Comparison

Remote Mouse vs RustDesk Remote Desktop

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

Head to head
About

Remote Mouse

Control your computer remotely using your phone or tablet. Mimics mouse, keyboard, and touchpad functions, with specialized panels for media, web browsing, and power options. Seamlessly transfer text and images across devices.

Highlights
  • Simulated mouse and touchpad
  • Wireless keyboard input
  • Cross-device clipboard
  • Media and web remote panels
  • Application switcher
  • Power options control
  • Gyro mouse functionality
Features
Read full description

Remote Mouse™ turns your mobile device into a powerful remote control app for your PC or Mac. Use your phone or tablet as a wireless mouse, keyboard, and touchpad — complete with multi-touch gestures and media controls. Whether you're watching movies, controlling a presentation, or browsing the web from your couch, Remote Mouse™ offers an effortless way to control your computer remotely. With over 20 million users and featured by CNET, Mashable, and Product Hunt, Remote Mouse™ offers one of the most elegant solutions to computer control from mobile. What you can do: Mouse • Control the cursor like a real PC mouse • Move using your phone’s gyroscope (Gyro Mouse) • Left-handed mode support Keyboard • Type remotely in any language • Use voice input (if supported by your soft keyboard) • Send system and app shortcuts • Adaptive layouts for Mac or PC • Use your phone as a remote keyboard for your computer Touchpad • Simulates Apple Magic Trackpad • Supports multi-touch gestures • Ideal wireless touchpad app for remote navigation Specialty Panels • Media Remote: Control videos, music, and presentations across apps and sites like YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, VLC, Spotify, and more. • Browser Remote: Navigate Chrome, Firefox, and Opera • App Switcher: Launch and switch between apps • Power Options: Shut down, sleep, or restart remotely • Clipboard Sync: Copy and paste text/images across devices Other features • Control volume using physical phone buttons • Secure the connection with a password • Reorder specialty panels • Customize your remote with personal wallpapers Connection & Compatibility • Connect over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth • Connect by IP address, QR code, or connection history • Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux Easy to set up: 1. Download and install Remote Mouse for desktop on your computer: [https://remotemouse.net](https://remotemouse.net) 2. Launch the desktop version (it runs in the background) 3. Connect your mobile device to your computer via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

About

RustDesk Remote Desktop

This open-source application provides remote desktop access and control capabilities. It allows users to remotely manage their computers. Please note it only supports controlling other devices, not being controlled or screen sharing.

Highlights
  • Open-source remote desktop
  • Remote access and control
  • TeamViewer alternative
  • Control other devices
Features
Read full description

An open-source remote desktop application. The open source TeamViewer alternative. Source code: https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk Doc: https://rustdesk.com/docs Please be reminded that this app only has the ability to control, and it does not have the functionality of being controlled or screen sharing. WARNING: YOU MAY BE BEING SCAMMED! If you are on the phone with someone you DON'T know AND TRUST who has asked you to install RustDesk, do not install and hang up immediately. They are likely a scammer trying to steal your money or other private information.

Screenshots

Remote Mouse4 screens
RustDesk Remote Desktop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Remote Mouse at 4.6 against RustDesk Remote Desktop's 4.1. Remote Mouse also leads on ratings volume (19K vs 73) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). RustDesk Remote Desktop's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support 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. Remote Mouse sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. RustDesk Remote Desktop asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Remote Mouse holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Remote Mouse has 19K ratings behind it against 73, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Remote Mouse's written reviews are positive against 59% of RustDesk Remote Desktop's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Remote Mouse ships an update every 3 weeks, RustDesk Remote Desktop every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Remote Mouse versus RustDesk Remote Desktop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRemote MouseRustDesk Remote Desktop
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (19K ratings) — better4.1 (73 ratings)
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews — better58.5% of reviews
Number of ratings19K — better73
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size51 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer耀 阮Purslane Limited

Customer experience

Remote Mouse

All ratings18,559 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.6%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews2,162 reviews
Positive68.3%
Neutral6.9%
Negative24.8%

RustDesk Remote Desktop

All ratings73 ratings
Positive75.3%
Neutral8.2%
Negative16.4%
Written reviews94 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral14.9%
Negative26.6%

User reviews

Remote Mouse

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent app functionality
  • 👍 Easy to use and set up
  • 🚀 Responsive and precise
  • 👍 Useful for presentations and media control
  • 👍 Works great as a touchpad replacement

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connection issues and frequent disconnects
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
  • 💰 Paywalling basic features
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable after updates
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

RustDesk Remote Desktop

From 73 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast connection and performance
  • 🌟 Open source and free
  • 💡 Self-hosting capability
  • 👍 Easy to set up and use
  • ⚡️ Low input lag

Room to improve

  • 🔋 Phone heats up
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance on iOS/iPadOS
  • 🚫 Lacks mouse acceleration
  • 📱 Poor compatibility with older iOS versions
  • ⚠️ Some users report data collection (location, identifiers)

Bugs and requests

Remote Mouse

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Keyboard not working in certain apps
  • Touchpad not functioning in landscape mode
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Inability to connect via Bluetooth
  • Unexpected charges and subscription issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve Bluetooth connectivity
  • Allow using phone as a mouse for iPad
  • Add more customization options
  • Improve compatibility with VPNs
Show 1 more
  • Save last connected PC information

RustDesk Remote Desktop

Reported bugs

38 issues
  • Recent update broke iPad mouse alignment
  • No image displayed from PC (black screen)
  • Remember Password function doesn't work
  • Black screen when remoting into Raspberry Pi Linux server (Wayland)
  • Keyboard issues when remoting from iPhone to PC
Show 33 more
  • Cannot control Mac
  • iPad app fails to connect or shows key mismatch error
  • App crashes or becomes unresponsive
  • Connection issues over mobile data network
  • Session closes after a short period
  • Key presses duplicated or not registered with external keyboard
  • Settings/Preferences not preserved
  • iOS language icon covers toolbar collapse icon
  • Previous direct IP sessions not saved
  • Enter key does not work in address bar
  • Copy/Paste broken
  • Latest update deleted saved connections
  • App not responding after update
  • Connection Error, Operation not permitted (error 1) on iOS
  • Mouse overflows monitor content, preventing clicks on edges
  • Double-clicking behavior in touch mouse/pad options
  • App launches but window vanishes on old iPads
  • Crash on app startup (v1.2.7, iOS 12.2)
  • Cannot paste remote ID by holding text input
  • iOS client attempting to control Android results in frozen interface
  • Cannot control Windows PC typing from iPhone
  • Version 1.2.7 has issues on iPad (cannot launch)
  • Address book empty on Pro version
  • Arrow keys do not function like a desktop keyboard
  • Phone heats up during use
  • Mouse pointer on desktop and iPad not lined up
  • Flakey behavior with keyboard and trackpad on iPad
  • Scaling displays issues on iPad
  • Key mismatch error with iPad app
  • Virtual machine control issues (keyboard repeats or fails to register)
  • Mobile network connection issues
  • Cannot connect over mobile data network
  • UI icon not centered

Requested features

13 requests
  • Add option to view and modify USB drives in file transfer mode
  • Improve mouse and keyboard control configurability
  • Allow Apple Pencil to function as a mouse
  • Support iPhone remote control of each other
  • Add option to automatically switch display/monitor to follow remote window focus
Show 8 more
  • Sync remote ID list by iCloud
  • Improve Wayland support
  • Add option to change two-finger gesture behavior (scroll vs. move canvas)
  • Center remote screen when zooming
  • Remap controls for mouse actions
  • Integrate arrow keys with device keyboard
  • Support iPhone to Android control
  • Support Windows remote typing from iPhone

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Remote Mouse

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Membership (1 Month)7 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Pro Membership (1 Year)7 Days trial$13.991 Year
One-time4
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Customize Wallpaper$1.99
  • Media Remote Panel$1.99
Show 1 more
  • Unlock Web Remote$1.99
None

RustDesk Remote Desktop

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Remote Mouse free?
Remote Mouse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?
RustDesk Remote Desktop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Remote Mouse or RustDesk Remote Desktop?
Remote Mouse is rated higher. Remote Mouse averages 4.6 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while RustDesk Remote Desktop averages 4.1 from 73 ratings.
Do Remote Mouse or RustDesk Remote Desktop have ads?
Remote Mouse shows ads; RustDesk Remote Desktop does not.
Which is updated more often, Remote Mouse or RustDesk Remote Desktop?
Remote Mouse ships an update every 3 weeks, and RustDesk Remote Desktop every 2 months. Most recently, Remote Mouse was updated on September 29, 2026 and RustDesk Remote Desktop on September 29, 2026.

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