Comparison

RealVNC Viewer vs Nextcloud

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

Head to head
About

RealVNC Viewer

Access and control your Mac, Windows, or Linux computers remotely from any device. View your desktop, use your keyboard and mouse, and manage files securely with end-to-end encryption. Sync connections across all your devices for seamless access.

Highlights
  • Instant remote access to computers
  • Control mouse and keyboard remotely
  • End-to-end session encryption
  • Cloud service for easy connection
  • Backup and sync connections
  • Virtual keyboard with advanced keys
  • Bluetooth keyboard support
Read full description

RealVNC® Viewer from RealVNC® gives you instant remote access to your Mac, Windows and Linux computers from anywhere in the world. You can view your computer's desktop, and control its mouse and keyboard as though you were sitting down in front of it. Download RealVNC Connect to each computer you want to control. Then sign in to RealVNC Viewer on your device using your RealVNC account credentials. You'll see your computers automatically appear; simply tap to connect. RealVNC Connect password-protects each computer out-of-the-box. You may need to enter the same user name and password you use to log in to your computer. All sessions are then encrypted end-to-end. During a session, your device's touch screen serves as a trackpad to give you precise control. Drag your finger to move the remote mouse cursor and tap anywhere to left-click (other gestures such as right-click and scroll are explained in-app). As the original inventors of VNC remote access technology, we're confident you'll love what RealVNC Viewer has to offer. If you're still not convinced, check out our reviews! ===Key features=== - Connect with ease via our cloud service to computers running RealVNC Connect. - Backup and sync your connections between all your devices by signing in to RealVNC Viewer on each one. - A scrolling bar above the virtual keyboard includes advanced keys such as Command/Windows. - Support for Bluetooth keyboards. ===Contact=== We’d love to hear from you: iphone-support@realvnc.com twitter.com/RealVNC facebook.com/realvnc Better still, leave us a review!   ===Terms of Use=== https://static.realvnc.com/media/documents/RealVNCServicesTCs.pdf ===Trademarks=== RealVNC and VNC are trademarks of RealVNC Limited and are protected by trademark registrations and/or pending trademark applications in the European Union, United States of America and other jurisdictions. Protected by UK patents 2481870, 2479756; US patent 8760366; EU patent 2652951.

About

Nextcloud

Access, manage, and share your files and photos from your private cloud storage. Upload media to free up phone space, work on documents offline, and utilize AI assistance. Secure your data with password or FaceID protection and end-to-end encryption.

Highlights
  • Connect multiple cloud accounts
  • Access and share documents
  • Upload photos and videos
  • Offline file access
  • AI Assistant
  • End-to-end encryption
Features
Read full description

Regain control over your data. The Nextcloud app for iOS brings your photos and files with you wherever you go! - Connect one or multiple accounts to your private or business cloud. - Access, work on and share documents wherever you are. - Upload your photos and videos to your Nextcloud to save space on your phone. - Browse photos and videos stored on your private cloud. - Choose files to keep available even when you're offline. - Additional features: - Nextcloud AI Assistant - Drag and drop between multiple Nextcloud Files windows on your iPad - Protect your account with a password or FaceID - Support for End to end encryption. New to Nextcloud? Nextcloud is a collaboration platform designed for private clouds. Host it yourself or with a company you trust and you gain a complete digital workplace with online office document collaboration, video calls and chat, email, calendar and project management, a local AI assistant and much more. See https://nextcloud.com/hub to find out what Nextcloud can do for you! For discussions and reporting issues please go to https://help.nextcloud.com/c/clients/ios

Screenshots

RealVNC Viewer4 screens
Nextcloud4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nextcloud at weekly against RealVNC Viewer's every 2 months. RealVNC Viewer's advantage is review sentiment (72% vs 62%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for RealVNC Viewer against 4.7 for Nextcloud. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15K and 10K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of RealVNC Viewer's written reviews are positive against 62% of Nextcloud's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, Nextcloud weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RealVNC Viewer versus Nextcloud: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealVNC ViewerNextcloud
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15K ratings) — better4.7 (10K ratings)
Positive reviews72.4% of reviews — better61.5% of reviews
Number of ratings15K — better10K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB319 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRealVNC LimitedNextcloud GmbH

Customer experience

RealVNC Viewer

All ratings14,634 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews1,520 reviews
Positive72.4%
Neutral7.0%
Negative20.5%

Nextcloud

All ratings10,378 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews930 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral11.1%
Negative27.4%

User reviews

RealVNC Viewer

From 15K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 🔒 Secure remote access
  • 👍 Intuitive user interface
  • 💡 Useful for remote work and support
  • 🚀 Fast and reliable connection

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and connection issues
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and data harvesting
  • 💰 Paid subscription required for full functionality
  • 🔍 Lack of mouse/trackpad support
  • 🔍 Inconsistent performance on different devices

Nextcloud

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and stable
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 Great alternative to big cloud providers
  • 👍 Useful for home/business use
  • 👍 Integrates well with iOS

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 👎 Unreliable file syncing and uploads
  • 👎 Inconsistent performance and responsiveness
  • 👎 Limited functionality compared to web version

Bugs and requests

RealVNC Viewer

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Cursor and screen synchronization issues
  • Incompatibility with certain macOS and iOS versions
  • Frequent disconnections and login problems
  • Keyboard input not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for audio streaming
  • Improve clipboard and file transfer functionality
  • Provide better multi-monitor support
  • Allow customization of keyboard and mouse controls
  • Implement a true touch-based interface

Nextcloud

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to open/edit text files
  • Issues with password-protected folders
  • Problems with HEIC file support
  • Inconsistent video playback
  • Crashes on launch after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved background photo/file sync
  • Better integration with iOS Files app
  • Support for more file types and document editing
  • Customizable sorting and organization options
  • Streamlined setup and configuration

In-app purchases

None

RealVNC Viewer

No in-app purchases

None

Nextcloud

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RealVNC Viewer free?
RealVNC Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nextcloud free?
Nextcloud is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RealVNC Viewer or Nextcloud?
RealVNC Viewer is rated higher. RealVNC Viewer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while Nextcloud averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do RealVNC Viewer or Nextcloud have ads?
Neither RealVNC Viewer nor Nextcloud shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RealVNC Viewer or Nextcloud?
RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and Nextcloud weekly. Most recently, RealVNC Viewer was updated on September 24, 2026 and Nextcloud on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons