Comparison

Desktop mini @ your Homescreen vs IslandOS

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

Head to head
About

Desktop mini @ your Homescreen

Enhance your mobile device's productivity with desktop-like shortcuts and features. Create shortcuts for files, folders, and web links, and easily paste images, text, and URLs directly from a home screen widget. Enjoy a streamlined workflow with copy-paste functionality and customizable options.

Highlights
  • File and folder shortcuts
  • Webpage and system URL links
  • Image, text, and link pasting
  • Clipboard copying
  • Desktop item management
  • Customizable background colors
  • Dark mode
Features
Read full description

Desktop mini enables you to save time and work more productively by adding familiar desktop features with a home screen widget. – File and folder shortcuts – Links to webpages and system URLs – Pasting of images, text, and links right from your widget – Copying of pasted files to your clipboard with a single tap – Move desktop items and edit shortcut names – Custom background colors and a beautiful dark mode Test the app for three days completely for free. After this period you can decide if you want to unlock the full version with a one-time purchase. ––– Important compatibility information: This app works with iOS 26, iOS 18 and iOS 17. The compatibility with future versions can‘t be guaranteed due to possible native changes in the iOS file system and the iOS internal URL handling. The landscape shots that are used as example images are provided by the artists Fabian Wiktor (https://www.pexels.com/de-de/@fabianwiktor) and Pok Rie (https://www.pexels.com/de-de/@pok-rie-33563).

About

IslandOS

Features
Read full description

Welcome to IslandOS – Your Ultimate Dynamic Island Companion! Transform your iPhone’s notch into a lively, useful, and smart dashboard. IslandOS brings life to your Dynamic Island by pinning the things you care about the most, right where you can always see them. Whether you want a cute virtual companion, daily inspiration, or real-time updates without opening an app, IslandOS has you covered! FEATURES: Virtual Mascots Never feel alone! Choose from a collection of adorable virtual pets and animals. Pin them to your Dynamic Island and let them keep you company while you browse your phone. Live Traffic Updates Commuting made easy. Enter your origin and destination, and IslandOS will calculate and pin your live travel time to your Dynamic Island. Know how long your journey takes with a single glance. Prayer Times Tracker Stay connected with your faith. Enter your city and country to instantly calculate the daily prayer times. Pin the next upcoming prayer directly to your Dynamic Island so you never miss it. World Clocks Have friends, family, or business partners overseas? Add any city in the world and pin their local time to your notch. Tracking global time zones has never been this seamless. Daily Inspiration & Quotes Start your day with wisdom. Pin motivational, philosophical, or religious quotes to your Dynamic Island. Let a beautiful thought stay with you everywhere you go on your iPhone. Why IslandOS? Always Visible: Powered by Live Activities, your selected companion stays active even on your lock screen! Battery Friendly: Optimized to be lightweight and battery efficient. Beautiful UI: A dark-mode optimized, stunningly colorful interface that makes setting up your companions a breeze. Take control of your Dynamic Island today. Download IslandOS and make your notch truly yours!

Screenshots

Desktop mini @ your Homescreen4 screens
IslandOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: IslandOS at none against Desktop mini @ your Homescreen's 1. IslandOS also leads on iOS requirement (16.2 vs 18.0). Desktop mini @ your Homescreen's advantage is 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. Desktop mini @ your Homescreen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. IslandOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Desktop mini @ your Homescreen versus IslandOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesktop mini @ your HomescreenIslandOS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (21 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarian KoenigSerhan Kucukbay

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Desktop mini @ your Homescreen

One-time1
  • Desktop mini +$0.99
None

IslandOS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Desktop mini @ your Homescreen free?
Desktop mini @ your Homescreen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is IslandOS free?
IslandOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Desktop mini @ your Homescreen or IslandOS have ads?
IslandOS shows ads; Desktop mini @ your Homescreen does not.

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