Comparison

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.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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/

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

PXS External Screen Desktop4 screens
Desktop Mode OS4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PXS External Screen Desktop versus Desktop Mode OS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPXS External Screen DesktopDesktop Mode OS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (8 ratings)4.6 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings824 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size213 MB38 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperbyteNine ASGautam Sukhramani

Customer experience

PXS External Screen Desktop

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Desktop Mode OS

All ratings24 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral8.3%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral28.6%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PXS External Screen Desktop

Subscriptions2
  • PXS Pro — Monthly$6.991 Month
  • PXS Pro — Yearly$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • PXS Pro — Lifetime$39.99
2 purchases

Desktop Mode OS

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly subscription$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime subscription$19.99

Questions

Is PXS External Screen Desktop free?
PXS External Screen Desktop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Desktop Mode OS free?
Desktop Mode OS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PXS External Screen Desktop or Desktop Mode OS?
Desktop Mode OS is rated higher. PXS External Screen Desktop averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Desktop Mode OS averages 4.6 from 24 ratings.
Do PXS External Screen Desktop or Desktop Mode OS have ads?
Desktop Mode OS shows ads; PXS External Screen Desktop does not.
Which is updated more often, PXS External Screen Desktop or Desktop Mode OS?
PXS External Screen Desktop ships an update every 4 days, and Desktop Mode OS every 6 days. Most recently, PXS External Screen Desktop was updated on November 9, 2026 and Desktop Mode OS on October 31, 2026.

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