Comparison

Actions vs Screens 5

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

Head to head
About

Actions

This app provides a vast collection of additional actions to enhance the functionality of the Shortcuts app on iOS. It offers a wide range of tools for manipulating data, interacting with device features, and automating complex tasks.

Highlights
  • Add to List
  • Apply Capture Date
  • Blur Images
  • Calculate with Soulver
  • Convert Date to Unix Time
  • Format Number as Ordinal
  • Get Device Details (Extended)
  • Get SF Symbol Image
Features
Read full description

Supercharge your shortcuts with lots of useful actions. It provides additional actions for the Shortcuts app. IMPORTANT: Because of an iOS bug, to make the actions show up in the Shortcuts app, you need to first launch the app and then restart your device. 重要提示:由于 iOS 错误,要使操作显示在“快捷方式”应用程序中,您需要先启动该应用程序,然后重新启动设备。 WICHTIG: Aufgrund eines iOS-Fehlers müssen Sie, damit die Aktionen in der Shortcuts-App angezeigt werden, zuerst die App starten und dann Ihr Gerät neu starten. IMPORTANT : en raison d'un bug iOS, pour que les actions s'affichent dans l'application Raccourcis, vous devez d'abord lancer l'application, puis redémarrer votre appareil. The actions are not able to run on Apple Watch or HomePod. Restart your device if the actions don't show up in the Shortcuts app. ■ Actions - Add to List - Apply Capture Date - Ask for Text with Timeout - Authenticate - Blur Images - Boolean - Calculate with Soulver - Choose from List (Extended) - Clamp Number - Color - Combine Lists - Combine Videos - Convert Coordinates to Location - Convert Date to Unix Time - Convert Location to Geo URI - Convert Unix Time to Date - Create Color Image - Create Menu Item - Create URL - Download File - Edit URL - Encrypt File - Encrypt Text - Filter List - Find Music Playlist - Format Currency - Format Date Difference - Format Duration - Format Number as Ordinal - Format Number — Compact - Format Person Name - Format Text List - Generate CSV - Generate Haptic Feedback - Generate Random Data - Generate Random Text - Generate UUID - Get All System Colors - Get Audio Playback Destination - Get Average Color - Get Average Color of Image - Get Battery State - Get Bluetooth Device - Get Bluetooth Devices - Get Boolean from Input - Get Compass Heading - Get Device Details (Extended) - Get Device Motion Activity - Get Device Motion Data - Get Device Orientation - Get Dominant Colors of Image - Get Elevation - Get Emojis - Get File Path - Get High-Resolution Timestamp - Get Image Capture Date / Set Image Capture Date - Get Image Location / Set Image Location - Get Index of List Item - Get Map Image of Location - Get Paragraphs from Text - Get Query Item Value from URL - Get Query Items from URL - Get Query Items from URL as Dictionary - Get Random Boolean - Get Random Color - Get Random Date and Time - Get Random Emoticon - Get Random Floating-Point Number - Get Random Number from Seed - Get Related Words - Get Sentences from Text - Get SF Symbol Image - Get System Color - Get Title of URL - Get Uniform Type Identifier / Set Uniform Type Identifier - Get User Details - Get Values Using JSONPath - Global Variable - Hex Encode - Hide Shortcuts App - Invert Images - Is Accessibility Feature On - Is Audio Playing - Is Bluetooth On - Is Call Active - Is Cellular Data On - Is Cellular Low Data Mode On - Is Conforming to Uniform Type Identifier - Is Connected to VPN - Is Dark Mode On - Is Day - Is Device Locked - Is Device Moving - Is Device Orientation - Is Host Reachable - Is Location Services Enabled - Is Low Power Mode On - Is Online - Is Shaking Device - Is Silent Mode On - Is Time - Is Time In Range - Is Web Server Reachable - Join Wi-Fi - Merge Dictionaries - Open URLs in Safari - Overwrite File - Parse CSV - Parse JSON5 - Pick Color - Pretty Print Dictionaries - Remove Duplicate Lines - Remove Duplicates from List - Remove Emojis - Remove Empty Lines - Remove from List - Remove Non-Printable Characters - Reverse Lines - Reverse List - Round Number to Multiple - Scan Documents - Scan QR Codes in Image - Set Creation and Modification Date of File - Show Black Screen - Show Notification - Shuffle List - Sort List - Sort Months - Spell Out Number - Toggle Boolean - Transform Lists - Transform Text - Transform Text with JavaScript - Trim Whitespace - Truncate List - Truncate Number - Truncate Text - Wait Milliseconds - Write or Edit Text

About

Screens 5

Access your Mac, Windows, Linux, or Raspberry Pi computers remotely from your iPhone or iPad. Offers fast, secure, and reliable connections with features like dynamic resizing, HEVC streaming, and display privacy.

Highlights
  • Remote access to Mac, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi
  • High-performance screen sharing
  • Secure connections with encryption
  • Dynamic desktop resizing
  • File transfer and clipboard sharing
  • Multi-display support
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
Features
Read full description

Access your computers from anywhere. Screens lets you remotely access your Mac, Windows PC, Linux PC, or Raspberry Pi from your iPhone or iPad. Whether you’re connecting to a remote workstation, a headless Mac mini, or helping friends and family, Screens delivers fast, secure, and reliable remote desktop access wherever you are. REMOTE ACCESS FROM ANYWHERE Remote access is built right into Screens on Mac. For older Macs and Windows PCs, install Screens Connect to easily set up remote access over the internet. Need to connect to Linux or Raspberry Pi? Screens also integrates with Tailscale for secure, hassle-free connections. HIGH PERFORMANCE SCREEN SHARING Experience a new level of remote desktop access on compatible Macs with Apple’s High Performance Screen Sharing technology. • Dynamic desktop resizing that adapts to your iPhone or iPad’s display • Fixed or custom desktop resolutions • Private virtual desktops • Smoother HEVC video streaming with remote audio • Display Privacy that blanks the remote Mac’s physical displays • Built-in connection encryption without requiring SSH High Performance requires a remote Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Smooth video and audio streaming also require a fast, stable connection with low latency. FAST, SECURE REMOTE DESKTOP ACCESS Screens is optimized for responsive remote control with support for: • Curtain Mode and Display Privacy for private remote sessions on Mac • SSH connections and SSH keys • Secure password storage and quick logins • Observe or control remote computers • Adaptive and Full display quality BUILT FOR MODERN REMOTE WORKFLOWS Use Screens to: • Access remote Macs, PCs, Linux systems, and Raspberry Pi devices • Connect to headless Mac mini setups and remote workstations • Monitor long-running tasks from anywhere • Help friends, family, or coworkers remotely • Access your computers while traveling or away from home DO MORE WITH SCREENS Take advantage of powerful system features across iPhone and iPad: • Connect using Siri, Shortcuts, and Spotlight • Quickly connect to saved computers from widgets • Use external keyboards, mice, and trackpads • Use Apple Pencil on iPad • Display your remote computer on an external display with AirPlay POWERFUL FEATURES • Multi-display support • Clipboard sharing • File transfer between iPhone or iPad and Mac • Customizable connection settings for individual computers • Dictation support for remote text input • Session selection on Mac • iCloud synchronization • Full URL Schemes support • Touch ID, Face ID, Apple Watch, and password protection COMPATIBILITY • Connect from iPhone and iPad to Mac, Windows PC, Linux PC, and Raspberry Pi • High Performance requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later • HEVC video and remote audio require a fast, stable connection and are unavailable over SSH • Screens Connect is built into Screens for Mac on macOS 14.6 or later • Standalone Screens Connect is available for Macs running macOS 10.13 or later and PCs running Windows 10 or later • Clipboard sharing on Windows and Linux supports text only • Remote audio is available with High Performance on compatible Macs; Standard Screen Sharing does not support audio • Screens does not support connections to iPhone, iPad, or Vision Pro devices Screens gives you secure, reliable access to your computers anytime, anywhere. Privacy Policy: https://screens.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://screens.app/terms

Screenshots

Actions2 screens
Screens 54 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Actions at 92% against Screens 5's 49%. Actions also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Screens 5's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Screens 5 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Actions asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Actions holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 527 and 620 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Actions's written reviews are positive against 49% of Screens 5's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Actions ships an update monthly, Screens 5 every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Actions versus Screens 5: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActionsScreens 5
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (527 ratings) — better4.5 (620 ratings)
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews — better49.0% of reviews
Number of ratings527620 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSindre SorhusEdovia Inc.

Customer experience

Actions

All ratings469 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews289 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.5%

Screens 5

All ratings620 ratings
Positive89.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews314 reviews
Positive49.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative42.7%

User reviews

Actions

From 527 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and flexible shortcuts
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🔓 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🤖 Impressive range of actions
  • 🔥 Indispensable for Shortcuts users

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs or performance issues
  • ⚠️ Compatibility concerns with newer iOS versions
  • 🕰️ Slow response times in some cases

Screens 5

From 620 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent remote access
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
  • 🔒 Secure SSH-based remote control
  • 👍 Native to Apple ecosystem
  • 🚀 High-quality remote desktop rendering

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable connection and frequent disconnections
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Requires complex networking setup (port forwarding, Tailscale)
  • 🐛 Issues with full-screen mode and window management
  • 🐛 Telemetry and analytics cannot be disabled

Bugs and requests

Actions

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Errors when using list manipulation actions
  • Incompatibility with HomePod mini
  • Shortcut actions not working on iPhone 15 Pro

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for device orientation detection
  • Integrate with more system-level APIs
  • Provide a way to create custom actions
  • Expand language support beyond English

Screens 5

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to delete auto-saved nearby devices
  • Inconsistent behavior when editing device configurations
  • Screens Connect failing to work reliably

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to block remote input while keeping remote desktop visible
  • File transfer between Mac and iOS/iPadOS
  • Upgrade pricing for existing users

In-app purchases

None

Actions

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Screens 5

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.491 Year
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Family UpgradeFree
  • Lifetime2 variants$249.99

Questions

Is Actions free?
Actions is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Screens 5 free?
Screens 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Actions or Screens 5?
Actions is rated higher. Actions averages 4.8 out of 5 from 527 ratings, while Screens 5 averages 4.5 from 620 ratings.
Do Actions or Screens 5 have ads?
Neither Actions nor Screens 5 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Actions or Screens 5?
Actions ships an update monthly, and Screens 5 every 11 days. Most recently, Actions was updated on November 11, 2026 and Screens 5 on November 12, 2026.

Other comparisons