Comparison

TouchNow Remote vs PadLink Remote

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

Head to head
About

TouchNow Remote

Features
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Stream your Mac to your iPhone or iPad and control it with touch — play Mac games, work remotely, or fix a family member's computer. A FULL MACBOOK KEYBOARD Esc, F1–F12, arrow keys, āŒ˜āŒ„āŒƒā‡§ combinations and caps lock. The iOS keyboard can't send a single one of these, and they're exactly what you need when driving a Mac. Modifiers are sticky, so combos work one-handed. THREE CONTROL MODES • Game mode: fully customizable virtual gamepad + physical controller support • Trackpad mode: the whole screen becomes a precise trackpad, with a cursor loupe • Direct touch: tap exactly where you want, zero learning curve BUILT FOR PLAY • Peer-to-peer direct connection; median network round-trip time (RTT) about 8 ms on 5 GHz Wi-Fi • 1080p 60fps streaming, HEVC encoding, adaptive jitter buffer • Auto-reconnect, keys never get stuck, controllers switch in automatically MORE • An illustrated guide on first launch, reopenable any time from Settings • Single-app window streaming: put just one Mac window on your phone while the Mac screen carries on • Use your iPhone or iPad as a second display for your Mac — and touch it • Picture in Picture + Live Activity on the Lock Screen • Clipboard sync, audio streaming, Wake-on-LAN, multi-display switching PRIVATE BY DESIGN • End-to-end encrypted: peer-to-peer when possible, relayed only when a direct connection is impossible — and the relay cannot see your screen • QR / PIN encrypted pairing, end-to-end encryption, allowlist-only connections • While being controlled, the Mac shows a persistent red banner and keeps a full connection history • No account, no tracking, no cloud recording PRICING Everything is free forever on your local network (same Wi-Fi). The only paid item is the Remote Access subscription (monthly or yearly), needed only when you're away and want to reach your Mac. Features that are free today will never move behind the paywall. GETTING STARTED The Mac you want to control needs the free TouchNow Host (macOS 13 or later), from touchmac.app — it is not on the Mac App Store. Install it, scan the QR code once, and you're paired. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PadLink Remote

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PadLink Remote turns your phone into a wireless game controller for your computer. Play with an on-screen gamepad, a full racing cockpit, or a touchpad mouse — over your local Wi-Fi, with no cables and no account. HOW IT WORKS 1. Install the free PadLink desktop app on your computer. 2. Open PadLink Remote and pair in seconds — scan the QR code or type the pairing code. 3. Start playing. PadLink presents your phone as a standard gamepad your games already recognize (or as keyboard & mouse). CONTROL SURFACES • Gamepad — dual thumbsticks, D-pad, face buttons, shoulder buttons, analog triggers, and menu buttons, laid out like a real controller. • Car Driving cockpit — a steering wheel with tilt (gyro) steering, gas and brake pedals with cruise-lock, a sequential gear shifter, and a handbrake. Built for racing games. • Touchpad mouse — use your phone as a trackpad whenever you need a pointer. FEATURES • Low-latency input over your local network — no internet connection needed for gameplay. • Easy pairing by QR code, manual code, or one-tap reconnect to a known computer. • Customizable layout — move, resize, and set the opacity of every control to fit your hands and your screen. Free for everyone. • Haptic feedback on button presses and triggers. • Automatic reconnect if your Wi-Fi drops mid-session. • Designed for landscape play. REQUIREMENTS • The free PadLink desktop app, available for Windows and macOS. • Your phone and computer on the same Wi-Fi / local network. • No sign-in and no account — your controller input goes only to your own computer. FREE & PRO PadLink Remote is free to download and play. The Car Driving cockpit becomes available when the computer you connect to is running PadLink Pro or its free trial — it is a capability of the desktop app. While connected to a computer on the free plan, a small banner ad appears during play. PRIVACY Your controller input is sent only to your own computer over your local network. The camera is used solely to scan the pairing QR code, on your device. Turn the phone in your pocket into the controller your games have been waiting for.

Screenshots

TouchNow Remote4 screens
PadLink Remote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PadLink Remote at none against TouchNow Remote's 2. TouchNow Remote's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. TouchNow Remote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. PadLink Remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchNow Remote ships an update every 2 days, PadLink Remote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 2 level
TouchNow Remote versus PadLink Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchNow RemotePadLink Remote
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPo hin MaSocheat Rath

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TouchNow Remote

Subscriptions2
  • é ē«Æé€£ē·š$2.991 Month
  • é ē«Æé€£ē·š$19.991 Year
None

PadLink Remote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TouchNow Remote free?
TouchNow Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PadLink Remote free?
PadLink Remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do TouchNow Remote or PadLink Remote have ads?
PadLink Remote shows ads; TouchNow Remote does not.
Which is updated more often, TouchNow Remote or PadLink Remote?
TouchNow Remote ships an update every 2 days, and PadLink Remote every 2 weeks. Most recently, TouchNow Remote was updated on October 10, 2026 and PadLink Remote on September 30, 2026.

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