Comparison

OpenDisplay vs One Big Keyboard

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

One Big Keyboard

Features
Read full description

One Big Keyboard is not a typical keyboard — it is a search tool that lives on your keyboard. It puts Google-style search operators one tap away, in any app, so you find exactly what you're looking for instead of scrolling past what you're not. THE PROBLEM Search engines are powerful, but only if you speak their language: site:, filetype:, intitle:, "exact match", -exclude. Almost nobody types these by hand — they're fiddly, easy to mistype, and hard to remember. THE FIX Tap a chip and the operator drops in, cursor already in place. No syntax to memorize, no colons to hunt for. Build a precise query in seconds, right where you're already typing. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT • An operator chip row over a full QWERTY — the operators you use most, always one tap away • Swipeable operator pages: site targeting, file types, exact match, exclusions, and the full power set • Templates — save a reusable pattern like "site: [pick] filetype: [pick] [keywords]" and fill the blanks with taps • "Describe a search" — type plain English, get the right operator string, built entirely on-device • Saved searches, custom operators, and custom pages — make it yours OPERATORS BUILT IN • site: — search inside one website • filetype: — find PDFs, slides, spreadsheets • "exact phrase" — match words exactly • -exclude — drop results you don't want • intitle:, inurl:, OR, before:/after:, related:, and the rest MADE YOURS • Color themes — recolor the whole keyboard, or mix your own • Seven key-click sounds, from a classic tock to a mechanical click • Sync your operators, templates, and theme across devices through your own private iCloud PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads. No tracking. Nothing you type ever leaves your device — the keyboard has no networking code at all. Full Access is used only to save your own setup to your device. FREE FOREVER The keyboard and its core operators are free, always. One-time Pro unlocks custom operators, templates, saved searches, color themes, extra sounds, and iCloud sync. Works with Google and any search engine that supports operators like site: and filetype:. Turn your keyboard into a search tool. Find what you're actually looking for.

Screenshots

OpenDisplay1 screens
One Big Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenDisplay at none against One Big Keyboard's 1. OpenDisplay also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. One Big Keyboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. OpenDisplay asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
OpenDisplay versus One Big Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenDisplayOne Big Keyboard
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (23 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews92.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilip PoloczekHello Good Day LLC

In-app purchases

None

OpenDisplay

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

One Big Keyboard

One-time1
  • One Big Keyboard Pro$4.99

Questions

Is OpenDisplay free?
OpenDisplay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is One Big Keyboard free?
One Big Keyboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do OpenDisplay or One Big Keyboard have ads?
Neither OpenDisplay nor One Big Keyboard shows ads.

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