Steam Link vs Moonlight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Steam Link
Play your PC Steam games on your iPhone or iPad. Connect a controller and stream your library wirelessly from your computer to your mobile device. Enjoy your favorite titles on the go with this app.
- Stream Steam library to mobile
- Use MFI or Steam controllers
- Play on iPhone or iPad
- Requires iOS 11.0+
- Connect to PC on same network
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The Steam Link app brings desktop gaming to your iPhone or iPad. Just pair an MFI or Steam controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and start playing your existing Steam games. Requirements: * iPhone or iPad using iOS 11.0 or higher * Computer running Steam - Windows, Mac, or Linux * iOS device must be on the same local network as the computer running Steam For best performance: * Connect your computer using Ethernet to your 5Ghz WiFi router * Connect your iOS device to the 5GHz band of your WiFi network * Keep your iOS device within a reasonable range of your router
Moonlight
Stream PC games to your mobile devices with enhanced features like a virtual keyboard and gamepad-to-mouse input. Requires a gamepad and PC-side streaming software for hosting.
- Open-source and free
- Stream games from any store
- Up to 4K 120 FPS streaming
- Virtual keyboard and gamepad-to-mouse input
- Bluetooth controller support
- Local co-op with multiple controllers
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Important! GAMEPAD IS REQUIRED to use this app properly! An alternative Moonlight client app which brings some life quality updates like virtual keyboard and gamepad->mouse input, which can help replying in chats, running games outside of Steam or Steam itself. To be able to host your games you will need to install LizardByte Sunshine, which works on all GPUs, simply install Sunshine on your PC, perform first-time setup, and you're ready to stream. Features: • Open-source and completely free • Up to 4K 120 FPS • Stream games purchased from any game store • Bluetooth keyboard and mouse support • Support for MFi, PS4/5, and Xbox Bluetooth controllers • Local co-op with up to 4 connected controllers Other Requirements: • 5 GHz WiFi is highly recommended • A physical gamepad is required If you have any trouble, click our support link for help or look for the help links within Moonlight. This app is open-source. The code can be found here: https://github.com/XITRIX/Moonlight-Switch All trademarks cited here are the property of their respective owners.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Steam Link at Free against Moonlight's $0.99. Steam Link also leads on ratings volume (3K vs 3) and device support (6 vs 4). Moonlight's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.3). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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
Steam Link is free to download; Moonlight costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Moonlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Steam Link has 3K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Steam Link ships an update every 3 weeks, Moonlight every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Steam Link | Moonlight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.3 (3K ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Valve | Daniil Vinogradov |
Customer experience
Steam Link
Moonlight
Bugs and requests
Steam Link
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on startup
- Audio issues and sound problems
- Controller mapping and input problems
- Streaming quality and performance inconsistencies
Requested features
4 requests- Allow playing games with PC off
- Add remote access and PC control features
- Improve touch screen controls and customization
- Expand device compatibility
Moonlight
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Steam Link
No in-app purchases
Moonlight
No in-app purchases









