MightyMouse vs Remote Buddy
Both turn your iPhone into a trackpad that can see your Mac. One is a long-running remote-control suite you license separately, the other is a free app with no extra license.
Short answer: MightyMouse is a free alternative to Remote Buddy for people who mainly want their iPhone as a trackpad, keyboard and live screen for a Mac: there is no separate Mac license to buy, and it adds free dictation that runs on your own Mac. Remote Buddy 2 from IOSPIRIT is still the better pick if you use an Apple Remote or Siri Remote, want deep per-app remote actions, or want to mirror your Mac to an Apple TV.
Remote Buddy is a veteran Mac remote-control program from IOSPIRIT. According to their product page, Remote Buddy 2 supports more than 100 Mac apps with over 1,000 included actions, reads many infrared and Bluetooth remotes including the aluminium Apple Remote, and lets you map buttons to key presses, AppleScript or IR commands. Their free companion app, Remote Buddy Mobile 2, adds a multi-touch trackpad, a keyboard, Wake-on-LAN and screen sharing "up to 60 frames per second" on your iPhone or iPad. A separate Remote Buddy Display app covers Apple TV.
The catch is in the App Store listing: "Licenses for Remote Buddy for the Mac are sold separately and not part of this app." The phone app is free, but it requires a Mac running Remote Buddy 2.0 or later, and the IOSPIRIT store sells that as a single user license after a 30-day trial. The store page shows no price until checkout, so check it there before you decide.
MightyMouse starts from the same idea and strips it down to what a phone does best. Open Settings on your Mac, scan a code, and your iPhone gets a trackpad, a keyboard, your live Mac screen and a microphone. There is no license to buy for the phone remote.
Side by side
| MightyMouse | Remote Buddy | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone as a trackpad | Yes, real drag/tap/scroll gestures | Yes, multi-touch trackpad |
| iPhone as a keyboard | Yes, native or on-screen keyboard | Yes, keyboard and numpad |
| See your live Mac screen on the phone | Yes | Yes, up to 60 fps |
| Mac side needs a paid license | No | Yes, Remote Buddy 2 sold separately after a 30-day trial |
| Dictate into any Mac app | Yes, free transcription on your Mac | Apple's iOS dictation on the phone keyboard, not transcription on your Mac |
| Works away from home over cellular | Yes, with a free monthly allowance | Not stated on their pages |
| Apple Remote, Siri Remote, IR remotes | No | Yes |
| Per-app remote actions | No | Yes, 100+ apps, 1,000+ actions |
| Mirror to an Apple TV | No, iPhone only | Yes, with the free Remote Buddy Display app |
| Approve a coding agent from your phone | Yes, push to lock screen | No |
| Price | Free with your own AI account, or use the built in option. No card needed. | Phone app free; Mac license price shown only at checkout, as of October 2026 |
| Platforms | macOS, with an iPhone remote | macOS 10.13 or later, with iPhone and iPad companions, plus a separate Apple TV app |
Remote Buddy details checked 19 October 2026 from iospirit.com/products/remotebuddy, iospirit.com/store, apps.apple.com/app/id1507969631 (Remote Buddy Mobile 2). Prices change - check theirs before deciding.
Where Remote Buddy is the better pick
If you drive a Mac from the couch with a physical remote, Remote Buddy is in a different league. Their page lists the Apple Remote and many other infrared and Bluetooth remotes, driver support for IR receivers, and custom buttons that run key presses, AppleScript or IR commands. MightyMouse has none of that: it is a phone-only remote.
It is also the better media-center tool. Remote Buddy ships ready-made actions for more than 100 Mac apps, controls video playback in Safari, Chrome and Edge, and its free Remote Buddy Display app mirrors your Mac to an Apple TV that you steer with the Siri Remote. MightyMouse shows your Mac on an iPhone and nowhere else.
Finally, Remote Buddy has been around for many years, supports older Macs back to macOS 10.13, and sells a single-user license with a year of updates included, with the price shown at checkout. If you already own it, there is little reason to switch.
Where MightyMouse is the better pick
Nothing to license. Remote Buddy Mobile is free, but it does nothing without a paid Remote Buddy 2 license on the Mac. MightyMouse is the Mac app and the phone remote together, and the remote is free and unlimited on your own Wi-Fi.
It leaves the house. Away from home, MightyMouse runs over cellular with a free monthly allowance, so you can check on your computer from anywhere. Remote Buddy's pages do not say whether the phone app works off your home network, so verify that with them if you need it.
The mic works too. Hold the mic button and your voice is transcribed by Whisper running on your Mac, then typed into whatever app is in front. It is free and the audio is not sent to a cloud transcription service. Remote Buddy Mobile's keyboard supports Apple's iOS dictation, but it does not run transcription on your Mac.
Coding agents reach you. If Claude Code or Codex on your Mac needs a yes or no, MightyMouse sends the question to your lock screen so you can answer from your pocket.
What is the "remote buddy free alternative" question really asking?
Most people typing that are not looking to replace an Apple Remote setup. They found Remote Buddy Mobile in the App Store, saw that it is free, then hit the line saying the Mac license is sold separately. If that is you, the real question is whether you need the Mac-side suite at all.
If all you want is an iPhone as a trackpad for your Mac that also shows the screen, you do not. Controlling a Mac from an iPhone needs a trackpad, a keyboard and a picture, and MightyMouse covers those without a license. If you need infrared remotes, per-app action libraries or Apple TV mirroring, keep Remote Buddy. Remote Mouse is another phone-as-mouse option, but it has no screen view.
Limits of MightyMouse to know before you switch
MightyMouse controls a Mac that is awake. It cannot wake a sleeping Mac or get past a lock screen that is already engaged, although Away Mode keeps the Mac awake and stops the lock from arming. The screen view shows your main display or a virtual second screen, and you cannot pick a different physical monitor. Only the phone can start a screen mirror. It is macOS only, with a Windows version in beta.
For presentations, see using an iPhone as a presentation remote.
A trackpad that shows you the screen.
macOS, Apple Silicon and Intel. No card to try it.
Common questions
Do I need an AI subscription?
No. Connect a Claude, Codex, Gemini or OpenCode account you already pay for and MightyMouse costs nothing. Have none? Sign up and use the built in option, no card needed. Voice transcription is free either way because it runs on your Mac.
Is there a free alternative to Remote Buddy?
Yes. MightyMouse gives your iPhone a trackpad, keyboard and live Mac screen with no paid Mac license. Remote Buddy Mobile is free, but it needs a separately sold Remote Buddy 2 license on the Mac.
Does Remote Buddy Mobile work without Remote Buddy on the Mac?
No. The App Store listing says it requires a Mac running Remote Buddy 2.0 or later and that Mac licenses are sold separately.
Does Remote Buddy 2 work on a modern Mac?
Their product page says macOS 27 and Apple silicon are supported, and that it requires macOS 10.13 or later.
Can MightyMouse use an Apple Remote or Siri Remote?
No. MightyMouse is a phone remote only. If you want an Apple Remote, infrared remotes or Apple TV mirroring, Remote Buddy supports those.
Does MightyMouse work away from home?
Yes, over cellular with a free monthly allowance. On your own Wi-Fi it is free and unlimited. It cannot reach a Mac that is asleep or already locked.
Ready to try it? MightyMouse turns your iPhone into a trackpad and keyboard that also shows your Mac's live screen, with no Mac license to buy.