Liquid Apollo vs Astropad Workbench
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Liquid Apollo
Access a wide range of AI language models, from local on-device options to those available through external APIs. This app allows you to connect to open-source and privately hosted LLMs, offering a customizable client for diverse AI interactions.
- Local AI model support
- OpenRouter API integration
- Custom backend LLM connection
- Private on-device LLM execution
- Access to diverse open-source models
- Connect to privately hosted LLMs
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Chat with private, local AI models, connect to every open source AI, or your own locally-hosted private LLMs. Apollo is your own customizable client for accessing language models from all around the web. Local model support (powered by LEAP, a Liquid AI product): run smaller LLMs privately and securely on-device. OpenRouter support: bring an OpenRouter API key to chat with every model on the web. Just sign in by creating an account over at OpenRouter and paste it in to Apollo to access nearly every model, from open source models like Meta Llama 3, to closed source models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4. Custom Backend support: want ChatGPT at home? Run an LLM on your computer with tools like LM Studio or Ollama and connect to it with Apollo to host your own private ChatGPT-like mobile app for your family.
Astropad Workbench
Access and control your Mac's desktop and terminal remotely from your iPhone, iPad, or another Mac. Monitor AI agents, run applications, and use voice input or Apple Pencil for precise control. Connect instantly without complex network configurations.
- Remote desktop and terminal access
- Unified display across devices
- Headless Mac support
- Voice input for commands
- Apple Pencil and keyboard support
- No-hassle, secure connections
- Fast, high-fidelity streaming
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Access and control your Mac from anywhere, with full remote desktop and built-in terminal. Workbench connects you to your Mac from your iPhone, iPad, or another Mac. Check in on AI agents and long-running jobs, run desktop apps, or drop into the command line without being tethered to your desk. ——— KEY FEATURES Desktop and terminal: Switch between your Mac's full desktop and a terminal right from the toolbar. Terminal sessions keep running after you disconnect, so you can pick up where you left off on another device. Unified display: Combine your Mac's displays into one screen that matches your device's resolution. Headless Mac support: Run a Mac mini with no monitor attached. Workbench gives it a virtual display and manages sleep settings so it's always reachable. Voice input: Dictate prompts and commands from your iPhone or iPad, on the desktop or in the terminal. Apple Pencil and keyboard support: Use your Apple Pencil for precise cursor control in Mac apps, and your keyboard to type and trigger shortcuts. No-hassle connections: Connect instantly without port forwarding, VPNs, or router configuration. Fast, high-fidelity streaming: Interact with your Mac in real time with responsive controls and sharp visuals. Secure by design: Sessions are protected with end-to-end AES-256 encryption, and Astropad can't see your screen or activity. Built for Apple devices: Workbench uses fully native apps built specifically for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. ——— DESIGNED FOR AI AGENT WORKFLOWS Your agents don't stop when you leave your desk. Workbench lets you monitor progress, fix issues, and restart jobs from wherever you are. It's just as useful for checking on tools and software that don't have a mobile app. ——— BUILT BY EX-APPLE ENGINEERS From the team behind Astropad Studio and Luna Display, Workbench delivers fast, responsive control with crisp visuals and reliable performance on any network. ——— PRICING Workbench includes a Free plan with 20 minutes of access per day. Upgrade to Unlimited for uninterrupted access (subscription required). ——— SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Mac: macOS 15 or later iPhone: iOS 26 or later iPad: iPadOS 26 or later
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Liquid Apollo at free against Astropad Workbench's freemium. Liquid Apollo also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (68% vs 59%). Astropad Workbench's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Astropad Workbench holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 681 and 225 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Liquid Apollo's written reviews are positive against 59% of Astropad Workbench's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Liquid Apollo ships an update every 8 days, Astropad Workbench every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Liquid Apollo | Astropad Workbench |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (681 ratings) | 4.8 (225 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.8% of reviews — better | 59.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 681 — better | 225 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 158 MB | 49 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Liquid AI, Inc. | Astro HQ |
Customer experience
Liquid Apollo
Astropad Workbench
Bugs and requests
Liquid Apollo
Reported bugs
6 issues- Unable to download Liquid Models
- Deleted locally installed models
- OpenRouter support crashes the app
- Voice list doesn't load all available voices
- Backspace lag leading to unintended text deletion
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- Inconsistent behavior when using code blocks
Requested features
10 requests- Add support for more open-source models (e.g. Gemma 3)
- Implement image generation and upload functionality
- Allow scheduling of asynchronous tasks
- Integrate with Hugging Face model repository
- Provide built-in prompt library
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- Add MCP (Multimodal Conversation Protocol) support
- Enable direct OpenAI API integration
- Improve voice chat functionality
- Add option to delete all chat history
- Implement search and filtering for chat history
Astropad Workbench
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Liquid Apollo
No in-app purchases
Astropad Workbench
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Liquid Apollo free?
Is Astropad Workbench free?
Which has better reviews, Liquid Apollo or Astropad Workbench?
Do Liquid Apollo or Astropad Workbench have ads?
Which is updated more often, Liquid Apollo or Astropad Workbench?
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