Comparison

Mirror 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

Mirror

Features
Read full description

Mirror turns your iPhone into a screen and a remote control for your Mac. Your Mac's display streams to your phone over your own Wi-Fi network, and every touch becomes a real click, scroll, or keystroke on the Mac. Control that works like a trackpad The whole phone is the input surface, not just the spot you touch. Slide a finger anywhere to move the pointer with speed-adaptive precision, tap to click, tap twice to double click, and use two fingers to right click. Long-press to grab something and drag it. Two-finger drag scrolls with momentum, three-finger swipes switch desktops and open Mission Control, and pinch zooms in when a target needs a closer look. A keyboard with sticky modifier keys lets you type and use shortcuts. If you would rather touch the screen directly, one button switches to direct-touch mode. Every file on your Mac, in your pocket Find searches your entire Mac from the phone, combining Spotlight with a direct scan so results start appearing as you type. Browse folders like a native file manager, filter by type, and open photos, videos, PDFs, and text in a full-screen viewer you can swipe through like your camera roll. Videos stream straight from the Mac with full scrubbing, so there is no waiting for a download. Save anything to Photos or Files, send it through the share sheet, or open it on the Mac from your phone. The home screen keeps your Mac's storage and folder sizes in view. Paired once, in seconds. The Mac announces itself on your Wi-Fi, so your phone lists it by name and there are no addresses to type. Enter the eight-character code shown in the Mac menu bar, and your iPhone stores it in the Keychain. Pairing happens once. Private by design Everything happens directly between your two devices on your own network. Your screen never touches the internet, there is no cloud service in the middle, and there is no account to create. Video is captured and encoded with hardware acceleration on the Mac, so scrolling, typing, and dragging stay smooth, and three quality settings let you trade sharpness for responsiveness. What you need Mirror requires the free companion app for macOS, available at mirror.echoeyecodes.com. It runs in the menu bar, walks you through the two permissions macOS asks for, and shows your pairing code. Both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. Requires macOS 14 or later and iOS 17 or later. Works on iPhone and iPad.

About

Desktop Mirroring

Access and control your Mac's screen from your iPhone or iPad. Ideal for when your computer is out of reach, this app provides a live, readable view and allows you to interact with your Mac over Wi-Fi or iCloud.

Highlights
  • Live Mac screen mirroring
  • Remote control via Wi-Fi
  • iCloud remote viewing
  • Selectable display mirroring
  • Private data transfer
  • Works with all Macs
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

Mirror4 screens
Desktop Mirroring3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mirror at none against Desktop Mirroring's 2. Desktop Mirroring's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Desktop Mirroring sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Mirror asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Mirror versus Desktop Mirroring: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMirrorDesktop Mirroring
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOluwafemi Obajuluwa晶 王

In-app purchases

None

Mirror

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Desktop Mirroring

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

Questions

Is Mirror free?
Mirror is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Desktop Mirroring free?
Desktop Mirroring is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mirror or Desktop Mirroring have ads?
Neither Mirror nor Desktop Mirroring shows ads.

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