Best Second Screen IPad App
Using iPad as a second screen is a great way to increase your productivity by adding a little extra screen real estate. Our favorite way to do this on iOS is Duet Display because it’s lag-free, easy to set up, and has a good array of customization options.
Duo Display
Platform : iOS / Mac, iOS / Windows Price : $ 15.99 iOS / Desktop Download Page
Functions
- Lag-free, wired connection without the need (or support) of Wi-Fi
- Works on iPad and iPhone
- 30 or 60 fps options
- Secondary Retina display
- Secondary high-resolution display
- Sensory support
- Cross platform support
- Mirror and Desktop Expansion Options
Where is it best
The main strength of Duet Display is its speed and accessibility. After installing the iOS and desktop apps, all you have to do is connect your iPad to your computer and you can start using your iPad as a second display right away. When you do this, you will have almost no lag with the default settings. This includes 60 frames per second, as well as an energy efficient screen resolution (no Retina). If you want a cleaner look, you can enlarge the display on your iOS device to Retina resolution, but we experienced a slight lag when we did this with the old 3rd generation iPad and the new MacBook Air. In addition, you can also choose between high performance levels or energy efficiency to further customize the application as a second screen. The variety of display options means you can keep Duet Display running smoothly regardless of your iOS device model or computer hardware.
Where it fails
While Duet Display does a great job of converting your iPad to a second display, it’s not perfect. Even on newer Macs and iPads, increasing the display resolution to Retina can cause noticeable lag in some Mac / iPad combinations. Duet Display also works best with more powerful Macs, but if your Mac can run Mavericks (which is also necessary), it should be able to handle the default Duet Display settings.
Since the display on iPad is so small, when you drag windows onto it, you may have to resize a little, which can be a little awkward. Luckily, if you’re using an app like the Better Touch Tool, you can instantly snap windows to the size you want.
Competition
Air Display 3 ($ 14.99) is without a doubt Duet Display’s biggest competitor. Air Display works in a similar way to Duet Display, but can also work over Wi-Fi in addition to a wired connection. Sounds convenient, but you usually won’t need it on a second display. The Wi-Fi connection is also terribly slow, so it’s practically unusable anyway. However, Air Display is compatible with older versions of OS X up to Lion, so it’s the best option if you’re using an older Mac. If you’re into graphics editing, Air Display 3 also works with pressure-sensitive stylus pens. In our tests, the Air Display was virtually unresponsive, but overall not as smooth as the Duet Display. Likewise, if history is an indicator, Air Display also tends to charge fees for major updates, which might annoy some users.
iDisplay ($ 9.99) is another Wi-Fi option that is slightly cheaper than Air Display but relatively straightforward in comparison. It only works over Wi-Fi, so the app is rather slow like a second screen. It also hasn’t seen an update since 2014, but it still works with newer versions of iOS and OS X. If you’re looking to save a few bucks, iDisplay will do the job and work great if you don’t mind the sizable amount. lagging behind.