DualMac facts

Last updated: October 28, 2026

DualMac is a free VNC client for iPad and iPhone that connects to macOS Screen Sharing over your LAN, Tailscale or an SSH tunnel. No in-app purchases, no subscription, no account, no relay.

What DualMac is

• DualMac is a remote desktop app for iPad and iPhone that shows and controls a Mac.
• DualMac connects to macOS Screen Sharing, the remote desktop built into every Mac, with the standard VNC (RFB) protocol.
• Nothing has to be installed on the Mac: turning on Screen Sharing is enough.
• DualMac keeps a library of your Macs and opens any of them in one tap.
• DualMac works with touch, a pointer, hardware keyboards, trackpads and Apple Pencil, and forwards Mac keyboard shortcuts to the Mac.
• On a Mac with more than one display, DualMac switches between the displays or shows them all at once.
• The DualMac app is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Korean.

Who it is for

• DualMac is for people who want to see and control a Mac they own, or are authorized to control, from an iPad or an iPhone.
• DualMac suits a headless Mac mini, a studio Mac or a build machine that you check from your iPad.

Price

• DualMac is free on the App Store.
• DualMac has no in-app purchases and no subscription.
• DualMac needs no account: there is nothing to sign up for on the iPad, the iPhone or the Mac.
• DualMac shows no ads.
• DualMac Companion for Mac is free too.

Platforms and requirements

• DualMac runs on iPad with iPadOS 17.6 or later and on iPhone with iOS 17.6 or later.
• DualMac connects to a Mac with Screen Sharing turned on in System Settings → General → Sharing.
• DualMac controls Macs only: it does not connect to Windows, Linux or Raspberry Pi computers.
• DualMac has no Apple Vision Pro or Apple Watch app.

Network

• DualMac connects over your local network, over your own Tailscale tailnet, or through an SSH tunnel.
• To reach a Mac away from home, install Tailscale on the iPad or iPhone and on the Mac.
• DualMac has no relay server: the screen travels directly between your device and your Mac.
• DualMac never exposes VNC (port 5900) to the internet.
• DualMac Companion listens on port 59590, inside your tailnet only.

DualMac Companion for Mac

• DualMac Companion is an optional, free menu bar app for macOS 14 or later.
• Classic VNC works without the Companion.
• The Companion adds H.264 streaming, a shared clipboard, file transfer, waking the Mac and choosing which display to show.
• The Companion requires Tailscale on both devices and pairs with your device through a pairing code.
• The Companion accepts connections only from devices paired with it on your Tailscale tailnet.
• The Companion is a DMG signed with Developer ID and notarized by Apple, downloaded from dualmac.app/companion.
• The Companion updates itself with Sparkle and installs only signed updates from dualmac.app.
• The Companion has no analytics.

Data and privacy

• DualMac has no backend operated by Marius Labs and no user account.
• Screen, files and clipboard travel directly between your device and your Mac, never through Marius Labs.
• Passwords and pairing secrets are stored in the device Keychain.
• The iOS app sends anonymous usage statistics to RevenueCat and Amplitude, and anonymous crash and error reports to Firebase Crashlytics.
• These statistics and reports never include your Macs' names or addresses, screen content, files, clipboard or credentials.
• DualMac shows no ads and does not track you across apps or websites.
• The details are in the privacy policy.

Publisher

• DualMac and DualMac Companion are published by Marius Labs.
• Marius Labs is Jérémie Aouate, an independent developer.
• DualMac is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple or Tailscale.
• More about the app and its publisher: About DualMac.

Versions

• DualMac has been on the App Store since September 2026.
• As of October 28, 2026, the current App Store version of DualMac is 1.3.0.
• The current Companion version, its download and its SHA-256 checksum are on the Companion page.

Support

• DualMac support answers by email at [email protected], usually within 48 hours.
• Setup help and troubleshooting are on the support page.

Known limits

• DualMac shows and connects to one Mac at a time.
• DualMac does not stream the Mac's audio.
• DualMac has no ready-made cloud relay: away from home, it needs Tailscale or an SSH tunnel to reach the Mac.
• The Companion's features need Tailscale on both devices.