Comparison

Duet Display vs Shadow PC

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

Shadow PC

Access your powerful Windows 10 PC from any device, anywhere. Stream your high-end computer with all its software and connect your peripherals. Enjoy a full PC experience on your mobile, tablet, or TV.

Highlights
  • Access full Windows 10 PC
  • Use on any device
  • Low bandwidth support
  • Connect peripherals
  • Automatic resolution scaling
Features
Read full description

Access your Shadow PC with all your PC software from any device at any time. The power of a high-end PC at your fingertips. Transform any iOS / iPadOS / tvOS device into a fully-featured Windows 10 PC with Shadow and use it at any time, whether you’re at home or on the go. Here’s what you’ll love about Shadow: • Get access to a full high-end Windows 10 PC from any device • Access it anywhere with our low bandwidth support • Connect all your peripherals (Mouse, keyboard, controller, display...) • Shadow supports native resolutions and scales to your device automatically. For more information about Shadow visit shadow.tech

Screenshots

Duet Display3 screens
Shadow PC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Duet Display at 4.4 against Shadow PC's 3.7. Duet Display also leads on ratings volume (49K vs 1.9K) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Shadow PC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Duet Display sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Shadow PC asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Duet Display holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duet Display has 49K ratings behind it against 1.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 46% and 45% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, Shadow PC every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Duet Display versus Shadow PC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuet DisplayShadow PC
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (49K ratings) — better3.7 (1.9K ratings)
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews — better45.1% of reviews
Number of ratings49K — better1.9K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB48 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDuet, Inc.Blade SAS

Customer experience

Duet Display

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

Shadow PC

All ratings1,917 ratings
Positive65.7%
Neutral6.5%
Negative27.9%
Written reviews426 reviews
Positive45.1%
Neutral12.4%
Negative42.5%

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

Shadow PC

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great for gaming and productivity
  • 🚀 Powerful cloud PC experience
  • 👍 Convenient mobile access
  • 👍 Smooth streaming quality
  • 💡 Allows full PC experience on mobile

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues and crashes
  • 🐛 Buggy and unreliable performance
  • 🔋 High data consumption
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 👎 Lack of mouse/keyboard support

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

Shadow PC

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and session expiration problems
  • Compatibility problems with certain devices
  • Frequent disconnections and unstable connections
  • Resolution and scaling issues on mobile devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add custom layout options for virtual controller
  • Improve mouse and keyboard support
  • Implement better microphone and camera integration
  • Add scrolling gestures for touch controls
  • Provide more storage options

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

Shadow PC

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Duet Display free?
Duet Display is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow PC free?
Shadow PC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Duet Display or Shadow PC?
Duet Display is rated higher. Duet Display averages 4.4 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while Shadow PC averages 3.7 from 1.9K ratings.
Do Duet Display or Shadow PC have ads?
Duet Display shows ads; Shadow PC does not.
Which is updated more often, Duet Display or Shadow PC?
Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shadow PC every 6 weeks. Most recently, Duet Display was updated on September 24, 2026 and Shadow PC on September 23, 2026.

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