Dataplicity vs piDisplay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dataplicity
Manage and support connected Linux devices remotely from your iOS device. Quickly find devices, check their live status, and take immediate support actions like acknowledging incidents or opening terminal access, all without needing a laptop.
- Search enrolled devices
- View live device status
- Monitor service endpoints and signals
- Acknowledge or escalate incidents
- Open terminal access
- Access docs and account settings
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Dataplicity helps teams support connected Linux devices after they ship, wherever the work happens. Use the Dataplicity iOS app to find the right device, check live status, and take the next support action without going back to a laptop. With Dataplicity you can: - Search enrolled devices by name or ID - See current device status at a glance - Review service endpoint, heartbeat, user impact, and device monitor signals - Acknowledge or escalate open incidents - Confirm fixes when work is complete - Open terminal access for a selected device when shell access is the fastest path - Reach docs, help, and account settings from the app Dataplicity is built for real support work: customer sites, production floors, field visits, and incident response. Start with the easy checks, understand what is happening, and keep the work moving from your iPhone or iPad. Dataplicity access requires an active Dataplicity account and enrolled devices.
piDisplay
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Control your official Raspberry Pi Foundation 7" touchscreen display backlight and brightness from any iOS device. Toggle power and activity LEDs if you want. Shell command utility to run commands on your pi from iOS. Optional SwiftServer (Swift on Linux) for blazing fast response - you can still use SSH if you want though. The server-side software (on the raspberry pi) has only been tested on Raspbian Stretch and pi 3B+ The installer for the pi server software will install Swift on your pi then build and install the server for you but you can modify and/or run it manually. The Apple Watch app will still work when the iPhone app is not in the foreground but only ssh communication works in background mode.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Dataplicity at every 3 weeks against piDisplay's every 3 months. piDisplay's advantage is iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Dataplicity ships an update every 3 weeks, piDisplay every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.
| Parameter | Dataplicity | piDisplay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (163 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 163 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 12.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MachineForest Ltd | Ian Jones |
Bugs and requests
Dataplicity
Reported bugs
8 issues- App crashes before any action can be taken
- App crashes when trying to add a system/device
- In-call status bar pushes terminal down, hiding part of the special function keyboard
- Third-party keyboards of different heights block the bottom half of the special function keyboard
- App does not auto-scroll or allow manual scrolling on screen
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- Cannot connect to Pi from auto-connect or command line
- Custom actions are not always working
- Unreachable devices remain unreachable, no way to delete them
Requested features
7 requests- Add a widget for one-click access to custom actions
- Add proper keyboard support with control, tab, escape keys
- Allow font size adjustment
- Improve terminal colors
- Allow landscape mode for the terminal
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- Add a dark mode option
- Improve bandwidth offerings on paid subscriptions
piDisplay
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Dataplicity
No in-app purchases
piDisplay
No in-app purchases







