Comparison

ISL Light vs Duet Air

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

Head to head
About

ISL Light

This app allows you to share your iOS device's screen for remote technical support or to control Windows, Mac, or Linux computers from your iPhone or iPad. It offers secure, real-time access and control for both receiving and providing assistance.

Highlights
  • iOS screen sharing
  • Remote computer control
  • Unattended computer access
  • Real-time screen viewing
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Text chat with users
Features
Read full description

Share the screen of your iPhone or iPad with a remote technician to receive technical support or use your iOS device to remotely control any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Receive technical support: Whenever you need help with your iPhone or iPad, just share the screen of your iOS device with your help desk technician to receive efficient remote support. Provide remote support: Provide technical assistance to remote users by connecting to any Windows, Mac or Linux computer from your iPhone or iPad. Access unattended computers: Remotely access your unattended computers from your iPhone or iPad. Just install ISL Online's remote access agent to your computer and access it remotely at any time. Features: - Real-time iOS screen sharing - Access remote computers, phones or tablets via WiFi/3G/LTE - View remote screen - Switch between multiple monitors - Automatically adjusted Screen resolution - Remotely control computer's keyboard and mouse - Use special keys such as Ctrl, Alt, Windows® and function keys - Send commands such as Ctrl+Alt+Del to remote computer - Switch between left and right mouse click - Reboot a remote computer and instantly resume the remote connection - ISSC Turbo Desktop Sharing - Text-chat with a remote user - Sessions are secured by symmetrical AES 256-bit end-to-end encryption NOTE: To receive support, you can join a session without logging in. To provide support or to access unattended computers, you will need a valid ISL Online account. About: ISL Online is one of the pioneers of the remote desktop support industry. Since 2003, ISL Online has been providing remote control software to IT professionals and help desk technicians across 100 countries, with Japan being the strongest market. Delivered via the cloud or on-premises, ISL Online software allows users to access and control any Windows, Mac or Linux computer or a mobile device to provide ad hoc technical support or to manage systems remotely.

About

Duet Air

Transform your iPad or iPhone into an advanced remote desktop or an extra display for your Mac or PC. Experience unparalleled performance and zero lag, with touch and gesture support. Offers professional-grade drawing capabilities with Apple Pencil integration for artists and designers.

Highlights
  • Remote desktop functionality
  • Extra display for Mac/PC
  • Touch and gesture support
  • Apple Pencil integration for drawing
  • Wireless and wired connectivity
  • Zero lag performance
Read full description

#1 best-selling iPad app in US, Japan, UK, Germany, and 17 other countries! Duet turns your iPad or iPhone into the most advanced Remote Desktop or extra display for your Mac & PC. Developed by a team of ex-Apple engineers, Duet offers unparalleled performance and display quality - all with zero lag. — DO MORE — Be twice as productive by multitasking with two screens. And for those that travel, have a portable way to stay productive. — INCREDIBLY SIMPLE — To get started, plug your iPad into your desktop using your charging cable or choose the desktop to wirelessly connect to. The Duet desktop app will automatically detect your device, and transform it into a high performance touchscreen display. — TOUCHSCREEN — Interact with Mac & PC like never before, with touch & gestures, including two-finger scrolling, pan and zoom. And with our latest release, you can even add a touch bar to any iPad with any Mac. — PERFECT FOR APPLE PENCIL — With Duet Pro, you can turn your iPad and Apple Pencil into a professional graphics tablet. We’ve re-engineered our rendering algorithms for ultra-responsive drawing, optimized specifically for designers, illustrators and artists. Duet Pro also unlocks pressure & tilt sensitivity, hover, palm rejection, and more to seamlessly draw in the most powerful programs for professionals. Get precise control in Photoshop, Corel Painter, Lightroom, ToonBoom, Illustrator, Manga Studio and more. — PRESS — TechCrunch - "Feels Like Magic" TIME - "Getting Work Done Faster and More Efficiently" The Guardian - "Lag-free" Forbes - "The simple thing to note is this...Duet Display works." The Verge - "Glorious Fluidity" Lifehacker - "It's fast, easy to use, and works great" Business Insider - "Zero lag and true retina resolution” Wall Street Journal - “It’s as easy as just plugging it in" — REVIEWS — “Awesome! My iPad Pro can be an extra monitor! Cool app” ~CEO of T-Mobile, John Legere “Very smooth and responsive indeed, plus you could use the touch screen to “click” on screen interfaces!” ~Photographer, Lok Cheung “Love the ability to use my iPad as a monitor with Duet.” ~Former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Guy Kawasaki “Just started using this app called Duet… Kinda love it so far.” ~Comedian and Youtube, Phillip DeFranco “All my mac folks look at the Duet app… GREAT!” ~Actor and Comedian, Sinbad "I really like the app, I suppose the biggest compliment I can give is that it's so easy to setup it almost seems like an Apple product.” ~Early Adopter, M. Nightingale "Amazing solution for me by the way. Works as I was hoping for and actually my main reason for getting an iPad : )” ~Early Adopter, M. Gemzoe Duet Works With: All iPhones and iPads with iOS 11.0 and later All Macs with 10.11 (Mavericks) and later All PCs with Windows 10 64-bit and later Duet Air is a $24.99 per year service built for professionals and remote workers. Price may vary by location. Duet Air subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once activated. Manage Duet Air in Account Settings after the optional upgrade. Learn more at http://www.duetdisplay.com Terms: https://help.duetdisplay.com/duet-terms-services Privacy Policy: https://help.duetdisplay.com/duet-privacy-policy

Screenshots

ISL Light4 screens
Duet Air3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Duet Air at 4.3 against ISL Light's 2.5. Duet Air also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 25). ISL Light's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment 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. Duet Air sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. ISL Light asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Duet Air holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duet Air has 1.9K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of ISL Light's written reviews are positive against 24% of Duet Air's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ISL Light ships an update every 4 months, Duet Air every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ISL Light versus Duet Air: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterISL LightDuet Air
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.5 (25 ratings)4.3 (1.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews31.3% of reviews — better23.8% of reviews
Number of ratings251.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperISL OnlineDuet, Inc.

Customer experience

ISL Light

All ratings23 ratings
Positive34.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative60.9%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive31.3%
Neutral2.5%
Negative66.3%

Duet Air

All ratings1,870 ratings
Positive82.5%
Neutral4.0%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews421 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral6.2%
Negative70.1%

Bugs and requests

ISL Light

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Duet Air

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Incompatible with Citrix
  • Breaks Windows network
  • Bricked user's PC
  • Login screen issues
  • Inconsistent performance

Requested features

5 requests
  • Support for older devices
  • Improve wireless stability
  • Add audio support
  • Better integration with drawing apps
  • Easier subscription cancellation

In-app purchases

None

ISL Light

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Duet Air

Subscriptions2
  • Duet Air (Annual)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Duet Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$79.991 Year

Questions

Is ISL Light free?
ISL Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Duet Air free?
Duet Air is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ISL Light or Duet Air?
Duet Air is rated higher. ISL Light averages 2.5 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Duet Air averages 4.3 from 1.9K ratings.
Do ISL Light or Duet Air have ads?
Duet Air shows ads; ISL Light does not.
Which is updated more often, ISL Light or Duet Air?
ISL Light ships an update every 4 months, and Duet Air every 3 weeks. Most recently, ISL Light was updated on November 1, 2026 and Duet Air on November 3, 2026.

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