TapDeck vs Phone Controller
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TapDeck
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a personalized PC gaming controller. Enjoy a fast, reliable connection and design custom layouts to match your play style. Personalize your experience with unique themes.
- Customizable PC gaming controller
- Personalized layout design
- Fast, reliable wired connection
- Unique theme personalization
- iPhone and iPad support
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Turn your iPhone or iPad into a fully customizable PC gaming controller. Connect with a fast, reliable wired connection, design a layout that fits your play style, and personalize your controller with unique themes. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Phone Controller
Transform your iPhone into a wireless gamepad for your Windows PC. Customize button layouts, add motion and touch feedback, and connect multiple devices over your local Wi-Fi network. Requires a companion app and driver installation on your PC.
- Wireless gamepad for Windows PC
- Customizable button layouts
- Motion and touch feedback
- Connect multiple devices
- Local network connection
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Turn your iPhone into a wireless gamepad for a Windows PC on the same Wi-Fi network. Phone Controller requires the Phone Controller Windows companion and the ViGEmBus virtual controller driver on your PC. Install them before playing. This app does not connect directly to a game console and does not include games. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CONTROLS Use a full two-stick controller or left- or right-hand single-stick layouts. Move and resize buttons, with separate saved layouts for portrait, landscape and upright or sideways holding. Use independent touches for sticks and buttons. ADD MOTION AND TOUCH FEEDBACK Enable optional gyroscope and accelerometer controls for compatible PC software through the companion's DSU motion bridge. Adjust sensitivity and calibrate while still. Optional iPhone haptics provide feedback for button presses and stick movement. Motion support depends on the game or emulator and its configuration. CONNECT ON YOUR LOCAL NETWORK Scan the QR code in the Windows companion using the in-app scanner, or paste the pairing URL. Keep the companion open while playing. Up to four phones can connect as independent controllers. One phone supplies one motion source. No app account, ads or analytics. Use a trusted private network: local controller traffic is unencrypted. See the privacy policy for the data sent to your computer. Compatibility: iPhone with iOS 17 or later; Windows PC with the companion and ViGEmBus installed; both devices on the same local network. Games must support compatible controller input. Motion requires a compatible DSU client. Standalone left/right layouts require manual game or emulator bindings. Haptic feedback depends on device hardware. Phone Controller is an independent app and is not affiliated with Nintendo or Microsoft. Joy-Con and Xbox names describe control compatibility. The app does not provide IR, NFC, Nintendo HD rumble or absolute positional tracking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Phone Controller at 5.0 against TapDeck's 3.3. Phone Controller also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6). TapDeck's advantage is ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. TapDeck sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Phone Controller asks for nothing beyond the download.
Phone Controller holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
| Parameter | TapDeck | Phone Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yashua Evans | Jake Jin |
Customer experience
TapDeck
Phone Controller
In-app purchases
TapDeck
- Tier 1 Tokens Pack$0.99
- Tier 2 Tokens Pack$1.99
- Tier 3 Tokens Pack$4.99
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- Tier 4 Tokens Pack$9.99
- Tier 5 Tokens Pack$19.99
- Tier 6 Tokens Pack$49.99
Phone Controller
No in-app purchases







