Comparison

PC Remote vs Virtual Gamepad

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

Head to head
About

PC Remote

Control your PC remotely from your smartphone. Enjoy enhanced gaming, stream your screen and camera, and use your phone as a wireless mouse and keyboard. Securely access your computer from anywhere for work or play.

Highlights
  • Enhanced PC gaming controls
  • Real-time screen and camera sharing
  • Use phone as virtual webcam
  • Wireless mouse and keyboard control
  • Multi-display support
  • Effortless file transfer
  • Secure remote connections
Features
Read full description

Monect PC Remote — your PC, in your pocket. Turn your iPhone or iPad into a wireless mouse, keyboard, gamepad, and remote desktop for your Windows PC. Control your computer from the same Wi-Fi or from anywhere over the internet — for work, gaming, and everything in between. REMOTE DESKTOP • See and control your PC screen in real time with low-latency H.264 or AV1 video and Opus audio. • Use the screen as a precision touchpad with natural gestures, plus a full mouse, keyboard, scroll, and volume controls. • Switch between monitors and add or remove virtual displays. • Type in any language with 16 desktop keyboard layouts, function and media keys, emoji, and Unicode text. Paste from the iOS clipboard and use hardware-keyboard shortcuts. • Stream in up to 4K with Premium. GAMING • Play PC games anywhere with on-screen layouts tailored to each title: buttons, joysticks, D-pads, sliders, touchpads, background touchpad, motion sensors, macros, and scripts. • Multi-page layouts, custom widgets, and a complete built-in editor. • Supports Xbox 360, DirectInput, and DSU motion controllers, with rumble feedback on your phone. • Browse, install, and publish community layouts in the Layout Store. • Sync layouts with your Monect account, or import .mlo and .mwl packages from other apps. • Launch console games and ROMs stored on your PC from the Games tab. MONI AI ASSISTANT • Ask Moni anything about your PC, or let it look at your screen and help with what's on it. • Create and edit images, attach photos, and talk to Moni with your voice. • Answers appear as they're generated, with a live 3D avatar. Moni runs on your PC and requires Monect AI in PC Remote Receiver. UTILITIES • Virtual Camera: use your iPhone or iPad camera as a high-quality webcam on your PC for calls, meetings, and streaming. Custom names and HD/4K output are available with Premium. • Screen Projector: share your iPhone or iPad screen with your PC, including app audio and your microphone. • Camera: view and control the cameras connected to your PC. • File Explorer: browse your device and PC, and transfer files in either direction. • PC Task Manager: check CPU, memory, disk, GPU, and network usage, inspect processes, and end unresponsive apps on supported PCs. SECURITY AND CONNECTION • Encrypted sessions, password-protected PCs, and sign-in tokens stored securely in the Keychain. • PCs on your local network are discovered automatically. Sign in to reach hosts linked to your Monect account from anywhere. FREE WITH OPTIONAL PREMIUM Monect PC Remote is free to download and supported by ads. Free accounts can transfer files up to 10 MB and connect up to 3 hosts. Premium removes ads and unlocks 4K remote desktop streaming, unlimited file transfer size, up to 10 hosts, unlimited game import size, custom virtual camera names with HD/4K output, and custom touchpad themes. Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled, and purchases can be restored at any time. GET STARTED 1. Download the free PC Remote Receiver from monect.com and install it on your Windows PC. 2. Open Monect PC Remote. Your PC appears automatically on the same Wi-Fi, or sign in to see your linked hosts. 3. Connect and enter your PC password if required. Requires a Windows PC running PC Remote Receiver. Some features depend on your receiver version and PC hardware. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.monect.com/privacy-policy

About

Virtual Gamepad

Control cloud games on your Samsung Smart TV directly from your iPhone. Connect seamlessly through the SmartThings app and Gaming Hub by scanning a QR code. Enjoy a gamepad-free experience for supported titles.

Highlights
  • Gamepad-free cloud gaming
  • Connects to Samsung Smart TV
  • Uses SmartThings mobile app
  • QR code connection via Gaming Hub
  • iPhone compatibility (iOS 15+)
Read full description

With the Samsung Virtual Gamepad app, enjoy gamepad-free cloud games on your mobile by simply connecting to your Samsung Smart TV. 1. Easy to use in the SmartThings mobile app Try using Virtual Gamepad with the SmartThings TV plug-in. 2. Simply connect to Gaming Hub on your Samsung Smart TV To connect your Virtual Gamepad, just scan the QR code in Gaming Hub. (Availability and supported devices may differ by country.) ※ The Virtual Gamepad is available on iPhone (iOS 15 or later). ※ Availability may vary across cloud games and countries.

Screenshots

PC Remote4 screens
Virtual Gamepad3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PC Remote at 3.2 against Virtual Gamepad's 2.4. PC Remote also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 16%) and ratings volume (304 vs 24). Virtual Gamepad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. PC Remote sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Virtual Gamepad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PC Remote holds the better App Store score, 3.2 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PC Remote has 304 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of PC Remote's written reviews are positive against 16% of Virtual Gamepad's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PC Remote versus Virtual Gamepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPC RemoteVirtual Gamepad
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (304 ratings) — better2.4 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews32.7% of reviews — better15.8% of reviews
Number of ratings304 — better24
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB30 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMonect (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

PC Remote

All ratings305 ratings
Positive52.8%
Neutral8.5%
Negative38.7%
Written reviews501 reviews
Positive32.7%
Neutral13.4%
Negative53.9%

Virtual Gamepad

All ratings24 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative62.5%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive15.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative78.9%

Bugs and requests

PC Remote

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • QR code scanner not working
  • Remote desktop not functioning
  • Buttons getting stuck
  • Crashes on certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Custom layout editor
  • Improved gamepad support
  • Ability to control volume and system functions
  • Bluetooth/USB connection option

Virtual Gamepad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

PC Remote

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Access – Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium Access – 3 Months3 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Premium Access – 6 Months3 Days trial$8.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • Premium Access – Yearly3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time4
  • VIP for 3 month$7.99
  • VIP for 6 month$12.99
  • VIP for 1 year$19.99
Show 1 more
  • VIP Services$59.99
None

Virtual Gamepad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PC Remote free?
PC Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Virtual Gamepad free?
Virtual Gamepad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PC Remote or Virtual Gamepad?
PC Remote is rated higher. PC Remote averages 3.2 out of 5 from 304 ratings, while Virtual Gamepad averages 2.4 from 24 ratings.
Do PC Remote or Virtual Gamepad have ads?
PC Remote shows ads; Virtual Gamepad does not.

Other comparisons