Comparison

Gateway vs Menu Box

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

Head to head
About

Gateway

Control your Mac remotely from your iPhone or iPad. Create custom actions to launch applications, files, or perform tasks with a single tap. Manage active applications and even quit them directly from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Remote Mac control without WiFi limitations
  • One-tap access to Mac functions
  • Customizable actions for macOS and apps
  • Launch multiple items with a single tap
  • Stream Deck functionality
  • Organize actions with Spaces
  • Home screen widgets for actions
Features
Read full description

Ever controlled your Mac remotely from your iPhone or iPad? I wish. Or quickly stopped a video without your Mac playing music instead? I wish. Do you have a simple and fast workflow with a set of customized Actions? I wish! GATEWAY grants your wishes. Remotely access your Mac's functions and applications with or without WiFi - AND - gain an essential sidekick for your professional needs with customizable Actions that make your life easier. All you need is to download GATEWAY from the App Store and GATEWAY DESKTOP from our website (www.momentous.studio/gateway) to get started. ** MacOS Sonoma and later required. ** ** Visit www.momentous.studio/gateway to download Gateway Desktop for Mac. ** ---- FEATURES ---- - Remotely control your Mac without being limited to WiFi. - One-Tap Access to your Mac's functions. - Create your own Actions for macOS or any other application. - Launch one or multiple items, applications, files, videos or anything else on your Mac with a single tap. - Stream deck functionality. - Organize Actions with Spaces. - Customize Actions and Spaces to fit your workflow. - Dark-mode and landscape support. - Turn any action into Widgets and access them directly on your home screen. - Quit Mac apps directly from your iPhone or iPad. - Get a list of all active apps and force quit whenever you need it. - Battery Indicator for MacBooks. - Your local Mac IP address available at a glance. - Take advantage of already created Action groups from the Gateway Gallery, - Apple Music - Spotify - Podcasts - VLC - Screenshots - Force Quit ...and more features in future updates! Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA) apply: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Menu Box

Create visually appealing menus for your device's shortcuts. Customize menu items with emojis, app icons, or custom images to build personalized automations. Dynamically generate menus on the fly for advanced shortcut customization.

Highlights
  • Create beautiful menus for Shortcuts
  • Customize with emojis, SF Symbols, or custom images
  • Attach custom data to menu items
  • Fully controllable via Shortcuts
  • Dynamically create menus on the fly
  • Enhance Action Button functionality
Features
Read full description

Menu Box allows you to create beautiful menus in Shortcuts, further customising your advanced Automations. Menus can be created using emojis, SF Symbols App Icons or your own custom images to create truly individual menus with near limitless options. Custom data attached to each menu items allows you to create even more advanced Shortcuts. Menu Box is fully controllable via Shortcuts, including creating Menus dynamically on the fly. Menu Box is perfect for creating advanced Shortcuts to allow you to further customise how your menus look, and becomes especially useful when combined with the Action Button. --- Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Gateway4 screens
Menu Box4 screens

Verdict

The call

Gateway and Menu Box both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Menu Box's written reviews are positive against 60% of Gateway's. Gateway's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Gateway sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Menu Box sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Gateway against 4.7 for Menu Box. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Gateway's written reviews are positive against 86% of Menu Box's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Gateway ships an update every 6 days, Menu Box fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Gateway versus Menu Box: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGatewayMenu Box
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (20 ratings) — better4.7 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews85.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.517.5
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMomentous Studio LtdSnailed It Development Ltd

Customer experience

Gateway

All ratings20 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Menu Box

All ratings14 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral7.1%
Negative7.1%

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Gateway

Subscriptions2
  • Gateway Premium$0.991 Month
  • Gateway Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time12
  • VLC Playback ControlFree
  • AppleMusic Playback ControlFree
  • Podcasts ShortcutFree
Show 9 more
  • Single-Tap Screenshots$0.99
  • Force Quit Shortcuts$0.99
  • Spotify$2.99
  • Final Cut Pro X Shortcuts$3.99
  • Affinity Designer Shortcuts$3.99
  • Easter Bundle$6.99
  • Files + QuickLaunch$9.99
  • Life Time$99.99
  • Lifetime Access$149.99
4 purchases

Menu Box

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$4.991 Year
One-time3
  • Tip Jar - Small$0.99
  • Tip Jar - Medium$2.99
  • Tip Jar - Large$4.99

Questions

Is Gateway free?
Gateway is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Menu Box free?
Menu Box is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Gateway or Menu Box?
Gateway is rated higher. Gateway averages 4.8 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Menu Box averages 4.7 from 14 ratings.
Do Gateway or Menu Box have ads?
Neither Gateway nor Menu Box shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Gateway or Menu Box?
Gateway ships an update every 6 days, and Menu Box fortnightly. Most recently, Gateway was updated on October 11, 2026 and Menu Box on October 24, 2026.

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