# RustDesk Remote Desktop vs ntfy

The clearest difference is rating: ntfy at 4.8 against RustDesk Remote Desktop's 4.1. ntfy also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 59%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). RustDesk Remote Desktop's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

ntfy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ntfy has 425 ratings behind it against 73, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of RustDesk Remote Desktop's written reviews are positive against 79% of ntfy's.

RustDesk Remote Desktop ships an update every 2 months, ntfy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RustDesk Remote Desktop | ntfy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rustdesk-remote-desktop/id1581225015/reviews) | **[4.8 (425 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ntfy/id1625396347/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 73 | **425** |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | **78.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 62 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Purslane Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/666983468) | [Philipp Heckel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625396349) |

## What reviewers say

### RustDesk Remote Desktop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rustdesk-remote-desktop/id1581225015)

This open-source application provides remote desktop access and control capabilities. It allows users to remotely manage their computers. Please note it only supports controlling other devices, not being controlled or screen sharing.

**Highlights:** Open-source remote desktop, Remote access and control, TeamViewer alternative, Control other devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast connection and performance
- 🌟 Open source and free
- 💡 Self-hosting capability
- 👍 Easy to set up and use
- ⚡️ Low input lag

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 Phone heats up
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on iOS/iPadOS
- 🚫 Lacks mouse acceleration
- 📱 Poor compatibility with older iOS versions
- ⚠️ Some users report data collection (location, identifiers)

**Reported bugs**

- Recent update broke iPad mouse alignment
- No image displayed from PC (black screen)
- Remember Password function doesn't work
- Black screen when remoting into Raspberry Pi Linux server (Wayland)
- Keyboard issues when remoting from iPhone to PC

**Requested features**

- Add option to view and modify USB drives in file transfer mode
- Improve mouse and keyboard control configurability
- Allow Apple Pencil to function as a mouse
- Support iPhone remote control of each other
- Add option to automatically switch display/monitor to follow remote window focus


### ntfy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ntfy/id1625396347)

This app allows you to send push notifications to your phone from scripts or other applications using simple HTTP requests. It acts as a client for a free, open-source pub-sub service, enabling you to receive alerts and updates directly on your device.

**Highlights:** Send notifications via REST API, Subscribe to topics, Publish messages via HTTP, Integrates with Bash/PowerShell, Free and open source client

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Great for self-hosting
- 👍 Reliable and works as expected
- 🚀 Quick and easy to set up
- 🚀 Lightweight and functional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notification issues on iOS
- 🔍 Limited features compared to other platforms
- 🔍 Lacks customization options
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or delivery issues

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working on iOS
- Broken click URLs in notifications
- Compatibility issues with iOS notification summarizing

**Requested features**

- Ability to change notification sounds
- Support for Apple Watch
- Customizable topic names/aliases
- Improved iOS notification handling
- All topics view and read/unread indicators


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?

RustDesk Remote Desktop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ntfy free?

ntfy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, RustDesk Remote Desktop or ntfy?

ntfy is rated higher. RustDesk Remote Desktop averages 4.1 out of 5 from 73 ratings, while ntfy averages 4.8 from 425 ratings.

### Do RustDesk Remote Desktop or ntfy have ads?

Neither RustDesk Remote Desktop nor ntfy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RustDesk Remote Desktop or ntfy?

RustDesk Remote Desktop ships an update every 2 months, and ntfy fortnightly. Most recently, RustDesk Remote Desktop was updated on August 22, 2026 and ntfy on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*