Comparison

TouchNow Remote vs Desktop Mirroring

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, ⌘âŒĨ⌃⇧ 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 â€ĸ Game mode: fully customizable virtual gamepad + physical controller support â€ĸ Trackpad mode: the whole screen becomes a precise trackpad, with a cursor loupe â€ĸ Direct touch: tap exactly where you want, zero learning curve BUILT FOR PLAY â€ĸ Peer-to-peer direct connection; median network round-trip time (RTT) about 8 ms on 5 GHz Wi-Fi â€ĸ 1080p 60fps streaming, HEVC encoding, adaptive jitter buffer â€ĸ Auto-reconnect, keys never get stuck, controllers switch in automatically MORE â€ĸ An illustrated guide on first launch, reopenable any time from Settings â€ĸ Single-app window streaming: put just one Mac window on your phone while the Mac screen carries on â€ĸ Use your iPhone or iPad as a second display for your Mac — and touch it â€ĸ Picture in Picture + Live Activity on the Lock Screen â€ĸ Clipboard sync, audio streaming, Wake-on-LAN, multi-display switching PRIVATE BY DESIGN â€ĸ End-to-end encrypted: peer-to-peer when possible, relayed only when a direct connection is impossible — and the relay cannot see your screen â€ĸ QR / PIN encrypted pairing, end-to-end encryption, allowlist-only connections â€ĸ While being controlled, the Mac shows a persistent red banner and keeps a full connection history â€ĸ 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

Desktop Mirroring

Features
Read full description

Desktop Mirroring - your Mac's screen, right in your pocket Your Mac is across the room and you just need to use it. Is the build done? Did the download finish? What was that notification? Your Mac mini is plugged into the TV and there is no monitor on the desk. Desktop Mirroring puts a live, readable view of your Mac's screen on your iPhone or iPad - connected in one tap over your own Wi-Fi - and lets you work it from there. MADE TO BE REACHED Not everyone can sit down at a computer. If you are bedridden, recovering, or cannot sit upright for long, the Mac on your desk is out of reach and the phone in your hand is the only computer you can actually use. Desktop Mirroring closes that gap: the Mac's screen comes to your device, and your taps, swipes and typing go back to the Mac. No extra hardware, no second computer, nothing to stretch for. HOW IT WORKS Connect in one tap - Your Mac runs a small menu-bar tool. On the same Wi-Fi, your iPhone finds it automatically. No accounts, no pairing codes, no cables. Tap your Mac's name and you are looking at it. Use it from where you are - Move the pointer, tap, scroll, drag and type. The controls stay simple: a trackpad-style surface, a keyboard, and a few keys for Mission Control and Esc. Read it from across the room - High-resolution mirroring over your local network, so windows, menus and tabs stay readable. The stream adapts its bitrate to your connection instead of stalling. Look in from anywhere - Not on the same Wi-Fi? Turn on Remote in the Mac app and view your Mac's screen over iCloud, with your own Apple ID. Remote is view only: over the internet the app only looks. MORE TO LOVE Pick the display you share - Multi-display Mac? Choose which display gets mirrored from the Mac menu bar. Private by design - On your Wi-Fi the video and your input go straight between your devices. Remote view runs through your own private iCloud. No sign-ups, no third-party servers. Works with any Mac - MacBook, iMac, Mac mini: if it runs macOS, it is ready. Free to try - Full use, free, for 3 days after your first connection. After that, Premium keeps it going. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

TouchNow Remote4 screens
Desktop Mirroring3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: TouchNow Remote at 15.0 against Desktop Mirroring's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. TouchNow Remote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Desktop Mirroring sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchNow Remote ships an update every 2 days, Desktop Mirroring every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ¡ 5 level
TouchNow Remote versus Desktop Mirroring: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchNow RemoteDesktop Mirroring
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPo hin Maæ™ļ įŽ‹

In-app purchases

2 purchases

TouchNow Remote

Subscriptions2
  • 遠įĢ¯é€Ŗįˇš$2.991 Month
  • 遠įĢ¯é€Ŗįˇš$19.991 Year
2 purchases

Desktop Mirroring

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Premium Member7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Annual Premium Member$9.991 Year

Questions

Is TouchNow Remote free?
TouchNow Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Desktop Mirroring free?
Desktop Mirroring is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do TouchNow Remote or Desktop Mirroring have ads?
Neither TouchNow Remote nor Desktop Mirroring shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchNow Remote or Desktop Mirroring?
TouchNow Remote ships an update every 2 days, and Desktop Mirroring every 3 days. Most recently, TouchNow Remote was updated on October 25, 2026 and Desktop Mirroring on October 11, 2026.

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