Best apps to control your Mac from iPhone

• Free trackpad and keyboard: Maccess Free (with Mac gestures such as Mission Control), or Remote Mouse (free with ads). • Full remote desktop at no cost for personal use: TeamViewer, or RealVNC Connect Lite for non-commercial use. • Remote desktop for a one-time price: Jump Desktop ($14.99). • Using the Mac's built-in Screen Sharing: Screens 5 or Jump Desktop. • Trackpad, touchable live screen, files, and an AI agent in one app: Maccess Pro.

Free over Wi-Fi: a trackpad with real Mac gestures (two-finger scroll, three-finger Mission Control and Spaces), a keyboard, media, and power controls. Pro adds a touchable live screen, Online Access from anywhere, Send to Mac and Mac Finder, multiple Macs, Mackie voice, and Mackie running Claude Code or Codex on the Mac; Maccess AI chat is included free. Needs free Maccess Helper on the Mac. We make Maccess. App Store listing.

A long-running pointer and keyboard remote with media, app, and power panels, clipboard sync, and a gyro mouse. It does not show the Mac screen and works only on the same Wi-Fi or over Bluetooth. Needs the free Remote Mouse app on the Mac. App Store listing.

A paid pointer and keyboard remote whose controls adapt to the app in use, with file browsing on the Mac and an Apple Watch app. It does not show the Mac screen. Needs the free Mobile Mouse Server on the Mac. App Store listing.

A one-time purchase remote desktop with its own Fluid protocol (with audio), a virtual display sized to the phone, and support for up to 120 fps on ProMotion iPhones. Uses the free Jump Desktop Connect app on the Mac, or macOS Screen Sharing over VNC. App Store listing.

A polished VNC client that connects to the Mac's built-in Screen Sharing, with file transfer, multiple displays, and curtain mode. VNC does not carry the Mac's sound. Free Screens Connect adds access from outside your network. App Store listing.

A cross-platform remote access service, free for personal use, with two-way file transfer, multiple monitors, sound, and Wake-on-LAN. Needs TeamViewer or TeamViewer QuickSupport on the Mac. App Store listing.

Free remote desktop on your own network for non-commercial use on up to two computers, with audio and video streaming. Reaching the Mac from outside the home network needs the Anywhere Access Pack. Needs the free Splashtop Streamer on the Mac. App Store listing.

A free VNC viewer. RealVNC Connect's Lite plan is free for non-commercial use with one user and three devices; features such as file transfer and audio vary by plan. App Store listing.

A newer remote desktop aimed at checking on AI agents running on a Mac mini, with voice dictation and a privacy curtain. Requires iOS 26 or later on iPhone and macOS 15 or later with the Workbench Mac app. App Store listing.

Google's remote desktop no longer has an App Store app; Google directs iPhone users to remotedesktop.google.com/access in Safari. Needs the Chrome Remote Desktop host on the Mac and a Google account.

Apple doesn't make a general-purpose app for controlling a Mac from an iPhone. The Mac's built-in Screen Sharing (System Settings > General > Sharing) works with VNC viewer apps such as Screens 5, which is how several apps above connect. iPhone Mirroring works in the opposite direction, letting a Mac control an iPhone, and Universal Control shares a Mac's keyboard and pointer with nearby Macs and iPads.

It depends on what you need. For pointer and keyboard control, Maccess Free and Remote Mouse (with ads) cost nothing. For a full remote desktop, TeamViewer is free for personal use and RealVNC Connect Lite is free for non-commercial use.

No. Every option needs something on the Mac: a companion app such as Maccess Helper, or macOS's built-in Screen Sharing turned on for a VNC app.

Not a general-purpose one. iPhone Mirroring works the other way, letting a Mac control an iPhone. Universal Control links a Mac with nearby Macs and iPads. Keynote Remote controls only presentations, and Switch Control's Use Other Device is an accessibility feature.

We make Maccess, so weigh our description of it accordingly. Facts about other apps come from their US App Store listings and official websites, checked on September 23, 2026. Prices and plans change, so check each listing before you buy. Ratings are left out because they change daily. To try Maccess, start with the free iPhone trackpad for Mac or read how to control your Mac from iPhone.