Comparison

Duet Display vs Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

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

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

Transform your iPad into a professional wireless drawing tablet for demanding creative work. Enjoy customizable workspaces, gesture shortcuts, and high-speed connectivity for efficient digital art creation on Mac and PC.

Highlights
  • Wireless or USB connectivity
  • Customizable gesture shortcuts
  • Keyboard support
  • Pressure curve customization
  • Second display functionality
  • Optimized for Apple Pencil
Read full description

Go beyond a drawing tablet with Astropad Studio. Start a free 14-day trial today! Astropad Studio is the ultimate wireless drawing tablet, designed for the most demanding creative work. With complete workspace customization, Studio allows artists to work faster and more efficiently, with the freedom to work in the studio, at home, or on-the-go. Built for creative professionals with features like: · Wifi or USB connectivity · Built in 2nd display · Crystal clear & ultra-fast · Gesture shortcut customization · Keyboard support · Customizable pressure curves · Magic Gestures: Create your own gesture shortcuts with touch-Pencil combinations · Shortcut Sets: Sidebar shortcuts automatically adapt to match whatever Mac app you’re working in · Unlimited upgrades · Works on Mac and PC $14.99 monthly or $79.99 annually ___ STREAMLINED PRODUCTIVITY · Pinch to Zoom: Pinch to zoom and pan in Mac or PC Apps · Liquid Extreme: Up to 5x faster than baseline Liquid · Wifi & USB: Use your iPad as a drawing tablet plugged in or wirelessly · Keyboard Support: Access our built-in keyboard or use your own Bluetooth keyboard · Velocity Control: Analyzes network conditions dozens of times per second to balance image quality and latency COMPLETE CUSTOMIZATION · Magic Gestures: Create your own gesture shortcuts with touch-Pencil combinations · Shortcut Sets: Sidebar shortcuts automatically adapt to match whatever Mac app you’re working in BUILT FOR CREATIVES · Apple Pencil Optimized: Designed exclusively for the precision of Apple Pencil · Color Corrected: True to your source material with color corrected output and retina resolution ___ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS · Mac: OS X 10.14 or later · PC: Windows 10 64-bit, build 1809 or later · iPad iOS 13.1 or later: iPad Mini 4 (2015+), iPad Air (2014+), iPad Pro (2016+), iPad 5th generation (2017+) · Optimized for iPad Pro and Apple Pencil SUBSCRIPTION TERMS · $14.99 monthly or $79.99 annually · Price may vary by location. ___ Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card using your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. ___ MORE RESOURCES Download the free desktop companion app: astropad.com/downloads FAQ: astropad.com/faq Support: support@astropad.com Twitter: @astropad Instagram: @astropadco Facebook: facebook.com/astropadco ___ Privacy Policy: http://astropad.com/studio/privacy.html Terms of Use: http://astropad.com/studio/terms.html

Screenshots

Duet Display3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Duet Display at free with in-app purchases against Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet's subscription. Duet Display also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (49K vs 3.7K). Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases 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. Duet Display sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duet Display has 49K ratings behind it against 3.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 46% and 46% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Duet Display versus Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuet DisplayAstropad Studio Drawing Tablet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (49K ratings)4.7 (3.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews46.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49K — better3.7K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better12.1
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuet, Inc.Astro HQ

Customer experience

Duet Display

All ratings48,585 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews2,376 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral6.7%
Negative47.8%

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

All ratings3,643 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews606 reviews
Positive46.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative46.4%

User reviews

Duet Display

From 49K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works seamlessly as a second screen
  • 👍 Useful for productivity and multitasking
  • 🎨 Great for artists and designers
  • 💻 Extends desktop to iPad
  • ⭐ Excellent customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and crashes
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Subscription model for full functionality
  • 🔍 Confusing setup process
  • 💸 Expensive for the features provided

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

From 3.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works great
  • 🚀 Fantastic drawing experience
  • 🚀 Seamless integration with desktop apps
  • 👍 Customizable shortcuts and gestures
  • 👍 Pressure sensitivity and cursor preview

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Crashes and connection issues
  • 🐛 Laggy performance, especially over Wi-Fi
  • 💡 Lacks dual-screen functionality

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

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes and disconnects
  • Compatibility issues with certain apps
  • Unresponsive or glitchy input

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to use iPad as a secondary display
  • More affordable one-time purchase option
  • Improved stability and performance

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
3 purchases

Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet

Subscriptions3
  • Subscription14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Subscription14 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Astropad Studio Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Duet Display free?
Duet Display is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet free?
Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duet Display or Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet?
Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet is rated higher. Duet Display averages 4.4 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet averages 4.7 from 3.7K ratings.
Do Duet Display or Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet have ads?
Duet Display shows ads; Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet does not.
Which is updated more often, Duet Display or Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet?
Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, and Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet every 3 months. Most recently, Duet Display was updated on September 24, 2026 and Astropad Studio Drawing Tablet on September 22, 2026.

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