PXS External Screen Desktop vs Desktop Mode OS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PXS External Screen Desktop
Transform your phone into a full desktop experience with windows, a dock, and a browser. Connect to AR glasses, monitors, TVs, or even a web browser. Use your phone as a trackpad and keyboard, or pair external devices for a complete laptop feel.
- Desktop environment with windows
- Desktop-class tabbed browser
- Connect to AR glasses, monitors, TVs
- Phone as trackpad/keyboard
- Install websites as apps
- Screen sharing from PC
- Voice dictation for input
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Leave the laptop at home — your phone IS the computer. PXS Desktop turns your phone into a real desktop: windows, a dock, a launcher, a desktop-class browser — on AR glasses, a monitor, a TV, or even a web browser. Your phone becomes the trackpad and keyboard. Pair a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard for the full laptop feel. FOUR WAYS TO GET A SCREEN • Cable — AR display glasses (Viture, XREAL, RayNeo, Rokid, Lenovo Legion Glasses), any USB-C monitor or portable display, HDMI via adapter • Screen Mirroring — Apple TV, a Mac, or any AirPlay 2 TV • AnyScreen — any modern browser becomes your display: a laptop, a smart TV, even the browser in your parked car • Open on this screen — the desktop right on an iPad or iPhone Duo WIRED? CHECK YOUR CABLE Charging cables carry power only — including the white one in your iPhone box. A wired screen needs a USB-C cable that supports video (DisplayPort Alt Mode): the cable that came with your glasses or monitor, a Thunderbolt cable, or Apple's USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter for HDMI. UNFOLD IT On iPhone Duo the desktop fills the big inner screen. Half folded, it stands like a laptop: the desktop on top, a touchpad or a game controller below. A REAL DESKTOP • Windows you can move, resize, snap, minimize and fullscreen • A desktop-class tabbed browser — Gmail, Google Docs, Office, video calls with camera and mic (Teams, Meet), file downloads • Reader view: any article in clean, larger text, or read aloud • Install any website as an app with its own icon • Your phone's own apps in the dock and launcher, opening on the phone • Screen Sharing: your Mac or Windows PC in a window, with sound via the free PXS Helper • Play cloud games with a controller, or with your phone as one • Spotlight-style launcher with voice input and natural-language commands • Files, Photos, Notes, Preview (PDF markup), Camera and scanner, Clock with alarms, Calculator, video, text editor, terminal, games • Daily Overview: calendar, tasks and weather • A spoken greeting when you connect, in a natural voice that runs offline • Themes and chrome styles, movable widgets, on-screen keyboard TALK INSTEAD OF TYPING Press Dictate under the trackpad, or the microphone in the menu bar, and speak into any field — a web form, an email, a search box. It all happens on your iPhone, so nothing is sent anywhere and it works with no signal. Requires iOS 26. MADE FOR AR GLASSES PXS was built for the pocket-computer dream: glasses on your face, phone in your hand, a huge desktop nobody else can see. If your glasses act as a USB-C display, they work. Switch them to 3D and the desktop gets depth, and 3D films and photos show in 3D. TRY IT FREE FIRST Your free trial starts when you first connect a screen — not when you install — so no trial time is wasted waiting for your glasses to arrive. After that, one purchase makes it yours forever: $39.99 at the launch price, down from $49.99 (or $24.99/year, cancel anytime). Your setup, your signed-in apps and your files always remain yours. THE HONEST LIST We're a small shop and we'd rather tell you up front: Apple TV+ won't play in the browser (a service choice, not an iOS limit — Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple Music and Plex all play fine); copy/paste works best with a Bluetooth keyboard (⌘C/⌘V); other apps' iOS notifications can't appear on the desktop; a Bluetooth mouse needs a one-time AssistiveTouch setup, and typing in Mouse Mode wants a Bluetooth keyboard (iOS hides the touch keyboard while a mouse is connected). The spoken greeting is English only. And in a car, AnyScreen is for passengers and parked use only — never while driving. Feature requests are voted on publicly at bytenine.com — the board genuinely drives the roadmap. No ads. No tracking. No account required. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Desktop Mode OS
Transform your iPhone into a powerful desktop workstation, extending its capabilities to external displays like AR glasses, monitors, or TVs. Experience a high-performance desktop environment using your phone's native silicon, with innovative input modes for seamless interaction.
- Turn iPhone into a desktop workstation
- Extend to AR glasses, monitors, TVs
- Spatial productivity with AR glasses
- Multiple input modes: Air Mouse, Hand Tracking, Liquid Trackpad
- Connect to any display (USB-C, HDMI, AirPlay)
- Sync Assistant for webview issues
- Pin frequently used sessions to dock
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Turn your iPhone into a pro-grade desktop workstation! ProDocktive extends your iPhone to any external display — AR Glasses, Monitors, or TVs — creating a high-performance, multi-window desktop environment powered entirely by your phone. Your iPhone becomes the engine, trackpad, air mouse, and spatial hand tracker. No Mac or PC required! THE ULTIMATE AR & XR COMPANION Unlock spatial productivity with XREAL, VITURE, Rokid, and RayNeo glasses. • Infinite Real Estate: Say goodbye to simple screen mirroring. Experience a massive virtual desktop for immersive multitasking. • Privacy by Design: Work on sensitive projects in public spaces with total confidence. • Spatial Interaction: Control your desktop with futuristic Hand Tracking or Air Mouse navigation. CONNECT TO ANY DISPLAY • AR Glasses: Instant, private cinema-sized workstation. • USB-C / HDMI: Wired, zero-latency output to any monitor or TV. • AirPlay: Wireless freedom for zero-friction browsing and casting. REVOLUTIONARY INPUT MODES • Air Mouse: Point your iPhone like a laser to move the cursor with physical precision. • Hand Tracker (BETA): Use your iPhone's camera for hands-free spatial gestures. • Liquid Trackpad: Transform your screen into a premium multi-touch trackpad (scroll, swipe, pinch-to-zoom). • Bluetooth Support: Pair your favorite keyboard and mouse for a true PC feel. PRO-GRADE FEATURES & PRIVACY • Native Desktop UI: Optimized for large-scale displays and precision input. • Pin to Dock: Save frequently used web apps for lightning-fast access. • 100% On-Device: No cloud lag, no video compression. Pixel-perfect rendering using your iPhone's GPU. Requirements: iOS 18+ and compatible USB-C/HDMI adapters or AirPlay displays. Privacy Policy: https://prodocktive.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: PXS External Screen Desktop at none against Desktop Mode OS's shown. PXS External Screen Desktop also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%). Desktop Mode OS's advantage is ratings volume (24 vs 8). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. PXS External Screen Desktop sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Desktop Mode OS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for PXS External Screen Desktop against 4.6 for Desktop Mode OS. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 24 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of PXS External Screen Desktop's written reviews are positive against 71% of Desktop Mode OS's.
PXS External Screen Desktop ships an update every 4 days, Desktop Mode OS every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PXS External Screen Desktop | Desktop Mode OS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (8 ratings) | 4.6 (24 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 71.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 6 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 213 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | byteNine AS | Gautam Sukhramani |
Customer experience
PXS External Screen Desktop
Desktop Mode OS
In-app purchases
PXS External Screen Desktop
- PXS Pro — Monthly$6.991 Month
- PXS Pro — Yearly$24.991 Year
- PXS Pro — Lifetime$39.99
Desktop Mode OS
- Yearly subscription$14.991 Year
- Lifetime subscription$19.99
Questions
Is PXS External Screen Desktop free?
Is Desktop Mode OS free?
Which has better reviews, PXS External Screen Desktop or Desktop Mode OS?
Do PXS External Screen Desktop or Desktop Mode OS have ads?
Which is updated more often, PXS External Screen Desktop or Desktop Mode OS?
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