Jump Desktop Alternative for Mac and iPhone
As of 2026-09-26
Jump Desktop is a remote-desktop client for iPhone, Mac, and Windows with optional team management and a new MCP bridge for AI tools on the desktop. Poket PC targets one Mac you own from an iPhone, with a free 1.0 and Ask built into the phone app. Here is how they differ on cited facts as of 26 September 2026.
At a glance
| Jump Desktop | Poket PC | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | RDP, VNC, and Fluid remote desktop with Connect on Mac/Windows | Mac helper plus iPhone app: screen, trackpad, keyboard, tiles, Ask |
| Controls a Mac from iPhone | Yes | Yes (Mac host only) |
| Free tier | Free web client and Windows app; Mac/iOS apps are paid | 1.0 free: no ads, no in-app purchases |
| Paid price (as listed) | iPhone app $14.99 one-time; Mac app $34.99 one-time; Teams Pro from $7.99/user/month (yearly) | Free (1.0) |
| Account required | Yes for automatic Fluid setup (manual RDP/VNC can skip) | No |
| End-to-end encryption | Yes (vendor states relays cannot read traffic) | Yes (Noise IK through the relay; the relay sees metadata, not content) |
| AI agent | Jump CLI MCP server (beta) on Mac/Windows/Linux; not on iPhone | Ask from iPhone; runs on Mac via Claude Code or Ollama |
| Frame rate on iPhone | Up to 120 fps on ProMotion devices (version 10) | 30 fps, on the same network and through the relay |
| Multiple displays | Virtual displays sized to the phone screen (version 10); 2 to 4 virtual displays on Teams Enterprise | Main display only |
| File transfer | Not listed in cited sources | Not available yet (planned) |
As of 2026-09-26 · sources below
When Jump Desktop is the better pick
You need Windows or Linux hosts, or generic RDP/VNC servers. Jump Desktop Connect runs on Mac and Windows hosts, Linux host support is alpha in version 10, and the app connects to any RDP or VNC server.
You want very high frame rates on ProMotion iPhones. Jump Desktop 10 advertises hardware decoding and up to 120 fps on ProMotion devices and virtual displays sized to the phone screen.
You already paid for or prefer one-time App Store purchases instead of a subscription remote-desktop stack. The iPhone app is $14.99 once on the cited App Store listing.
You want team features: team management and access groups on Teams plans, with SSO and SCIM on Teams Enterprise.
You will use Jump CLI MCP from a Mac with Claude Code or similar to drive up to eight hosts from a desktop MCP client, watched in a local Mission Control dashboard. That is a power-user automation path separate from phone control.
You are fine creating a Jump Desktop account for automatic setup and relay fallback when direct connection fails.
When Poket PC is the better pick
You want the iPhone controller and AI agent in one app without a $14.99 unlock. Poket PC 1.0 is free; Ask is started from the phone and runs on the Mac, and keeps running after the phone disconnects.
You do not need RDP/VNC plumbing. Poket PC installs one menu-bar helper and pairs by QR; no Fluid account or manual server config.
You want no account for personal Mac access and a single product focused on Mac plus iPhone.
You do not need several displays or 120 fps. Poket PC streams the main display at 30 fps, which suits a Mac mini or MacBook you check from the couch.
You can live without file transfer, clipboard sync and audio, none of which Poket PC 1.0 has.
Download the Mac helper and join the public TestFlight beta for the iPhone app from the beta page.
Sources
- Jump Desktop pricing (free web/Windows, Teams plans): https://jumpdesktop.com/pricing-plans.html
- Jump Desktop Teams security paper (E2EE, relays): https://jumpdesktop.com/docs/JumpDesktopTeamsSecurityPaper.pdf
- Jump Desktop 10 features (virtual displays, 120 fps, MCP server): https://docs.jumpdesktop.com/whats-new/jump-desktop-10/
- Jump CLI MCP server (up to 8 hosts): https://docs.jumpdesktop.com/cli/mcp/
- Jump Desktop on the App Store ($14.99 one-time): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/jump-desktop-rdp-vnc-fluid/id364876095
- Jump Desktop for Mac on the Mac App Store ($34.99 one-time): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/jump-desktop-rdp-vnc-fluid/id524141863
See Splashtop vs Poket PC or compare hub.
Checked on 26 September 2026. Tell us if something changed: support@poketpc.com.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Jump Desktop on iPhone?
The Jump Desktop iPhone app is a one-time $14.99 purchase on the App Store, covering all iOS devices on the same store account and sold separately from Teams subscriptions.
Is Jump Desktop free at all?
Jump Desktop's pricing page states the web browser client and Windows app are free with unlimited computers and connections for personal and business use. Native Mac and iOS apps are paid one-time purchases.
Does Jump Desktop support AI agents?
Jump Desktop 10 added a Jump CLI MCP server (beta) so MCP clients such as Claude Code and Codex can control hosts from the computer running the client, not from the iPhone app itself.
Is Poket PC free on iPhone?
Poket PC 1.0 is free with no ads and no in-app purchases. The iPhone app is in a public TestFlight beta while 1.0 is in App Review; see the beta page.
Which encrypts end to end through a relay?
Both. Jump Desktop's Teams security paper states relay servers cannot read traffic; Poket PC uses Noise IK end-to-end encryption through its relay, which sees only metadata such as IP addresses and timing.