RealVNC Viewer vs Synology Drive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Synology Drive
Access and manage files stored on your Synology NAS from your mobile device. This app allows you to view various file types, including office documents, and offers convenient file management features like syncing, searching, and sharing on the go.
- Access Synology NAS files on the go
- View documents, spreadsheets, and slides
- Sync files
- Search files
- Share files
- Move and label files
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**To use this app and enjoy its features, you must own Synology NAS and install the latest Synology Drive Server.** Synology Drive iOS mobile app allows you to easily access and manage files in your Synology Drive on the go. In addition to common file types, such as documents, images, videos, and music, the app's user-friendly in-app viewer can open Synology Office documents, spreadsheets, and slides. Convenient management features, such as syncing, searching, sharing, moving, and applying labels to files, are all available in the app, allowing users to complete tasks efficiently anytime, anywhere.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: RealVNC Viewer at 72% against Synology Drive's 33%. RealVNC Viewer also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (15K vs 4.2K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
RealVNC Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15K and 4.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of RealVNC Viewer's written reviews are positive against 33% of Synology Drive's.
RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, Synology Drive every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | RealVNC Viewer | Synology Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (15K ratings) — better | 4.5 (4.2K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 15K — better | 4.2K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 279 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RealVNC Limited | Synology Inc. |
Customer experience
RealVNC Viewer
Synology Drive
User reviews
RealVNC Viewer
From 15K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Synology Drive
From 4.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 Secure private cloud
- 👍 Convenient remote access
- 🚀 Excellent integration with iOS Files app
- 👍 Great for photographers and mobile workers
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔋 High battery drain
- 👎 Unreliable sync and offline access
- 👎 Confusing and unintuitive user interface
- 🔍 Lacking search and organization features
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
Synology Drive
Reported bugs
5 issues- Unable to log in with 2FA
- Sync tasks get stuck or fail
- Folders not showing content
- Incompatibility with latest iOS versions
- Duplicated files and folders after sync
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for offline folder sync
- Improve integration with iOS Files app
- Implement document editing capabilities
- Add option to customize file/folder naming
- Enhance audio/video playback features
In-app purchases
RealVNC Viewer
No in-app purchases
Synology Drive
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RealVNC Viewer free?
Is Synology Drive free?
Which has better reviews, RealVNC Viewer or Synology Drive?
Do RealVNC Viewer or Synology Drive have ads?
Which is updated more often, RealVNC Viewer or Synology Drive?
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