Screens 5 vs KumaAlert
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Screens 5
Access your Mac, Windows, Linux, or Raspberry Pi computers remotely from your Apple devices. Offers fast, secure, and reliable desktop access for work, travel, or helping others. Integrates with modern workflows and system features for seamless control.
- Remote access to Mac, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi
- Fast and secure VNC connections
- Curtain Mode for private sessions
- SSH connections and key support
- Clipboard and file transfer
- Multi-display support
- Siri and Shortcuts integration
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Access your computers from anywhere. Screens lets you remotely access your Mac, Windows PC, Linux PC, or Raspberry Pi from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Vision Pro. 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. FAST, SECURE REMOTE DESKTOP ACCESS Screens is optimized for responsive remote control with support for: • Curtain Mode 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, iPad, or Vision Pro 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, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro • Connect to Mac, Windows PC, Linux PC, and Raspberry Pi • 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 • Sound transmission is not supported due to VNC protocol limitations • 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
KumaAlert
Stay connected to your Uptime Kuma monitoring server with instant alerts for downtime or recovery. View live status, manage monitors, and track uptime history directly from your phone.
- Real-time monitor status
- Push notifications
- Multi-server support
- Heartbeat history charts
- Maintenance window management
- Home screen widgets
- Dark mode support
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KumaAlert - Uptime Kuma in your pocket KumaAlert is a native app for keeping an eye on your Uptime Kuma servers from your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It stays quiet until something needs you, then makes sure you know. Connect one server or a dozen, see everything at a glance, and get alerted the moment a monitor goes down. When something breaks, you can acknowledge or snooze it right from the notification, a widget, your watch, or the app. Know the moment something breaks • Push alerts when a monitor goes down, and again when it recovers, with how long it was out • Set each monitor to Info, Warning, or Critical. Critical alerts can break through silent mode and repeat until you acknowledge them • A per-monitor alert delay so brief blips don't wake you • Send a real test alert to check your sounds and settings work Handle outages anywhere • An Incidents tab with active outages pinned up top, live downtime timers, and Acknowledge and Snooze on each • Downtime totals, mean time to recovery, and your flakiest monitor across 7, 30, or 90 days • Live Activities that put an ongoing outage on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island • A full Apple Watch app that works even with your iPhone off, with complications for your watch face • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets that surface only what's down when it matters Built for real infrastructure • Drag to arrange monitors and move them between folders, with changes synced back to Uptime Kuma itself • One-tap push setup, where KumaAlert creates the alert webhook for you • Maintenance windows, Kiosk mode for a wall-mounted iPad, Siri, and Shortcuts • iPad-native layout, plus Sign in with Apple and end-to-end encrypted sync so the server only ever sees ciphertext One-time purchase. No subscriptions. No tracking. Requires a self-hosted Uptime Kuma server.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Screens 5 at Free against KumaAlert's $3.99. Screens 5 also leads on ratings volume (590 vs 11) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). KumaAlert's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Screens 5 is free to download; KumaAlert costs $3.99 up front. Screens 5 sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. KumaAlert asks for nothing beyond the download.
Screens 5 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Screens 5 has 590 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Screens 5's written reviews are positive against 64% of KumaAlert's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Screens 5 ships an update fortnightly, KumaAlert every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Screens 5 | KumaAlert |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (590 ratings) — better | 4.3 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | 64.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 590 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Edovia Inc. | Robert Holmes |
Customer experience
Screens 5
KumaAlert
Bugs and requests
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
KumaAlert
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Screens 5
- Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.491 Year
- Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Lifetime Family UpgradeFree
- Lifetime2 variants$199.99
KumaAlert
No in-app purchases









