Comparison

RealVNC Viewer vs WAVE ID Mobile

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

WAVE ID Mobile

Transform your mobile device into a secure authentication credential for compatible readers. This app generates a unique ID for your phone, transmitting it wirelessly via Bluetooth for access control.

Highlights
  • Mobile device as authentication credential
  • Generates unique user identification number
  • Bluetooth transmission to compatible readers
  • Works with specific WAVE ID Mobile reader models
  • Requires Bluetooth 4.2 or higher
Features
Read full description

The WAVE ID Mobile app allows mobile devices to be used as an authentication credential with compatible WAVE ID Mobile readers from rf IDEAS. The app generates an identification number unique to the user’s mobile device and sends it via Bluetooth to the reader. Requirements: 1. A WAVE ID Mobile reader from rf IDEAS, model series RDR-30x8xBKU (the app will not work with series RDR-30x8xAKU). 2. A mobile phone with Bluetooth 4.2 or higher. Note: This application is for illustration purposes only. rf IDEAS cannot guarantee performance across all mobile phone models and operating systems, and does not provide technical support for the application. For information on the WAVE ID Mobile reader and other reader products from rf IDEAS visit www.rfideas.com.

Screenshots

RealVNC Viewer4 screens
WAVE ID Mobile1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RealVNC Viewer at every 2 months against WAVE ID Mobile's every 25 months. RealVNC Viewer also leads on ratings volume (15K vs 1). WAVE ID Mobile's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). 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

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

WAVE ID Mobile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealVNC Viewer has 15K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, WAVE ID Mobile every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RealVNC Viewer versus WAVE ID Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealVNC ViewerWAVE ID Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings15K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 25 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRealVNC LimitedRF IDeas, Inc

Customer experience

RealVNC Viewer

All ratings14,634 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews1,525 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative20.7%

WAVE ID Mobile

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

WAVE ID Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RealVNC Viewer

No in-app purchases

None

WAVE ID Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RealVNC Viewer free?
RealVNC Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WAVE ID Mobile free?
WAVE ID Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RealVNC Viewer or WAVE ID Mobile?
WAVE ID Mobile is rated higher. RealVNC Viewer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while WAVE ID Mobile averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do RealVNC Viewer or WAVE ID Mobile have ads?
Neither RealVNC Viewer nor WAVE ID Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RealVNC Viewer or WAVE ID Mobile?
RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and WAVE ID Mobile every 25 months. Most recently, RealVNC Viewer was updated on October 26, 2026 and WAVE ID Mobile on October 16, 2026.

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