Comparison

GitHub vs PilotDesk

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

Head to head
About

GitHub

Manage your code projects, review changes, and collaborate with your team on the go. This app allows you to stay updated with notifications, respond to issues, and browse files and code from anywhere.

Highlights
  • Browse notifications
  • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests
  • Review and merge Pull Requests
  • Organize Issues with labels and assignees
  • Browse files and code
  • Discover trending repositories
Read full description

There’s a lot you can do on GitHub that doesn’t require a complex development environment – like sharing feedback on a design discussion, or reviewing a few lines of code. GitHub for iOS lets you move work forward wherever you are. Stay in touch with your team, triage issues, and even merge, right from the app. We’re making these tasks easy for you to perform, no matter where you work, with a beautifully native experience. You can use GitHub for iOS to: • Browse your latest notifications • Read, react, and reply to Issues and Pull Requests • Review and merge Pull Requests • Organize Issues with labels, assignees, projects, and more • Browse your files and code • Discover new and trending repositories ——— Terms of Service: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-privacy-statement

About

PilotDesk

Features
Read full description

PilotDesk puts your Mac in your pocket: open its terminal, work with AI agents, browse its files, see and control its screen, or use your iPhone and iPad as a second display. SSH TERMINAL • Connect to one Mac or several, with a password or a key • A full terminal: colors, Powerlevel10k, vim, htop, tmux • The session stays alive on the Mac even when you close the app • The keys you actually need above the keyboard: Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows • History and saved commands you run with one tap AI AGENTS • Start Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, Aider or Ollama on your Mac • They keep working when you close the app; come back and find them where you left them • Follow their status in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen FILES • Browse, rename, create folders, download and upload • Preview documents, photos and videos • Text editor to change files right on the Mac • Copy files from one Mac to another REMOTE DESKTOP • See and control the Mac's screen with low-latency H.264 streaming • Trackpad gestures, zoom, choice of display • Over Wi-Fi, a USB cable, or away from home with Tailscale EXTENDED DISPLAY • The Mac creates a real second display the size of your iPad or iPhone: drag your windows onto it TOOLS • CPU, memory and disk monitor • Docker container control LINUX AND WINDOWS • Terminal, files, Monitor and Docker also work with Linux computers and servers and with Windows 10 and 11 PCs, over SSH • Remote desktop on Linux too, with the free PilotDesk Host for Linux MAC-STYLE KEYBOARDS • Magic Keyboard, aluminium, MacBook Pro, white MacBook, Extended II and a virtual Touch Bar PRIVACY No account, no ads, no tracking. Connections go straight from your device to your computer; passwords and keys stay in the Keychain. PRICING Terminal, files and one Mac are free. PilotDesk Pro unlocks everything with a single purchase, no subscription, or buy only what you need. Try everything free for 24 hours. Remote desktop and extended display need the free PilotDesk Host app on the Mac (macOS 14 or later), downloadable from the website. For terminal and files just turn on Remote Login in the Mac's System Settings. No Mac at hand? Tap "Try without a Mac" and explore the app with a demo Mac.

Screenshots

GitHub4 screens
PilotDesk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: GitHub at #2 against PilotDesk's unranked. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. GitHub sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and PilotDesk sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GitHub ships an update weekly, PilotDesk every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
GitHub versus PilotDesk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGitHubPilotDesk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (39K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews65.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings39K — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#2 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size180 MB22 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGitHubRoberto Chiarella

Bugs and requests

GitHub

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login issues and inability to switch accounts
  • Inconsistent behavior when navigating between app and website
  • Notifications not always loading correctly
  • Inability to view all files in large pull requests
  • Crashes when trying to perform certain actions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for multiple accounts
  • Improve search and filtering capabilities
  • Implement code editing and file management
  • Integrate GitHub Actions and Insights
  • Allow viewing and managing GitHub projects

PilotDesk

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

GitHub

Subscriptions4
  • GitHub Pro$3.991 Month
  • Copilot Pro$10.001 Month
  • Copilot Pro+$39.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Copilot Max$99.001 Month
7 purchases

PilotDesk

One-time7
  • 1-day TrialFree
  • Keyboards$0.99
  • More Macs$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Tools$1.99
  • Extended Display$3.99
  • Remote Desktop$4.99
  • PilotDesk Pro$8.99

Questions

Is GitHub free?
GitHub is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PilotDesk free?
PilotDesk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do GitHub or PilotDesk have ads?
Neither GitHub nor PilotDesk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GitHub or PilotDesk?
GitHub ships an update weekly, and PilotDesk every 4 days. Most recently, GitHub was updated on November 1, 2026 and PilotDesk on October 26, 2026.

Other comparisons