DeskState vs OpenDisplay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DeskState
Transform your iPhone into a focused external workspace. This app creates a windowed environment on a monitor with floating panels, keyboard/mouse support, and customizable layouts. Pin favorite web panels to maintain a consistent and efficient setup.
- External display workspace
- Floating windows
- Keyboard and mouse support
- Pin favorite web panels
- Customizable backgrounds
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iOS mirrors your iPhone with black bars. DeskState gives you a desktop instead: plug into a monitor, TV or projector and get windows, a Dock, Launchpad, Spotlight and Mission Control at the display's full resolution. Your iPhone becomes the trackpad and keyboard. A REAL DESKTOP • Windows you move, resize and snap to halves or quarters of the screen • A Dock you arrange yourself, Launchpad, Spotlight with quick sums, and Mission Control • A web browser with tabs, bookmarks, history and downloads, and any site as an app in your Dock • Notes, documents, console, calculator, focus timer and more • Your desktop remembers: windows come back where you left them YOUR IPHONE IS THE TRACKPAD • Swipe, tap, two-finger scroll, double-tap and hold to drag, three fingers for all your windows • Type with the iPhone keyboard and see what you type; arrow keys, Tab and Esc above it • Works with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse too CONNECT • iPhone 15 and later: any USB-C to HDMI cable • Earlier iPhones: Lightning Digital AV Adapter • Apple TV and AirPlay displays PLANS Your first five desktop sessions are Pro, free. After that the free plan gives you 20 minutes of desktop a day. DeskState Pro removes the limit and adds quarter snapping, a desktop for each display, themes and wallpapers, Pro tools and iCloud sync, monthly, yearly or once. Streaming services with copy protection show video only over a cable, not over AirPlay. DeskState is a desktop inside the app: it runs its own apps and websites, not other iOS apps. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
OpenDisplay
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a genuine second display for your Mac. This open-source solution allows you to extend your screen space for multitasking, keeping important information visible. Connect via USB for minimal latency or Wi-Fi for easy setup.
- Real extended display functionality
- USB and Wi-Fi connectivity
- Retina-sharp rendering
- Touch and scroll support
- Portrait and landscape orientation
- Private by design, no tracking
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OpenDisplay turns your iPhone or iPad into a second display for your Mac. It's the open-source way to put your spare Apple device to work as a real extended monitor — drag windows onto it, keep chat, notes, or logs in view, and gain screen space anywhere you go. It's not a mirror: it's a genuine additional display your Mac treats like any other monitor. • Real extended display — arrange it in your Mac's Display settings and drag windows across • Connect over USB for the lowest latency, or over Wi-Fi with zero setup • Retina-sharp, pixel-for-pixel rendering • Touch and scroll — tap, drag, and two-finger scroll to control your Mac • Works in portrait or landscape • Private by design — a direct connection between your own devices, with no accounts, no servers, and no tracking IMPORTANT: OpenDisplay requires the companion OpenDisplay app for Mac, running on your computer on the same cable or Wi-Fi network. Get it at opendisplay.app — without it, this app has nothing to connect to. OpenDisplay is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Read the code, report issues, or contribute at https://github.com/peetzweg/opendisplay
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: OpenDisplay at 92% against DeskState's 0%. OpenDisplay also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). DeskState's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 8 days). On price and ads 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. DeskState sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. OpenDisplay asks for nothing beyond the download.
OpenDisplay holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenDisplay has 21 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of DeskState's written reviews are positive against 92% of OpenDisplay's.
DeskState ships an update every 4 days, OpenDisplay every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DeskState | OpenDisplay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (3 ratings) | 4.7 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 92.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 21 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Abraham Rubio | Philip Poloczek |
Customer experience
DeskState
OpenDisplay
In-app purchases
DeskState
- Monthly subscription$2.991 Month
- Monthly subscription$4.991 Month
- Yearly subscription7 Days trial$14.991 Year
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- Yearly subscription$14.991 Year
- Yearly subscription$24.991 Year
- Lifetime subscription$29.99
- Lifetime$59.99
OpenDisplay
No in-app purchases









