PocketCtrl vs Headroom

Your Mac, wherever you need it. PocketCtrl turns your iPhone or iPad into a remote screen, trackpad, and keyboard for your Mac. Connect on the same local network, or use your own Tailscale network to reach your Mac between networks. CONTROL THAT FEELS FAMILIAR • Move the pointer, click, scroll, and zoom with touch gestures. • Type with the on-screen keyboard and use convenient Mac shortcuts. • Use optional on-device voice typing when supported by your device and language. • Use an external keyboard or trackpad on iPad. YOUR MAC, YOUR SETUP • Choose which Mac display to view. • Switch between saved Macs. • Adjust stream quality to suit your connection. • Enable Mac audio and text clipboard sharing for approved devices. PAIR WITH CONFIDENCE • Pair with a QR code, computer code, or pairing link. • Approve new devices on the host Mac and choose their access permissions. • Stream and control data is encrypted and authenticated between paired devices. • No PocketCtrl account is required. REQUIREMENTS PocketCtrl requires the separate PocketCtrl Mac companion on a Mac running macOS 15.6 or later. Download it and follow the setup guide at https://www.pocketctrl.com/download. The Mac must be powered on, awake, running PocketCtrl, and reachable over the network. Allow Screen Recording on your Mac to share its display, Accessibility for remote control, and Local Network access for nearby connections. Tailscale is a separate, optional service for connections between networks and requires its own setup. PocketCtrl is open source. Learn more at https://www.pocketctrl.com. Privacy policy: https://www.pocketctrl.com/privacy

Headroom is a remote desktop for controlling a Mac from your iPad, iPhone, or another Mac. The big idea: nothing to install on the Mac. Turn on macOS's built-in Screen Sharing — that's the whole setup. WHEN YOU WANT IT • Drive the Mac in the next room from the couch • Manage a headless Mac mini — no monitor, no keyboard • Peek at your dev machine or build server from wherever you are • Reach your home Mac from anywhere over a VPN such as Tailscale WHY HEADROOM • Zero install on the Mac Connects straight to macOS's built-in Screen Sharing (VNC). No server app, no agent, no menu-bar daemon. • Finds your Macs automatically Macs on the same Wi-Fi appear instantly via Bonjour. Manual IP connections work too. • Fast, smooth screen Metal rendering plus ZRLE compression — feels real-time on a LAN and stays usable on thin connections. • Touch that makes sense on iPad and iPhone Tap to click, one-finger scroll, long-press to drag and select text, two-finger wheel scrolling, pinch to zoom. • Real mouse behavior on the Mac On a Mac (same app), clicks, drags, and right-clicks pass through 1:1. Option-scroll pans; Command-scroll zooms. • Full keyboard, and your voice Software and hardware keyboards both work. Modifier keys (⌘⌥⌃⇧) tap once for the next keystroke or double-tap to lock — every shortcut is reachable. Tap the mic on the keyboard and what you say is typed straight into the Mac. • Private by design Credentials live only in your device's Keychain, and passwords are encrypted in transit using Apple's standard Screen Sharing authentication. • Made for iPhone Duo Half open like a laptop, your Mac sits on the upper screen and the keyboard on the lower one. Fully open or held like a book, the Mac spans the inner screen; closed, the outer screen works on its own. Nothing is drawn across the fold. CONNECTED IN THREE STEPS 1. On the Mac: System Settings > General > Sharing > turn on Screen Sharing 2. Open Headroom — your Macs appear automatically 3. Sign in with the Mac's username and password. Done. HEADROOM PRO The free version limits connection time. Upgrade to Pro — a one-time purchase, not a subscription: • Unlimited connection time • Every future Pro feature included Buy once, use forever. REQUIREMENTS • Client: iPad / iPhone (iOS 17+, verified on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27), Apple Silicon Mac • Host: any Mac with Screen Sharing enabled (no extra software) • Same network; for internet access we recommend a VPN such as Tailscale — Headroom is built by MusicFlow ("music × engineering") — the tool we made to run our own headless Mac minis, polished into something we use every day.