Comparison

Preen Display vs Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Preen Display

Transform your iPad into a glanceable display for custom widgets created with simple text commands. Control devices, view feeds, or monitor data directly from your iPhone. Offers local network privacy and optional remote access via subscription.

Highlights
  • AI-powered widget creation via text prompts
  • Live display on iPad
  • Control and view widgets on iPhone
  • Customizable HTML, CSS, JavaScript widgets
  • Local network privacy
  • Optional remote access subscription
Features
Read full description

Preen Display turns an iPad on a stand into a live, glance-able display for widgets you ask for in a sentence. Tell your AI coding agent what you want — a TV remote, a revenue ticker, a security-camera feed — and the free Preen hub for Mac publishes it onto your iPhone. No code, no dashboard builder. Just a sentence. HOW IT WORKS 1. Run the free Preen hub on your Mac (preendisplay.com). 2. Ask your agent for a widget ("Make a power button that turns my Samsung TV on and off"). The hub's bundled MCP server and CLI do the rest. 3. The widget opens on your iPhone. Want a change? Ask your agent to publish an update. Widgets are plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — so you can also write and publish them yourself with the Preen command-line tool. IF YOU CAN SAY IT, YOU CAN GLANCE AT IT • A TV remote — on and off • What's playing right now: one big album art • A live security-camera feed • One-tap buttons for your busiest Slack channels • A focus stopwatch to keep your head down • Today's revenue, in numbers too big to ignore PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account required. By default your phone talks directly to your Mac over your own local network — your widgets and their data stay between your devices. TRY IT WITHOUT A MAC Tap "Preview a widget" on the first screen to see a live demo widget right away. PREEN PLUS (optional subscription) Preen Plus adds remote access: an end-to-end encrypted relay that keeps your display live when you and your Mac aren't on the same network. Terms of Use: https://preendisplay.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://preendisplay.com/privacy

About

Buddy

This AI-powered mobile browser automates web tasks like finding flights, comparing options, and filling forms. Interact via text or voice to have an agent complete multi-step processes for you in real-time.

Highlights
  • AI-powered web navigation
  • Text and voice requests
  • Form filling automation
  • Repetitive task automation
  • Multi-site research
  • Real-time agent work
Features
Read full description

A new way to use AI, visually. Buddy is an AI that answers with interactive visuals, not paragraphs of text. Ask a question and it draws — maps, carousels, charts, plans you can check off. Every answer is made for you uniquely: your language and your aesthetics. Sharing it with friends is a click away. Use the web as your hub of connections The web is yours and any website can be a connection, not just Gmail, Notion or whichever integration is supported. Sign in once, on the site's own page, and Buddy can open and read it for you whenever you ask: your ads dashboard, your inbox, your project tracker, the forum you follow. What can you ask? Anything. But if you want somewhere to start: • Where should we eat tonight? — a map, ranked picks, and the tradeoffs • Compare these three, honestly — scored on what you actually care about • Plan the trip — an itinerary with times, costs, and conflicts • Teach me this — an explainer with quick practice, so it sticks • How are our numbers this week? — read straight from your ads dashboard • The same question every morning — any ask can become a briefing that rebuilds itself Private by nature No account, no email, no password — Buddy works without knowing who you are. Your passwords never leave your phone. Your history, bookmarks, and chats are stored there and nowhere else. Your data should be yours Start free. Buddy Plus raises your limits. Terms of Use: https://www.buddybrowser.ai/terms Privacy Policy: https://buddybrowser.ai/privacy

Screenshots

Preen Display4 screens
Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Buddy at 5 against Preen Display's 1. On price, rating, update cadence 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. Preen Display sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. 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 — 5.0 for Preen Display against 5.0 for Buddy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buddy has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Preen Display ships an update weekly, Buddy every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Preen Display versus Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPreen DisplayBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB39 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPink Door Multimedia LLCWhim Studio, Inc.

Customer experience

Preen Display

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Buddy

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Preen Display

Subscriptions2
  • Preen Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Preen Plus (Yearly)7 Days trial$17.991 Year
2 purchases

Buddy

Subscriptions2
  • Buddy Plus$4.991 Month
  • Buddy Plus$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Preen Display free?
Preen Display is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Buddy free?
Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Preen Display or Buddy?
Preen Display and Buddy are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 5 ratings respectively.
Do Preen Display or Buddy have ads?
Neither Preen Display nor Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Preen Display or Buddy?
Preen Display ships an update weekly, and Buddy every 6 days. Most recently, Preen Display was updated on October 28, 2026 and Buddy on October 24, 2026.

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