Remote Desktop vs iRdesktop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Remote Desktop
Access your Windows PC from your iPhone or iPad. View files, run programs, and use resources remotely. Supports various Windows versions and includes features like printing and barcode scanning.
- Connect to Windows PCs
- View files and programs
- Supports Windows XP/7/8/10
- Printing support
- Barcode scanner
- Wake on LAN (WOL)
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Using your iPhone or iPad, you can connect to your Windows Workstation Computer and see the files, programs, and resources exactly as you would if you were sitting at your desk, just on a smaller screen. Mocha Remote Desktop (RDP) provides access to a PC running Windows XP Professional or Windows 7/8/10. HOME edition or Windows 200x Servers cannot be supported. LITE VERSION Has a 5 minutes session limitation. FEATURES - Standard RDP protocol. - 8/16 bit color mode for faster screen updates. - Zoom and scroll as the Safari Browser. - WOL (Wake on LAN). - Printing. - Barcode scanner. - Support for Swiftpoint GT hardware mouse. - Support for a Bluetooth mouse, when using an iPad. - Support for Mouse Easy. Use an iPhone as a bluetooth trackpad. - Stylus pen. - NETBIOS name support for easy configuration. - Landscape mode. - Have patent license for the RDP protocol from Microsoft. LIMITATIONS - Windows HOME edition cannot be used, as it does not include the RDP protocol. - We cannot offer Windows 200x Server access, as it will require another patent license from Microsoft.
iRdesktop
Access and control your Windows desktop remotely from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. This client uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to compatible Windows versions, offering features like mouse emulation and a familiar keyboard.
- Remote desktop control via RDP
- Mouse emulation (click, drag, drop)
- Familiar iPhone keyboard support
- Zoom and pan desktop view
- Portrait and landscape rotation
- Multiple connection entries
- Wi-Fi and cellular data connection
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iRdesktop is a free Remote Desktop Client for Windows Terminal Services (Remote Desktop Services), capable of natively using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in order to view and control your Windows Desktop using your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. iRdesktop supports all Windows Versions that have support for Terminal Services respectively Remote Desktop Services out of the box. You must know that Microsoft has removed Terminal Services (Remote Desktop Services) from the Windows Home and Starter editions. In order to access those Windows systems with any RDP client you can install our alternative Terminal Services (Remote Desktop Services) solution called "Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server" (http://www.thinstuff.com/products/xpvs-server/). The good news is that iRdesktop users will get a big discount for a single-user XP/VS Terminal Server version which allows you to have 1 Remote Desktop connection in addition to your PC's console session even on Windows Home and Starter editions! To get your discount code just follow the "Discount ..." link on the iRdesktop start screen. SUPPORTED REMOTE SYSTEMS - Windows XP Home (*) - Windows XP Professional - Windows XP Media Center 2005 - Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium (*) - Windows Vista Business, Ultimate and Enterprise - Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium (*) - Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, Enterprise - Windows Server 2000 - Windows Small Business Server 2003 - Windows Server 2003 - Windows Server 2008 - Windows Server 2008R2 *) only with Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server IRDESKTOP FEATURES - Mouse emulation: left-, right- and double-click, and drag & drop - Supports the standard, familiar iPhone keyboard for text entry - Zoom and pan the remote desktop screen as in the Safari browser - Rotate the device to switch between portrait and landscape views - Create an unlimited number of predefined connection entries - Connect through WIFI or your cellular data network (GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA etc.) - Safari-like page view for switching between multiple concurrent sessions - Compatible with the iPhone's built-in VPN (L2TP, PPTP, IPSec) for secure access to corporate and home networks - Includes a promotion discount code for Thinstuff's XP/VS Terminal Server LIMITATIONS - No support for TS Gateway (a special RDP VPN solution for Windows Server 2008) - No sound and clipboard redirection LANGUAGES: English, French and German
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: iRdesktop at 80% against Remote Desktop's 52%. iRdesktop also leads on rating (3.3 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Remote Desktop's advantage is ratings volume (146 vs 45). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
iRdesktop holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 146 and 45 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Remote Desktop's written reviews are positive against 80% of iRdesktop's.
Remote Desktop ships an update every 4 months, iRdesktop every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 23, 2026 and July 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Remote Desktop | iRdesktop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (146 ratings) | 3.3 (45 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 51.9% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 146 — better | 45 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 3.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MochaSoft | Thinstuff s.r.o. |
Customer experience
Remote Desktop
iRdesktop
User reviews
Remote Desktop
From 146 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Easy to set up and use
- 🔒 Secure remote access
- 🤖 Works great with Windows XP and Server 2003
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes on some devices
- 🔒 Security concerns raised by some users
- 🔌 Drains device battery quickly
- 🚫 Does not support Windows Home editions or Vista
iRdesktop
From 45 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Excellent free RDP client
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 👍 Intuitive touch-based controls
- 🔒 Secure remote access
- 💡 Supports multiple simultaneous connections
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezing
- 📱 Limited screen real estate for desktop apps
- 🔑 Lack of keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl, Alt, etc.)
- 🔍 Difficulty with small on-screen elements
- 📢 Intrusive ads on setup screens
Bugs and requests
Remote Desktop
Reported bugs
3 issues- Keyboard issues, unable to type full usernames
- Corrupts desktop settings on remote machine
- Compatibility problems with certain network configurations
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for Windows 7, 8, 10 and Server 2008/2012
- Implement right-click and scroll functionality
- Allow custom screen resolutions and full-screen mode
- Integrate VPN capabilities
iRdesktop
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on startup with iOS 3.1.x
- Incompatibility with some Windows versions (Home editions)
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to hide top status bar for more screen space
- Support for international keyboard layouts
- Scrolling/panning improvements
- Option to pay for ad-free version
In-app purchases
Remote Desktop
No in-app purchases
iRdesktop
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Remote Desktop free?
Is iRdesktop free?
Which has better reviews, Remote Desktop or iRdesktop?
Do Remote Desktop or iRdesktop have ads?
Which is updated more often, Remote Desktop or iRdesktop?
Other comparisons
