Comparison

RealVNC Viewer vs KDE Connect

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

KDE Connect

Seamlessly integrate your devices with features like a shared clipboard, file sharing, and remote control. Use your phone as a virtual touchpad or keyboard, and even control presentations remotely. All communication is secured with end-to-end encryption.

Highlights
  • Shared clipboard
  • File and URL sharing
  • Virtual touchpad and keyboard
  • Remote presentation control
  • Remote command execution
  • End-to-end encryption
Read full description

KDE Connect provides a set of features to integrate your workflow across devices: - Shared clipboard: copy and paste between your devices. - Share files and URLs to your computer from any app. - Virtual touchpad and keyboard: Use your phone screen as your computer's touchpad or keyboard - Remote presentation remote: control a laser pointer on the screen of your computer by moving your phone around. - Remote commands: run commands on your computer from your phone. - End-to-end TLS encryption: your information is safe. Please note you will need to install KDE Connect on your other computers/phones/tablets and keep the version up-to-date for the latest features to work. This app is part of an open source project and it exists thanks to all the people who contributed to it. Please visit the KDE Connect website to grab the source code.

Screenshots

RealVNC Viewer4 screens
KDE Connect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RealVNC Viewer at 4.8 against KDE Connect's 4.2. RealVNC Viewer also leads on ratings volume (15K vs 271) and review sentiment (72% vs 61%). 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

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

RealVNC Viewer holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealVNC Viewer has 15K ratings behind it against 271, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of RealVNC Viewer's written reviews are positive against 61% of KDE Connect's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, KDE Connect every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
RealVNC Viewer versus KDE Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealVNC ViewerKDE Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15K ratings) — better4.2 (271 ratings)
Positive reviews72.4% of reviews — better60.9% of reviews
Number of ratings15K — better271
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRealVNC LimitedKDE e.V.

Customer experience

RealVNC Viewer

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

KDE Connect

All ratings271 ratings
Positive79.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews338 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral10.4%
Negative28.7%

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

KDE Connect

From 271 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works seamlessly across devices
  • 👍 Easy to set up and use
  • 🔒 Secure file transfer
  • 💡 Innovative remote control features
  • 🤖 Great for Linux/KDE integration

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and connectivity issues
  • 🔋 Drains battery when running in the background
  • 🤖 Limited functionality on iOS compared to Android
  • 🤔 Pairing can be unreliable at times

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

KDE Connect

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Clipboard push feature not working
  • App crashes on launch for some users
  • Incompatibility with certain device/OS combinations
  • Inability to discover/connect to devices in some cases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for background operation
  • Improve multi-file transfer capabilities
  • Integrate with system share sheet
  • Implement two-finger scrolling and other gestures
  • Add SMS/notification sync features

In-app purchases

None

RealVNC Viewer

No in-app purchases

None

KDE Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RealVNC Viewer free?
RealVNC Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is KDE Connect free?
KDE Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RealVNC Viewer or KDE Connect?
RealVNC Viewer is rated higher. RealVNC Viewer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while KDE Connect averages 4.2 from 271 ratings.
Do RealVNC Viewer or KDE Connect have ads?
Neither RealVNC Viewer nor KDE Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RealVNC Viewer or KDE Connect?
RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and KDE Connect every 3 months. Most recently, RealVNC Viewer was updated on September 24, 2026 and KDE Connect on September 11, 2026.

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