OpenDisplay vs Orvena
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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, keeping essential apps visible. Connect via USB for minimal latency or Wi-Fi for easy setup.
- Use iPhone/iPad as a second Mac display
- Connect via USB or Wi-Fi
- Retina-sharp rendering
- Touch and scroll support
- Portrait or 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
Orvena
A private, on-device assistant that integrates with your phone's tools and services. It prioritizes user privacy with on-device processing and explicit consent for any data sharing. A one-time purchase unlocks advanced features like voice conversations and service integrations.
- On-device AI processing
- Integrates with calendar, reminders, maps, photos, and Apple Health
- Receipts and approval for actions
- Optional cloud model integration
- Connects to Notion, GitHub, Home Assistant, and more
- Voice conversations with on-device voice generation
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Orvena is a complete assistant that runs on your iPhone. Its models run on the device itself, so conversations stay on your phone unless you choose a cloud model. There is no account, no Orvena server, and no analytics. ASK, AND IT GETS DONE Orvena works with the phone you already have: calendar, reminders, alarms and timers, maps and travel times, photos, Apple Health summaries, music, and files. Every action leaves a receipt you can read, and anything consequential asks for your approval before it runs. APPLE INTELLIGENCE, BUILT IN On iOS 27, Orvena can answer with Apple's on-device model, with nothing to download. It uses the same tools, receipts and approvals as Orvena's own model. You can also ask Orvena from Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight and the Action button, and get the answer right where you asked. PRIVATE BY ARCHITECTURE Privacy pages usually ask for trust. Orvena's is a list: everything the app can ever send is enumerated in a short ledger in the privacy policy. On-device features work without any data leaving the phone, and anything that could ever leave asks first through a named consent step. ONE PURCHASE UNLOCKS THE REST The on-device assistant, every phone tool, web search and reading, and image understanding are free, without limits or a trial clock. A single one-time purchase adds: • Voice conversations, with a natural voice generated on the device • Connections to services you use, like Notion, Linear, GitHub, Home Assistant, and any MCP server, with sign-in built in • Apple's Private Cloud Compute on iOS 27, a larger model on Apple's servers that doesn't keep your data, within a daily limit Apple sets • Cloud models with your own API key, when you want a bigger model • Scheduled tasks, so Orvena can check on things at the right time and report back There is no subscription. REQUIREMENTS Orvena's own model runs on the phone itself, which needs recent hardware: iPhone 15 Pro or newer with 8 GB of memory, on iOS 26. The model, about 3.5 GB, downloads once. On iOS 27, iPhones with Apple Intelligence turned on can start with Apple's model instead, without the download.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: OpenDisplay at 4.7 against Orvena's 1.0. OpenDisplay also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (21 vs 1). Orvena's advantage is update cadence (every 3 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. Orvena sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OpenDisplay asks for nothing beyond the download.
OpenDisplay holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenDisplay has 21 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
OpenDisplay ships an update every 8 days, Orvena every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | OpenDisplay | Orvena |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (21 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 21 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Philip Poloczek | Agnieszka Sela |
Customer experience
OpenDisplay
Orvena
In-app purchases
OpenDisplay
No in-app purchases
Orvena
- Premium Unlock$14.99









