Screens (by Edovia) gives you your entire Mac desktop on iOS over VNC — great when you genuinely need the whole machine. But most quick check-ins involve exactly one app, and a full 27-inch desktop on a 6-inch screen means pinching, panning, and hunting for the cursor.
Apperture streams the single window you pick, sized to your device like a native app, with touch and keyboard mapped to that app alone.
Side by side
| Apperture | Screens | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | One Mac app, full screen on your iPhone or iPad — no desktop, no panning | Your full Mac desktop — every window, menu bar, and dock |
| Interaction model | Taps and keys go straight to the streamed app; iOS keyboard, menu access, clipboard | Virtual cursor/trackpad over the whole desktop |
| Cloud relay | None, by design — peer-to-peer on your private network, encrypted per session | Optional connection assistance through vendor infrastructure for remote access |
| Remote access | Private networks only — local Wi-Fi or your own VPN (Tailscale recommended) | Built-in remote access options |
| Pricing | Free Mac host; first 15 connections free with full functionality, then a Pro unlock inside the iOS app (launch offer: one-time lifetime) | Paid app / subscription |
| Best for | Focused use of one app: Xcode, Simulator, a terminal, one Mac-only tool | Full machine administration and general-purpose remote control |
Bottom line
If you regularly administer your whole Mac remotely, Screens is excellent and you may want both. If what you actually do is check one app — a build, an agent, a render — Apperture makes that one app feel native on your phone instead of shrinking your desk onto it.