Comparison

Glassy Desk vs LAN Screen Control

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

Head to head
About

Glassy Desk

Control your Mac remotely from your iPhone or iPad using fast, direct connections. Supports standard VNC or the encrypted Glassy Stream protocol for smooth, low-latency access. Offers flexible connection options and natural touch or trackpad controls.

Highlights
  • Direct remote access to Mac
  • VNC and Glassy Stream support
  • Automatic Mac discovery
  • On-screen and hardware keyboard support
  • Direct touch or trackpad mode
  • Private iCloud sync for settings
Features
Read full description

Reach your Mac from your iPhone, iPad, or iPhone Duo. Check on a headless Mac mini, the Mac Studio in the closet, or your build machine, and keep an eye on long builds, renders, and AI agents without getting up. Check on your Mac for free. Go Pro for unlimited sessions with a monthly or yearly plan, or pay once with Lifetime. No account to create. TWO WAYS TO CONNECT • Standard VNC uses the Screen Sharing built into macOS. Nothing to download on the Mac. • Fast Connection uses the free Glassy Desk for Mac app: up to 4K at 60 FPS, hardware H.264 video that adapts to your network, and an encrypted link straight to your Mac. MADE FOR HEADLESS MACS • Wake a sleeping Mac with Wake-on-LAN, then connect • Reconnect automatically after short network drops • Reach your Mac from outside your home or office through a VPN such as Tailscale • Pick which display to show when the Mac has more than one WATCH YOUR MAC WHILE YOU WORK • Keep a session in Picture in Picture while you use other apps • Connect in one tap with Siri, Shortcuts, and the Quick Connect and My Macs widgets • Show the Mac on an external display and use your device as the controller REAL KEYS AND A REAL POINTER • Direct touch or trackpad mode, with tap, drag, right-click, scroll, and pinch to zoom • Command, Option, Control, arrow, and function keys, plus common shortcuts, from the on-screen or a hardware keyboard • Apple Pencil as a precise pointer, with hover and double-tap or squeeze actions • Paste text from your device onto the Mac FILES BOTH WAYS Send files and photos to the Mac's Downloads folder, and bring files selected in the Mac's Finder into the Files app. (Fast Connection) MADE FOR IPHONE DUO Layouts adapt as you fold and unfold. Stand it up half-folded and the lower half becomes a trackpad, with an optional keyboard and special keys. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No cloud relay: connections go straight to the computer you choose • Curtain Mode covers the Mac's screen and blocks its local keyboard and mouse while you work remotely (Fast Connection) • Lock Glassy Desk with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, and hide remote screens in the app switcher • Saved Macs sync through your private iCloud database, and passwords are stored encrypted COMPATIBILITY Standard VNC is designed and tested with macOS Screen Sharing and Remote Management; other standards-based VNC servers may work. Fast Connection requires Glassy Desk for Mac on macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. Connecting from outside your network requires a VPN or other route to the Mac. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

LAN Screen Control

Features
Read full description

LAN Screen Control is a local-network VNC client built for iPhone and iPad. It connects directly to Screen Sharing or Remote Management built into macOS, without a companion app on the Mac or a developer-operated cloud relay. FEATURES - Discover Macs on the same network, or enter a host name, IP address, and port manually - Sign in with a Mac user account or VNC password - View all displays or choose one screen, with manual dual-display calibration when needed - Precision trackpad with click, double-click, right-click, drag, two-finger scroll, and a vertical scroll strip - Remote keyboard with Esc, Tab, Delete, arrow keys, Command, and other common controls - Compose text locally or use system keyboard dictation, review it, then send it to the Mac - Ultra Smooth, Balanced, and High Quality performance profiles - Optional per-Mac clipboard sync, off by default - Bonjour discovery and automatic reconnection Saved computer details and preferences remain on this device. Usernames and passwords are stored in the system Keychain and are not synced through iCloud. The app contains no advertising or analytics SDKs and does not collect or upload connection details. Before connecting, turn on Screen Sharing or Remote Management in System Settings > General > Sharing on your Mac, and keep both devices on the same trusted local network. A VNC session should not be treated as end-to-end encrypted. Do not expose the VNC port directly to the internet. LAN Screen Control does not provide a public relay, audio, or file transfer.

Screenshots

Glassy Desk4 screens
LAN Screen Control1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LAN Screen Control at none against Glassy Desk's 3. LAN Screen Control also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Glassy Desk sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. LAN Screen Control asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Glassy Desk ships an update every 9 days, LAN Screen Control every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Glassy Desk versus LAN Screen Control: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGlassy DeskLAN Screen Control
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFernando Bunn洋 周

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Glassy Desk

Subscriptions2
  • Glassy Desk Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Glassy Desk Pro Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Glassy Desk Pro Lifetime$29.99
None

LAN Screen Control

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Glassy Desk free?
Glassy Desk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LAN Screen Control free?
LAN Screen Control is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Glassy Desk or LAN Screen Control have ads?
Neither Glassy Desk nor LAN Screen Control shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Glassy Desk or LAN Screen Control?
Glassy Desk ships an update every 9 days, and LAN Screen Control every 11 days. Most recently, Glassy Desk was updated on October 25, 2026 and LAN Screen Control on October 11, 2026.

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