AirParrot is a wireless casting utility for Mac from Squirrels LLC that lets you push your display, a specific application window, or standalone media files to Apple TVs, Chromecast devices, and other network receivers — without a cable, without a dock, and without being boxed into Apple's hardware ecosystem alone.
What is AirParrot?
AirParrot is a paid Mac app that extends your computer's wireless output capabilities well beyond what the operating system offers natively. Install it, and it begins scanning your local Wi-Fi for compatible receivers; within seconds you're pushing content to a television, a projector, or a monitor across the room. Three distinct streaming modes set it apart from a simple mirror toggle: Mirroring (full desktop or an isolated app window), Media (hand a video or audio file directly to the receiver so it plays there, not on your Mac), and Extended Desktop (treat the remote screen as a genuine second monitor and drag windows onto it).
The app lives in your menu bar. One click opens a popover listing every reachable receiver on the network. Click a target and you're live. That almost-frictionless entry point is why AirParrot has built a loyal following in classrooms, conference rooms, and home-theater setups where casting needs to work in under ten seconds — with no IT department involved.
What does AirParrot do best?
Its strongest card is receiver breadth. macOS's native AirPlay is polished if everyone in the room owns Apple hardware — but the moment you encounter a Chromecast dongle, a non-Apple smart TV, or a Windows machine running Squirrels' companion Reflector app, built-in AirPlay goes silent. AirParrot fills that gap elegantly.
- Multi-receiver output: cast to more than one destination simultaneously — handy for dual-screen presentations or mirroring a demo onto a TV and a projector at once.
- App-window isolation: instead of exposing your entire desktop — notifications, open Finder windows, embarrassing Slack previews — you pick exactly one application window to broadcast. Conference rooms should require this by law.
- Media passthrough: streaming a local MP4 directly to an Apple TV means the file transits to the device and plays natively there. Your Mac barely registers the workload, so the fans stay quiet and the battery outlasts the meeting.
- Independent audio routing: choose which audio output — your Mac's speakers, the receiving display, or both simultaneously — gets each stream. It's a level of control macOS's AirPlay toggle simply doesn't expose.
I've used AirParrot most heavily in hotel conference rooms: one MacBook, a Chromecast stick in an unfamiliar TV, and a wireless screen ready in three clicks. Zero dongles, zero adapter anxiety.
How much does AirParrot cost?
AirParrot is a paid application with a one-time licence fee — no recurring subscription. Squirrels offers a free trial so you can verify compatibility with your specific receivers before committing. The licence is priced modestly relative to the productivity it unlocks, and bundle deals with Squirrels' other tools — Reflector and Mirror for Chrome — appear on their website periodically. If you're already in the Squirrels ecosystem, the bundle price makes the decision easy.
Who should use AirParrot?
AirParrot is an obvious fit for anyone who presents regularly from a Mac in mixed-hardware environments: teachers, corporate trainers, consultants, and remote workers who bounce between office setups and can't control what display hardware awaits them. Home-theater enthusiasts who own a combination of Chromecast and Apple TV hardware will also find it valuable — it removes the need to remember which remote app works with which stick.
It is almost certainly overkill if you present exclusively from a Mac to an Apple TV in a controlled setting. macOS's built-in AirPlay has handled that scenario natively and for free since Monterey. But the moment your environment diversifies beyond Apple's walled garden, AirParrot earns back its licence fee on the first use.
What are the best AirParrot alternatives?
The most direct competition is macOS's own AirPlay to TV — free, built into Monterey and later, and seamless if your destination is an Apple TV or AirPlay 2 smart TV. For lighter Chromecast-specific needs, Mirror Magnet is worth a look. Luna Display covers a related but distinct scenario — converting an iPad or secondary Mac into a wired or wireless second monitor — which is about screen real-estate rather than TV casting. And if your goal is receiving casts on a Mac rather than sending them, Squirrels' own Reflector 4 is the natural complement to AirParrot, not a substitute for it.
