iRdesktop vs Mocha X11 Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Mocha X11 Lite
Connect to X11 Window applications on UNIX and Linux servers from your iPhone or iPad. View remote application output directly on your device. This version includes a 5-minute session limit.
- X11R7.7 implementation
- Telnet and SSH clients
- Local window manager on device
- Hardware mouse support
- Bluetooth trackpad support
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Mocha X11 lets you connect easily to X11 Window applications running on UNIX and Linux platforms. The UNIX application run on the remote server, but the application output appears on the iPhone/iPad. Mocha X11 includes clients which can be configured to start the remote application. In many cases a VNC solution would be better. Please try both. The lite version has a 5 minutes session limit. - Implementation of X11R7.7 - Includes a Telnet and a SSH client. - Runs a local window manager on the iPhone/iPad. - Support for Swiftpoint GT hardware mouse - Support for Mouse Easy. Use an extra iPhone as a bluetooth trackpad.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: iRdesktop at 3.3 against Mocha X11 Lite's 2.6. iRdesktop also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 42%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). 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 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of iRdesktop's written reviews are positive against 42% of Mocha X11 Lite's.
iRdesktop ships an update every 2 months, Mocha X11 Lite every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on July 21, 2026 and September 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iRdesktop | Mocha X11 Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (45 ratings) — better | 2.6 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better | 42.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 45 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 3.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thinstuff s.r.o. | MochaSoft |
Customer experience
iRdesktop
Mocha X11 Lite
Bugs and requests
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
Mocha X11 Lite
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iRdesktop
No in-app purchases
Mocha X11 Lite
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is iRdesktop free?
Is Mocha X11 Lite free?
Which has better reviews, iRdesktop or Mocha X11 Lite?
Do iRdesktop or Mocha X11 Lite have ads?
Which is updated more often, iRdesktop or Mocha X11 Lite?
Other comparisons
