Preen Display vs Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
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.
- AI-powered web navigation
- Text and voice requests
- Form filling automation
- Repetitive task automation
- Multi-site research
- Real-time agent work
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Preen Display ships an update weekly, Buddy every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Preen Display | Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Pink Door Multimedia LLC | Whim Studio, Inc. |
Customer experience
Preen Display
Buddy
In-app purchases
Preen Display
- Preen Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Preen Plus (Yearly)7 Days trial$17.991 Year
Buddy
- Buddy Plus$4.991 Month
- Buddy Plus$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Preen Display free?
Is Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, Preen Display or Buddy?
Do Preen Display or Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Preen Display or Buddy?
Other comparisons















