Sonar vs Virtual Stream Deck
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sonar
This app sends your location via loud Morse code and ultrasonic alarms in emergencies. It can also help you find your devices by sound in everyday situations.
- Morse code distress signal
- Ultrasonic alarm for K-9 units
- Location broadcasting
- Device finder by sound
- Emergency alerts
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Imagine yourself in the unfortunate situation where you are trapped under debris after an earthquake or a typhoon disaster or buried under meters of snow as a result of an avalanche. Your watch will most possibly be the only, within reach of access to press a button. Press it and your phone will be transmitting a loud Morse code, as an alarm, indicating your altitude or depth in case rescue is close looking out for you. Simultaneously, an ultrasonic alarm is activated so a K-9 rescue team can listen from bigger distance. As part of your everyday life, you can just use it to locate by sound your favorite device in home, office and outdoors!
Virtual Stream Deck
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Your iPhone or iPad becomes a wireless stream deck for your Mac: a full-screen grid of big, glowing buttons that switch OBS scenes, launch apps, fire keyboard shortcuts, run Apple Shortcuts, and more. Tap the phone — the Mac does it instantly, over your own Wi-Fi. PAY ONCE, OWN IT No subscription. No account. No cloud. Try it free with six buttons, and unlock everything with a single one-time purchase. BUILT FOR STREAMING • Native OBS Studio integration (OBS 28 or later) — no plugins to install • Switch scenes from your real scene list, start/stop streaming and recording, mute your mic • Live state on every button: the record button glows while you're recording, your current scene stays highlighted, your mic button shows its true mute state • Runs entirely on your local network — taps land in milliseconds CONTROL YOUR WHOLE MAC • Send any keyboard shortcut to any app • Launch apps, open files and websites • Run any Apple Shortcut — if Shortcuts can do it, your deck can too • System controls: volume, mute, play/pause, next/previous track • Multi-actions: chain steps with delays into one button • Shell scripts for power users FEELS LIKE HARDWARE • Pure black, edge-to-edge button grid with crisp haptics on every press • Pages you swipe between, folders that open sub-decks • Custom icons, colors, and labels for every button • Profiles that switch automatically when you change apps on the Mac • The screen stays awake while you're connected PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Pair once with a 6-digit code shown on your Mac — like pairing AirPods • Every connection is end-to-end encrypted, and nothing ever leaves your network • No account, no analytics, no data collection. Ever. GETTING STARTED On your Mac, download the free companion app, Virtual Stream Deck Hub, from our website. Open this app on your iPhone or iPad — your Mac appears automatically. Type the 6-digit code. That's it: you're paired for good. Design your layouts in the Mac editor — drag in actions, pick icons and colors — and watch every change appear on your device instantly. REQUIRES • iOS/iPadOS 18 or later • A Mac running macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later with the free Virtual Stream Deck Hub app • Both devices on the same network • OBS features require OBS Studio 28+ with its WebSocket server enabled
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sonar at none against Virtual Stream Deck's 1. Sonar also leads on iOS requirement (8.2 vs 18.0). Virtual Stream Deck's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Virtual Stream Deck sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sonar asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sonar ships an update every 6 months, Virtual Stream Deck every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sonar | Virtual Stream Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.2 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Konstantinos Vogiatzakis | Joshua Vucelich |
In-app purchases
Sonar
No in-app purchases
Virtual Stream Deck
- Virtual Stream Deck Pro$19.99









