Comparison

Duet Display vs Link to Windows

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

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.

Highlights
  • Make and receive calls
  • Manage phone notifications
  • Read and reply to text messages
  • View phone contacts
  • Share files between phone and PC
Read full description

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

Duet Display3 screens
Link to Windows4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, Link to Windows fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Duet Display versus Link to Windows: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuet DisplayLink to Windows
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (49K ratings) — better4.0 (16K ratings)
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews56.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49K — better16K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#13 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuet, Inc.Microsoft Corporation

Customer experience

Duet Display

All ratings48,726 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.7%
Written reviews2,383 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral6.7%
Negative47.8%

Link to Windows

All ratings16,293 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative18.0%
Written reviews4,580 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral14.1%
Negative29.9%

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

Link to Windows

From 16K App Store ratings

What 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

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

Link to Windows

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Duet Display free?
Duet Display is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Link to Windows free?
Link to Windows is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Duet Display or Link to Windows?
Duet Display is rated higher. Duet Display averages 4.4 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while Link to Windows averages 4.0 from 16K ratings.
Do Duet Display or Link to Windows have ads?
Duet Display shows ads; Link to Windows does not.
Which is updated more often, Duet Display or Link to Windows?
Duet Display ships an update every 3 weeks, and Link to Windows fortnightly. Most recently, Duet Display was updated on October 18, 2026 and Link to Windows on October 18, 2026.

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