Comparison

RealVNC Viewer vs iControl Web

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
Features
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

iControl Web

Control DIY home automation systems and devices via HTTP requests from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Configure custom buttons and layouts using a JSON file for seamless integration with various smart home platforms and IP cameras.

Highlights
  • Control DIY home automation systems
  • Configure custom button layouts with JSON
  • Support for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch
  • Integrates with HomeWizard, Domoticz, and more
  • Control IP cameras and DLNA adapters
  • Trigger IFTTT commands
Features
Read full description

Call any URL with an appropriate sized button on any of your devices (iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch). The screens can be configured according to your needs using a json file. The app is ideal for all home automation systems which support http: - i.e. DIY, HomeWizard, PEHA-House-Control-System, PHC, DigitalSTROM, KNX, control4, Domoticz. - It can also be used to control your IP camera (i.e. Mobotix) - Or as a remote control for some HDMI DLNA adapter - The app and watch app can also be used to trigger IFTTT. Follow the configuration manual: https://github.com/sebbu/iControl-Web In summary: Use iTunes file sharing (in Finder) or the Files App to get a sample json file for your configuration (can also be downloaded from GitHub). Name your file gui.json. The sample contains the full structure. You may want to use a json editor. If you have messed up your gui.json, remove it from the App (delete the file) to get a new guiSample.json. You may use http or https for calling a remote command within this App or other known URL schemes to open another App (iPhone/iPad only). Support for self-signed certificates is not includes on purpose. There are many free possibilities to get a certificate of different flavor, i.e. Let’s Encrypt (this is not a recommendation, but it can serve as a starting point for your search). This app can be controlled via its own custom protocol icontrol://. Currently it only supports the execution of a command. (See guiSample.json for an example) iControl does not prompt for a review as it would probably interrupt your workflow. I would really appreciate it if you take the time to leave a review (maybe with a short hint or description which system you are using). Thank you in advance! A big thank you to the company it@business for the support of the update to iOS 13.

Screenshots

RealVNC Viewer4 screens
iControl Web2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: RealVNC Viewer at 15K against iControl Web's 12. RealVNC Viewer also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). iControl Web's advantage is review sentiment (89% vs 72%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, 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 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealVNC Viewer has 15K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of RealVNC Viewer's written reviews are positive against 89% of iControl Web's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, iControl Web every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RealVNC Viewer versus iControl Web: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealVNC VieweriControl Web
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (15K ratings) — better4.6 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews72.3% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings15K — better12
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRealVNCSebastian Bub Software Distribution

Customer experience

RealVNC Viewer

All ratings15,340 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews1,525 reviews
Positive72.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative20.7%

iControl Web

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative6.5%

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

iControl Web

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RealVNC Viewer

No in-app purchases

None

iControl Web

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RealVNC Viewer free?
RealVNC Viewer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iControl Web free?
iControl Web is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RealVNC Viewer or iControl Web?
RealVNC Viewer is rated higher. RealVNC Viewer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while iControl Web averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.
Do RealVNC Viewer or iControl Web have ads?
Neither RealVNC Viewer nor iControl Web shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RealVNC Viewer or iControl Web?
RealVNC Viewer ships an update every 2 months, and iControl Web every 8 months. Most recently, RealVNC Viewer was updated on October 28, 2026 and iControl Web on October 21, 2026.

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