Comparison

Duet Display vs Yam Pad

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

Head to head
About

Duet Display

Transform your iPad or iPhone into an advanced, lag-free extra display for your Mac or PC. Interact with your computer using touch and gestures, and unlock professional drawing capabilities with Apple Pencil support.

Highlights
  • Extra display for Mac & PC
  • Lag-free performance
  • Touch and gesture support
  • Apple Pencil integration
  • Professional drawing tools
  • Portable productivity
Read full description

#1 best-selling iPad app in US, Japan, UK, Germany, and 17 other countries! Duet turns your iPad or iPhone into the most advanced extra display for your Mac & PC. Developed by a team of ex-Apple engineers, Duet offers unparalleled performance and display quality - all with zero lag. — DO MORE — Be twice as productive by multitasking with two screens. And for those that travel, have a portable way to stay productive. — INCREDIBLY SIMPLE — To get started, plug your iPad into your desktop using your charging cable. The free Duet desktop app will automatically detect your device, and transform it into a high performance touchscreen display. There’s no need to worry about unreliable Wi-Fi, laggy performance, pixelated screens or managing network passwords. — TOUCHSCREEN — Interact with Mac & PC like never before, with touch & gestures, including two-finger scrolling, pan and zoom. And with our latest release, you can even add a touch bar to any iPad with any Mac. — PERFECT FOR APPLE PENCIL — With Duet Pro, you can turn your iPad and Apple Pencil into a professional graphics tablet. We’ve re-engineered our rendering algorithms for ultra-responsive drawing, optimized specifically for designers, illustrators and artists. Duet Pro also unlocks pressure & tilt sensitivity, hover, palm rejection, and more to seamlessly draw in the most powerful programs for professionals. Get precise control in Photoshop, Corel Painter, Lightroom, ToonBoom, Illustrator, Manga Studio and more.  — PRESS — TechCrunch - "Feels Like Magic" TIME - "Getting Work Done Faster and More Efficiently" The Guardian - "Lag-free" Forbes - "The simple thing to note is this...Duet Display works." The Verge - "Glorious Fluidity" Lifehacker - "It's fast, easy to use, and works great" Business Insider - "Zero lag and true retina resolution” Wall Street Journal - “It’s as easy as just plugging it in" — REVIEWS — “Awesome! My iPad Pro can be an extra monitor! Cool app” ~CEO of T-Mobile, John Legere “Very smooth and responsive indeed, plus you could use the touch screen to “click” on screen interfaces!” ~Photographer, Lok Cheung “Love the ability to use my iPad as a monitor with Duet.” ~Former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Guy Kawasaki “Just started using this app called Duet… Kinda love it so far.” ~Comedian and Youtube, Phillip DeFranco “All my mac folks look at the Duet app… GREAT!” ~Actor and Comedian, Sinbad  "I really like the app, I suppose the biggest compliment I can give is that it's so easy to setup it almost seems like an Apple product.” ~Early Adopter, M. Nightingale "Amazing solution for me by the way. Works as I was hoping for and actually my main reason for getting an iPad : )” ~Early Adopter, M. Gemzoe Duet Works With: All iPhones and iPads with iOS 7.0 and later All Macs with 10.9 (Mavericks) and later All PCs with Windows 7 and later Duet Pro Works With: All iPad Pros with Apple Pencil All Macs with 10.9 (Mavericks) and later All PCs with Windows 8.1 and later (64 bit) Duet Pro is an optional upgrade for additional features, and price may vary by location. Duet Pro subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once activated. Manage Duet Pro in Account Settings after the optional upgrade. Learn more at http://www.duetdisplay.com Terms: https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/duet-terms-and-conditions Privacy Policy: https://www.duetdisplay.com/help-center/duet-privacy-policy

About

Yam Pad

Transform your iPad into a powerful drawing tablet for your Mac. Utilize Apple Pencil pressure, tilt, and hover for precise control in creative applications. Enjoy seamless USB connectivity and intuitive multi-touch gestures for a fluid workflow.

Highlights
  • Apple Pencil pressure, tilt, and hover support
  • Multi-touch gestures for pan, zoom, undo/redo
  • Fast and secure USB connectivity
  • Compatibility with major Mac creative apps
  • Keyboard and Touch Bar simulation
  • Support for Apple Pencil and Wacom Stylus
Features
Read full description

Yam Pad turns your iPad into a Drawing Table for Mac via USB. Supports Apple Pencil pressure & tilt and hover for various Mac apps for drawing. Control the canvas with multi-touch gestures, including pan and zoom, undo & redo. Fast and simple USB connection will let you focus on your creative work. Key Features: - Apple Pencil Pressure & Tilt and Hover - Touch Gestures: Zoom/Pan/Undo/Redo - Fast and secure USB connectivity - Cristal clear resolution - Keyboard support - Touch Bar simulation Mac Apps compatible: - Photoshop - Affinity Photo - Illustrator - SketchBook - Corel Painter - Lightroom - Toon Boom Harmony - MediBang Paint - Clip Studio Paint - ZBrush - MarginNote 3 - and more... (let us know your favorites) Stylus supported: - Apple Pencil (for iPads that support Apple Pencil) - Wacom Stylus (for iPads that do not support Apple Pencil) System Requirements: - iPads with iPadOS 9.1 or later: * iPad (5th generation or later) * iPad Air (all generations) * iPad Pro (all generations) * iPad mini (2nd generation or later) - Macs with macOS 10.9 or later Download the free host app for Mac: yamdisplay.com/yampad Support: help@yamdisplay.com

Screenshots

Duet Display3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Duet Display at Free against Yam Pad's $4.99. Duet Display also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). Yam Pad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown).

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

Duet Display is free to download; Yam Pad costs $4.99 up front. Duet Display sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Yam Pad asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Duet Display holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duet Display has 49K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Duet Display's written reviews are positive against 57% of Yam Pad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, Yam Pad every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 0 level
Duet Display versus Yam Pad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuet DisplayYam Pad
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.4 (49K ratings) — better3.9 (19 ratings)
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews57.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49K — better19
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPad
Requires iOS13.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size59 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuet, Inc.Yamstu Inc.

Customer experience

Duet Display

All ratings48,776 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews2,386 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral6.7%
Negative47.9%

Yam Pad

All ratings19 ratings
Positive73.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.3%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative39.3%

Bugs and requests

Duet Display

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with certain software and drivers
  • Laggy performance and input delays
  • Unreliable connection and frequent disconnects

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved resolution and scaling options
  • Better support for older devices and Windows
  • More customization and control over settings
  • Wireless connectivity without subscription

Yam Pad

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Duet Display

Subscriptions6
  • Duet Starter (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • Duet Air (Monthly)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Duet Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Duet Starter (Annual)$39.991 Year
  • Duet Air (Annual)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Duet Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
None

Yam Pad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Duet Display free?
Duet Display is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Yam Pad free?
Yam Pad costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Duet Display or Yam Pad?
Duet Display is rated higher. Duet Display averages 4.4 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while Yam Pad averages 3.9 from 19 ratings.
Do Duet Display or Yam Pad have ads?
Duet Display shows ads; Yam Pad does not.
Which is updated more often, Duet Display or Yam Pad?
Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, and Yam Pad every 5 months. Most recently, Duet Display was updated on November 6, 2026 and Yam Pad on November 2, 2026.

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