Deskreen is a free, open-source Mac app that streams your desktop to any web browser over your local network, letting you extend or mirror your display to a phone, tablet, old laptop, or any screen that can open a browser tab.
What is Deskreen?
Deskreen is a local-network screen-sharing tool that broadcasts your Mac's display as a live video stream, receivable in any modern browser — no apps, no cables, no proprietary hardware required on the receiving end. You point the target device at a QR code or local URL, and within seconds you have a second screen.
It works by running a lightweight WebRTC server on your Mac. The receiving device never needs to install anything; Chrome, Safari, or Firefox is sufficient. The stream is encrypted in transit, and the connection never leaves your LAN.
What does Deskreen do best?
Deskreen excels at turning hardware you already own into useful monitors without spending a cent. An old iPad propped up beside your MacBook, an Android phone in landscape mode, or a spare Windows laptop gathering dust — all become functional secondary displays in under a minute.
- Whole-screen or single-window streaming — you can share your entire desktop or isolate just one application window, which is handy for reference material or a chat window you want on a side screen.
- No-cable setup — unlike Sidecar (Apple-only, iPad-only) or Luna Display (requires hardware dongle), Deskreen needs only Wi-Fi and a browser on the target device.
- Privacy by default — streams stay on your local network; nothing routes through a third-party server.
- Open source — the code is public on GitHub, so security-conscious users can audit exactly what the app does.
I've used it to push a Figma artboard onto an old Kindle Fire sitting on my desk as a reference screen, and to keep a terminal session visible on my phone while my Mac's display was occupied. It's not glamorous, but it's genuinely useful in those moments.
Is Deskreen free?
Yes — Deskreen is completely free to download and use, with no paywall, no subscription tier, and no feature limits gating the free version. It is open-source software released under the AGPL licence.
Because it's community-maintained, updates arrive on a volunteer timeline rather than a commercial one. That said, the core feature set is stable and works reliably on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs alike.
Who should use Deskreen?
Deskreen is a strong fit for anyone who needs a quick extra display without buying dedicated hardware — remote workers, students, developers running side-by-side documentation, or anyone whose monitor setup is constrained by space or budget.
It's also worth considering if you want a display solution that works cross-platform. Sidecar is limited to Apple's own iPads running relatively recent software. Deskreen, by contrast, will happily stream to a seven-year-old Android tablet, a Raspberry Pi with a browser, or a Chromebook. If your extra screen is something Apple doesn't recognise as a display device, Deskreen is often the only tool that bridges the gap.
Power users who want a fully native, low-latency extended-desktop experience — with resolution independence, cursor control on the secondary screen, and tight macOS integration — may find the browser-based approach limiting. For that use case, Luna Display or a USB-C monitor remains the gold standard. Deskreen is a pragmatic, zero-cost workaround, not a replacement for real hardware.
How does Deskreen compare to Sidecar and Luna Display?
Sidecar wins on latency and Apple Pencil support but requires a compatible iPad and a relatively recent Mac — and the iPad must be your own. Luna Display adds any monitor as a true extended desktop with hardware-level performance, but it costs money and requires a small dongle. Deskreen sits in a different lane: any device, any browser, zero cost.
Against software-only competitors like Duet Display or Air Display, Deskreen gives up the native-app polish and cursor interactivity but gains the ability to reach non-iOS/Android devices. If the receiving screen is something strange — a smart TV browser, a Linux box, a work-managed device where you can't install apps — Deskreen is often the only realistic option.
The frame rate is capped by WebRTC encoding overhead and your Wi-Fi quality. On a solid 5 GHz network I get smooth enough streaming for reference panels and documentation, but I wouldn't try to play a video on it or run a colour-critical design review.
What are the best Deskreen alternatives?
For iPad users on Apple hardware, Sidecar (built into macOS) is the obvious first stop — it's tighter, lower-latency, and handles Apple Pencil input. Luna Display is the premium pick if you want hardware-grade reliability to any monitor. Duet Display and Air Display offer native apps for iOS/Android with better interactivity than a browser-based stream. For pure screen-mirroring to a TV, AirPlay beats all of them. Deskreen's niche is the case none of those covers: a non-Apple, non-iOS device where you can't install a client app.
