Comparison

ScreenBrush Remote vs OpenDisplay

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

Head to head
About

ScreenBrush Remote

Control your Mac presentations from your iPhone. Use it as a laser pointer, slide changer, or drawing tool to highlight key points. It also features a flashlight and remote typing.

Highlights
  • Remote drawing
  • Slide changing
  • Laser pointer
  • Flashlight tool
  • Remote typing
  • Undo/redo functionality
Read full description

ScreenBrush Remote as a laser pointer for presentations to concentrate attention on significant points. Use your iPhone to connect to ScreenBrush on your Mac. Use ScreenBrush Remote as a "clicker" for Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to change slides. Features: • Remote Drawing • Change slides of presentations • As a laser pointer • Clear Screen with drawing by swiping left • Flashlight Tool by swiping right • Color hue change • Tool change • Repeat last drawing • Remote typing for Text Tool • Undo and redo Requirements: • iPhone with iOS 12 or later • Wi-Fi connection to ScreenBrush on your Mac

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

ScreenBrush Remote4 screens
OpenDisplay1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: OpenDisplay at 100% against ScreenBrush Remote's 54%. OpenDisplay also leads on rating (4.9 vs 2.4) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 months). ScreenBrush Remote's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OpenDisplay holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of ScreenBrush Remote's written reviews are positive against 100% of OpenDisplay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScreenBrush Remote ships an update every 5 months, OpenDisplay every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ScreenBrush Remote versus OpenDisplay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreenBrush RemoteOpenDisplay
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (11 ratings)4.9 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1114 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperElena DrozhzhinaPhilip Poloczek

Customer experience

ScreenBrush Remote

All ratings11 ratings
Positive36.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative63.6%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative46.2%

OpenDisplay

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ScreenBrush Remote

No in-app purchases

None

OpenDisplay

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ScreenBrush Remote free?
ScreenBrush Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OpenDisplay free?
OpenDisplay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ScreenBrush Remote or OpenDisplay?
OpenDisplay is rated higher. ScreenBrush Remote averages 2.4 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while OpenDisplay averages 4.9 from 14 ratings.
Do ScreenBrush Remote or OpenDisplay have ads?
Neither ScreenBrush Remote nor OpenDisplay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScreenBrush Remote or OpenDisplay?
ScreenBrush Remote ships an update every 5 months, and OpenDisplay every 8 days. Most recently, ScreenBrush Remote was updated on October 1, 2026 and OpenDisplay on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons