Duet Display vs Link to Windows
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Extra display for Mac & PC
- Lag-free performance
- Touch and gesture support
- Apple Pencil integration
- Professional drawing tools
- Portable productivity
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#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
Link to Windows
Seamlessly integrate your iPhone with your Windows PC. Access calls, messages, notifications, and contacts directly from your computer. Easily share files between devices for enhanced productivity.
- Make and receive calls
- Manage phone notifications
- Read and reply to text messages
- View phone contacts
- Share files between phone and PC
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You love your phone. So does your PC. Get instant access to everything you love on your phone, right from your PC. To get started, connect your iPhone with the Phone Link Feature on your Windows PC. Enjoy these Phone Link features on your PC: • Make and receive calls • Manage your phone's notifications • Read and reply to text messages • View your phone contacts • Share files between your phone and PC Phone Link for iOS requires iPhone running iOS 16 or higher, and a PC with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support running Windows 10 (with the May 2019 Update or later) or Windows 11. Not available for iPad (iPadOS) or MacOS. By installing this app, you agree to the Microsoft Terms of Use https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=246338 and Privacy Statement https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=248686
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Link to Windows at none against Duet Display's 6. Link to Windows also leads on ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). Duet Display's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and device support (4 vs 1). On price, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Duet Display sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Link to Windows asks for nothing beyond the download.
Duet Display holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 49K and 16K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 45% of Duet Display's written reviews are positive against 56% of Link to Windows's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, Link to Windows fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.
| Parameter | Duet Display | Link to Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (49K ratings) — better | 4.0 (16K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 45.5% of reviews | 56.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 49K — better | 16K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #13 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 57 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Duet, Inc. | Microsoft Corporation |
Customer experience
Duet Display
Link to Windows
User reviews
Duet Display
From 49K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Link to Windows
From 16K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient text messaging from PC
- 📱 Ability to see phone notifications on PC
- 🔋 Battery level display on PC
- 👍 Helpful for productivity
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent Bluetooth connectivity
- 🔀 Unreliable message syncing between devices
- 🚫 Lack of group messaging support
- 📷 Inability to send/receive media
- 🔇 Poor call quality
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
Link to Windows
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes and freezes
- Bluetooth interference with other devices
- Inability to reconnect after device is out of range
Requested features
4 requests- Seamless call handling between phone and PC
- Full message history sync
- Support for media sharing
- Group messaging functionality
In-app purchases
Duet Display
- Duet Starter (Monthly)$3.991 Month
- Duet Air (Monthly)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Duet Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
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- Duet Starter (Annual)$39.991 Year
- Duet Air (Annual)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Duet Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
Link to Windows
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Duet Display free?
Is Link to Windows free?
Which has better reviews, Duet Display or Link to Windows?
Do Duet Display or Link to Windows have ads?
Which is updated more often, Duet Display or Link to Windows?
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