Turn your old iPad
into a second display for Mac.

Free: USB with no time limit, Wi-Fi for 1 hour a day, 1 iPad, standard quality — and browser mode is free too. Pro (one-time purchase, price announced at launch): unlimited Wi-Fi, up to 4 iPads showing the same second screen (mirrored), HD quality. Both are true extended displays — no watermark, no time limit over USB; the only differences are quality, wireless time and the number of iPads. Technically, Free creates the virtual display at 1x (1024 × 768) and Pro at 2x Retina (1536 × 1152 on the wire), 2.25× the pixels, so text and code are visibly sharper. The codec is the same hardware H.264 in both. Multiple iPads as separate screens and touch input are in development.

No. Pro is a one-time purchase: you keep the version you buy forever, with 2 years of free updates — new features and compatibility fixes included. After that, upgrading to new versions is an optional paid upgrade; if you don't upgrade, you keep using the version you own. Free stays free, and the iPad client is free. Price announced at launch.

Once Pro is on sale: it's a personal license — you can use one license key on up to 3 of your own Macs, and the iPad client is free on any number of iPads. To switch computers, remove the old Mac under “Manage license › Bound Macs” on any of your Macs (available when Pro goes on sale; it works like the iCloud device list on iPhone, so a lost or broken Mac can be removed too), then enter the same key on the new Mac. The license is for your own use only and can't be transferred. The key is emailed to you after purchase; if you lose it, recover it by email on the website's License page, where you can also manage your bound Macs (available when Pro goes on sale). See the Terms.

Sidecar supports all iPad Pro models plus the iPad 6th gen, mini 5, Air 3 and later, and needs a compatible Mac listed by Apple, the same Apple ID and two-factor authentication; it also works over USB. Sidelo supports iPads from the iPad mini 2 on — including the iPad mini 2, mini 3, Air, Air 2, mini 4 and iPad 5th gen that Sidecar doesn't — and needs no shared Apple ID. If Sidecar works for you, use it; for the iPads it leaves behind, there's Sidelo.

The Mac creates an independent virtual display (not mirroring, not browser casting), captures it with ScreenCaptureKit and encodes it with VideoToolbox hardware H.264 at up to 30 fps and 8 Mbps; the iPad decodes in hardware. USB goes through a usbmuxd tunnel, Wi-Fi over LAN TCP; Choose USB or Wi-Fi from the device list; reconnect when changing connection methods. When the network is congested the Mac pauses encoding instead of queueing frames in the router, then sends the latest picture as soon as it clears, so the picture is always current and never lags further and further behind. Made for documents, code, chat and reference material — not video or games. Over Wi-Fi, performance depends on your router; 5 GHz is recommended.

For now the second screen is 4:3 at 1024 × 768 on every iPad (2x Retina in Pro, 1536 × 1152 on the wire), regardless of model; iPads whose screen isn't 4:3 show black bars. Creating the display at each iPad's native resolution is in development.

Browser mode needs nothing installed: put the iPad on the same Wi-Fi, scan the QR code in the Mac window with the camera and open it in Safari. Browser mode is free and doesn't count toward the Wi-Fi time limit. It streams JPEG frames (compatible with iOS 12 Safari) and sends nothing while the screen is still — good for a first look. The iPad app decodes H.264 in hardware, is smoother and easier on the battery, supports USB and keeps the iPad awake. While the app is connected, the Mac stops encoding for the browser.

These models top out at iOS 12. You can use Safari browser mode with a Mac test build, without installing an iPad app. The native app needs a signed package prepared for your device and manual installation. Automatic registration and one-click installation from the Mac app are still in development; the public installation service is not open. See the older-iPad guide for current options.

Creating a virtual display uses an undocumented macOS interface (CGVirtualDisplay) that the store sandbox doesn't allow; Duet, Luna and Astropad distribute their Mac apps outside the store too. The released Mac app will be signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple. Because it relies on an undocumented interface, a future macOS release may break it until we ship a fix; compatibility fixes for the two major macOS releases after your purchase are free.

No account is required, and screen streaming stays between your Mac and iPad over USB or your local network. The Mac app checks for updates automatically by default; Pro checks also include license verification. You can disable automatic checks and sharing your Mac name in settings; manual update checks and license management still need internet access. Wi-Fi uses a 6-digit pairing code, while USB needs no pairing code. Local screen transport is not encrypted, so use a trusted network. See the privacy policy for the data sent during online checks.

Currently Apple silicon only (M1 and later), macOS 13 or later.

The iPad currently acts as a display: use your Mac keyboard and mouse. Touch input is in development and audio is planned. Keep the iPad app in the foreground; moving it to the background disconnects the session. If the session does not resume after returning, reconnect from the device list. The picture pauses while the Mac is locked or asleep.

The Mac download is coming soon; Pro's price, payment methods and refund policy will be announced at launch; the App Store version for iPadOS 15 and later is coming soon. Questions? Email support@sidelo.app.