Comparison

aether vs Maccess

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

Head to head
About

aether

Features
Read full description

aether turns your iPhone into a fast and easy to use control surface for your Mac. Pair over local Wiโ€‘Fi, then trigger what you need in one tap: launch apps, run shortcuts, send keyboard combinations, open URL schemes, and execute shell commands. Create custom control pages with your own titles, symbols, colors, and synced app icons, then duplicate pages to build workflows quickly. aether automatically pulls your Macโ€™s app and shortcut catalog, keeps control layouts tied to the active Mac, and gives you a clean interface designed for speed and focus. You can also personalize the experience with light or dark mode and text style preferences. Requires the aether companion app on Mac. Privacy & Terms Privacy Policy: https://aether.matteozappia.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://aether.matteozappia.com/terms

About

Maccess

Control your Mac remotely from your iPhone. Manage files, control media, and even use an AI assistant to perform tasks on your computer, all through an encrypted connection. Essential features are free locally, with advanced options available via subscription.

Highlights
  • Remote trackpad and keyboard control
  • Live screen mirroring
  • AI assistant for task execution
  • File browsing and management
  • Media and volume control
  • Send files from iPhone to Mac
  • Spotlight search on Mac
Features
Read full description

Your Mac, right there in your pocket. Pause the movie playing on your Mac without leaving the couch. Grab a file off your desktop from a coffee shop across town. Ask Mackie to open your presentation before you even sit down. Maccess turns your iPhone into a remote for everything your Mac can do โ€” pairing takes one QR code scan, and every session is end-to-end encrypted. EVERYTHING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS โ€ข Trackpad and keyboard โ€” smooth cursor control with multi-touch gestures, plus full text input โ€ข Live screen mirroring โ€” watch your Mac's screen on your iPhone in real time โ€ข Works anywhere โ€” on your home Wi-Fi, or from anywhere in the world over our cloud relay โ€ข Mackie, your AI assistant โ€” talk or type, and Mackie sees your Mac's current state and gets it done โ€ข Spotlight search โ€” find and launch anything on your Mac in seconds โ€ข Media and volume โ€” play, pause, skip, and adjust volume from your phone โ€ข Send to Mac โ€” beam photos and files from your iPhone straight to your desktop โ€ข Mac Finder โ€” browse your Mac's files right from your phone โ€ข Screenshots โ€” capture your Mac's screen and save it to your iPhone photo library โ€ข Apps and windows โ€” see what's open, switch apps, and manage windows โ€ข Quick actions โ€” screenshot, mute, keep awake, wake, sleep, and lock BUILT FOR TRUST โ€ข End-to-end encrypted with X25519 + ChaCha20-Poly1305 โ€” your keystrokes, screen, and files are never readable by our servers, on local network or over the internet โ€ข Sign in with Apple โ€” no passwords, no separate account โ€ข Pair in seconds by scanning a QR code REQUIRES THE FREE MACCESS HELPER Maccess works together with Maccess Helper, our free companion app for your Mac. Download it at https://maccess.io/download open it on your Mac, and scan the QR code once โ€” local control over Wi-Fi works right away. MACCESS PRO The essentials are free on your local network. Maccess Pro unlocks remote access over the internet, the Mackie assistant, screen mirroring, Send to Mac, Spotlight search, Mac Finder, Apps & Windows, multiple Macs, advanced trackpad settings, and custom accent colors. Maccess Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, each with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://www.mymaccess.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

aether3 screens
Maccess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Maccess at 17.0 against aether's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. aether sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Maccess sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 7 level
aether versus Maccess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteraetherMaccess
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsโ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyโ€”Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetizationโ€”Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatteo ZappiaMaira Akram

In-app purchases

1 purchases

aether

One-time1
  • aether PRO$4.99
2 purchases

Maccess

Subscriptions2
  • Maccess Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Maccess Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is aether free?
aether is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Maccess free?
Maccess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do aether or Maccess have ads?
Neither aether nor Maccess shows ads.

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