Honest comparison
Four apps that turn a phone into a remote for your computer. They overlap, but they're built for different people. Every competitor fact below comes from that app's own website or App Store page, and where we couldn't confirm something, we left it out.
macOS 14+ · iOS/iPadOS 18+ · Free Mac app · No account
Control My Mac’s prices are from the US App Store and vary by region.
| Control My Mac | Remote Mouse | Mobile Mouse | Unified Remote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price model | Free Essentials plan. Full App $4.99/month, $39.99/year or $119.99 once, 7-day free trial. No ads. Mac app free. | See its store page for the current price. | See its store page for the current price. | See its store page for the current price. |
| Phone and tablet | iPhone and iPad (iOS/iPadOS 18+), and Android with Control My PC | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android | iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad (iOS/iPadOS 18+) and Android |
| Computers | Mac (macOS 14+) and Windows 10+ | Mac, Windows and Linux | Mac and Windows 10+ | Windows, Mac and Linux, plus Raspberry Pi and Arduino Yún |
| Connection | Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, direct and encrypted. Paired by QR code. No account. | Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Connect by IP address, QR code or connection history. | Wi-Fi. Bluetooth and USB on Mac via in-app purchase. | Local network with automatic server discovery. The getting-started guide also mentions Bluetooth pairing. |
| Notable features | A Grid of shortcut buttons for every Mac app, switching in automatically, with shortcuts learned from the Mac. Custom shortcut buttons, up to 12 in the trackpad's top row. Draft keyboard. Launcher and window switching. Every control reachable with one finger. | Media and browser remotes, clipboard sync, gyroscope mouse, app switcher, power controls. | Air mouse, presentation remote, media remote, programmable hotkeys, graphic tablet mode, Apple Watch trackpad. | 100+ built-in app remotes, custom remotes, Wake-on-LAN, file browsing, Siri and Shortcuts. |
Sources: Control My Mac (App Store); Remote Mouse website and App Store page; Mobile Mouse website and App Store page; Unified Remote website, getting-started guide and App Store page.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column. If you spot something out of date, email support@controlmymac.com and we'll fix it.
It spends its focus on a few things.
Give any Mac app its own Grid of shortcut buttons in one tap. It switches in by itself when that app comes forward, and one menu shows all your grids and the apps they're for. Record shortcuts straight from the Mac's keyboard instead of typing them in. More in the Stream Deck alternative guide.
Pointer, click, typing, shortcuts and even pairing work with one hand. Two-key shortcuts become single taps. See the one-handed guide.
The Draft keyboard lets you write and edit a whole message on the phone, then insert it on the Mac in one go. No racing a live cursor.
No account needed, no ads in any plan, and your app usage is never collected: the devices talk directly to each other, encrypted. The privacy policy is short and specific.
Straight answers, even when the answer isn't us.
Control My Mac controls Macs and Windows PCs, not Linux. Remote Mouse and Unified Remote cover Linux.
Unified Remote ships with 100+ remotes built for specific programs, and Remote Mouse and Mobile Mouse offer media remotes. Control My Mac gives you a general trackpad and keyboard, plus a Grid for each app that you fill with the shortcuts you use.
Mobile Mouse and Remote Mouse have Apple Watch apps. Control My Mac doesn't.
Unified Remote lists Wake-on-LAN and power controls, and Remote Mouse lists power options. We don't offer power controls.
Mobile Mouse and Unified Remote's full version are sold as one-time purchases; see their store pages for the current prices. Control My Mac's lifetime option is $119.99, or you can stay on the free Essentials plan.
Step-by-step setup, Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi, and using an iPad as a trackpad.
A Grid of Mac shortcut buttons that follows the app you're in.
What works from the couch, and what to know about range.
Keynote, PowerPoint and Google Slides from your phone.
The Mac app is free, and so is Essentials on iPhone and iPad. Try Full App free for 7 days before deciding.
macOS 14+ · Apple silicon · Intel Macs up to version 1.2.3 · No account