Comparison

El Trackpad vs Remote App

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

Head to head
About

El Trackpad

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a responsive Mac trackpad. Control your computer with familiar gestures like scrolling, zooming, and rotating, all with minimal lag. It's a convenient way to enhance your Mac experience.

Highlights
  • Transform iPhone/iPad into Mac trackpad
  • Full gesture support
  • Lag-free control
  • Inertial scrolling
  • Multi-touch support
  • USB connection
Features
Read full description

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a fully featured Mac trackpad with gestures support. This app was written by a single person and was featured by 9to5Mac, Redmond Pie, AppAdvice, MacMagazine and more. REVIEWS “I’ve tried many similar apps before, but none of them worked as well as El Trackpad. Besides not having any notable lag, the app lets the user perform the same gestures as you can do on Apple’s Magic Trackpad.” — 9to5Mac “What makes El Trackpad so impressive here is the fact that it appears to be lag-free and works identically to an actual Apple Magic Trackpad, which is super awesome.” — Redmond Pie “If you’ve ever used a Magic Trackpad or the built-in version on any MacBook model, you’ll be right at home with the app.” — AppAdvice “This app transforms the iPhone/iPad into a complete trackpad for Macs, with multi-touch support and everything.” — MacMagazine DESCRIPTION Move the mouse cursor with the slide of a finger and smoothly navigate through your content with inertial scrolling. Pinch to zoom, rotate with your fingers and much more. Control your Mac in real-time with no lag. El Trackpad works like magic and has the features and touch gestures that you expect from a touchpad for a Mac computer. GET STARTED - Download and Install El trackpad on your iOS/iPadOS device and on your Mac. - Enable accessibility features on the Mac app when prompted. This is required to control the mouse cursor. - Connect the devices via USB cable. SUPPORTED GESTURES - Tap to click: Tap with one finger to click - Secondary click: Tap with two fingers to right click - Smart zoom: Double-tap with two fingers to zoom in and out - Scroll: Slide two fingers to scroll - Zoom: Pinch with two fingers to zoom - Rotate: Move two fingers around each other to rotate - Three-finger drag: Use three fingers to drag items on the screen - Look up: Tap with three fingers to look up a word - Show desktop: Spread your thumb and four fingers to show the desktop - Launchpad: Pinch with your whole hand to show Launchpad - Mission Control: Swipe up with four fingers to open mission control - App Exposé: Swipe down with four fingers to open App Exposé - Swipe between desktops: Swipe left or right with four fingers to move between full-screen apps or desktops ADDITIONAL INFO El Trackpad can be downloaded for free and offers a 7-day free trial with full functionality. After that, gestures with 2 fingers or more will no longer be recognized. At any time, you may unlock the app forever with a one-time in-app purchase.

About

Remote App

Transform your iPhone into a wireless mouse, keyboard, and touchpad for your PC or Mac. Control presentations, browse from your couch, or manage media players effortlessly over Wi-Fi. Simple setup with a free companion server.

Highlights
  • Wireless mouse and touchpad
  • Full keyboard input
  • Click, scroll, and zoom gestures
  • PC and Mac support
  • Media player control
  • Presentation control
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a wireless mouse, keyboard, and touchpad for your PC or Mac. Perfect for remote work, browsing from bed, or controlling presentations. Works over Wi-Fi — no cables, no hassle. Remote App transforms your iPhone into a powerful wireless remote control for your computer. Whether you're working, presenting, or watching a movie on your laptop, control everything effortlessly from your phone. Key Features - Wireless Mouse (trackpad-style) - Full Keyboard input support - Click, scroll, and zoom gestures - Supports both PC and Mac - Clean, lag-free experience Great for: - Couch browsing - Controlling media on your PC - PowerPoint or Keynote presentations - Typing from a distance - Media Remote: Manage media players like VLC, Spotify, iTunes, and more. - Works as Netflix Remote, Amazon Prime Remote, YouTube Remote. Simple Setup: Download the free companion server for PC/Mac Connect your iPhone and computer to the same Wi-Fi You're ready to control! Just smooth, wireless control. Join millions of satisfied users and revolutionise the way you interact with your computer! Terms of Use: https://vlcmobileremote.com/terms/

Screenshots

El Trackpad4 screens
Remote App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: El Trackpad at none against Remote App's shown. El Trackpad also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (55% vs 33%). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. El Trackpad sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Remote App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

El Trackpad holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 19 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of El Trackpad's written reviews are positive against 33% of Remote App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

El Trackpad ships an update every 5 days, Remote App every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
El Trackpad versus Remote App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEl TrackpadRemote App
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (39 ratings) — better3.4 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews54.8% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings39 — better19
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHugo LispectorAdarsh Urs

Customer experience

El Trackpad

All ratings39 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral28.2%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral24.2%
Negative21.0%

Remote App

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

El Trackpad

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • App no longer opens on Mac (M1 MacBook Pro)
  • App is non-functional on M3 MacBook Pro with Sequoia OS
  • Swiping with two fingers activates 'desktop view' on Sequoia OS
  • Tap with two fingers for right click refuses to register in certain applications
  • Rarely some gestures will not register
Show 18 more
  • Scrolling functionality suspends and requires mouse click to fix
  • Mouse movement is suddenly reversed on a monitor
  • Pinch to zoom out is only good/precise for zooming in
  • Double two finger tap sometimes registers as a zoom and often responds with a right click
  • Swipes pickup on iPad and swipe you out of the app
  • 3 fingers gestures like switching desktops became 4 fingers
  • Does not recognize long press or 3d press as click
  • El Trackpad overrides USB and nothing else works after sleep period
  • Transaction error when starting trial
  • Device not supported error when plugging in via USB
  • iPadOS 15 no longer allows disabling multitasking gestures
  • System zoom is disabled, cannot switch desktops with 3-finger swipe
  • Mission control gesture does not work for some laptops
  • App is extremely glitchy and frequently crashes
  • Mouse behavior in the app does not replicate Magic Trackpad functionality
  • App only works with USB cable connection
  • Inconsistent trial messaging and immediate charging
  • Cannot drag click for artwork

Requested features

20 requests
  • Add Bluetooth connectivity
  • Add Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Allow landscape orientation
  • Support 3-finger swiping for browser back/forward
  • Support 4-finger gestures for screen switching
Show 15 more
  • Add gesture for toggling between windows
  • Implement drag-and-drop functionality
  • Add pressure sensitivity for drawing/art
  • Make the app usable without a cable
  • Add option to rotate the virtual trackpad
  • Add keyboard support
  • Add option to run app upside down for cable management
  • Support iPhone as trackpad for iPad
  • Add more settings options
  • Add 3D Touch support
  • Add support for 4-finger gestures
  • Add 2-finger gesture for Notification Center
  • Add 2-finger parallel swipe for page navigation
  • Add FaceID authentication integration
  • Make it compatible with Windows

Remote App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

El Trackpad

One-time2
  • 7-day TrialFree
  • Unlock Full App$3.99
2 purchases

Remote App

Subscriptions1
  • Unlock Full Features - Annual7 Days trial$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • All Features Unlocker$5.99

Questions

Is El Trackpad free?
El Trackpad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Remote App free?
Remote App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, El Trackpad or Remote App?
El Trackpad is rated higher. El Trackpad averages 3.7 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Remote App averages 3.4 from 19 ratings.
Do El Trackpad or Remote App have ads?
Remote App shows ads; El Trackpad does not.
Which is updated more often, El Trackpad or Remote App?
El Trackpad ships an update every 5 days, and Remote App every 5 weeks. Most recently, El Trackpad was updated on October 23, 2026 and Remote App on October 24, 2026.

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