 requests- Controller
- Needs controller support and it would be perfect
- DualShock should NOT turn off during connection!
- Please change remote conection
- Please update app
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Allow to use LTE
- Needs button mapping
- Mouse is broken
- Make it available for Apple TV and Vision Pro
- Fix amplitude problem from the console to the app!
- Needs DualSense support
- Needs to support inverted X or Y axis play
- Need to add cellular data support
- Need to add controller support
In-app purchases
PS4 Second Screen
No in-app purchases
PS Remote Play
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PS4 Second Screen free?
Is PS Remote Play free?
Which has better reviews, PS4 Second Screen or PS Remote Play?
Do PS4 Second Screen or PS Remote Play have ads?
Which is updated more often, PS4 Second Screen or PS Remote Play?
Other comparisons
