PS Remote Play vs Remote Gamepad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
Remote Gamepad
Transform your smartphone into a versatile game controller for your PC. Enjoy immersive gaming experiences with on-screen controls or by rotating your phone as a steering wheel. Customize your controller layout and connect wirelessly or via USB.
- Use phone as PC game controller
- Steering wheel functionality for racing games
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth connection
- Layout editor for custom button configurations
- Shareable controller layouts
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Use your phone as a gamepad for your PC. Play games on your PC using your phone as a game controller. Rotate your phone as the steering wheel in racing games. On-screen controls are available similar to a game controller. Supported devices • Windows 10/11 • Linux This app is compatible with all PC games which support game controllers. Use Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth for the connection. No additional hardware is needed. Button presses on game controllers connected to your phone are forwarded. This allows you to use mobile game controllers with your PC. The included layout editor allows you to create and use your own game controller layouts. You can customize the button position, size, color, shape, and more. Layouts can be shared with other users using a link. A trial is available within the app. To continue using the app after the time limit, you can upgrade to the premium version or watch ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Remote Gamepad at 4.0 against PS Remote Play's 3.4. Remote Gamepad also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (44% vs 33%). PS Remote Play's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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
Both are free to download. Remote Gamepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PS Remote Play asks for nothing beyond the download.
Remote Gamepad holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PS Remote Play has 19K ratings behind it against 107, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of PS Remote Play's written reviews are positive against 44% of Remote Gamepad's.
PS Remote Play ships an update every 5 months, Remote Gamepad every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PS Remote Play | Remote Gamepad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (19K ratings) | 4.0 (107 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.1% of reviews | 44.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19K — better | 107 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #86 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 19 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PlayStation Mobile Inc. | Thomas Vos |
Customer experience
PS Remote Play
Remote Gamepad
User reviews
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
Remote Gamepad
From 107 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful for conventional controller lacking
- 💡 Supports controllers connected to phone
- 🚀 Minimal latency over WiFi/wired
- 👍 Rewarding ad placement
- 👍 Works right out of the box
Room to improve
- 👎 Promises Bluetooth, doesn't deliver
- 👎 Paid features required for use
- 👎 Limited free trial time
- 👎 Ads are intrusive
- 👎 Bad deadzones with no control
Bugs and requests
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
Remote Gamepad
Reported bugs
8 issues- Bug when pressing 2 buttons simultaneously
- Bluetooth not found in app
- Connection failed when scanning QR code
- App crashes when editing custom mapping
- Remote Gamepad PC app not working
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Steering wheel not perfectly straight
- PES game brings out keeper when playing
- Paid version with unlimited time doesn't work
Requested features
15 requests- Add angle calibration setting
- Optimize Wi-Fi connection for iPad
- Add button name customization
- Make it faster when touching and moving buttons
- Support for macOS
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Add different themes or interface color changes
- Add support for 3D touch for trigger force
- Add touchpad for camera control
- Option to edit extra button input
- Add keyboard input support
- Reduce minimum button size on iPad
- Add Bluetooth support
- Make it playable on TV (Android TV support)
- Remove time limit
- Fix paid version unlimited time issue
In-app purchases
PS Remote Play
No in-app purchases
Remote Gamepad
- Premium$2.99
