Headroom

Headroom is a remote desktop app for reaching your Mac from an iPhone, an iPad or another Mac. It connects to the built-in macOS Screen Sharing service, so nothing needs to be installed on the Mac: turn on Screen Sharing and you are connected. The page names a headless Mac mini and build servers as typical targets. It is published by MusicFlow and distributed through the App Store, with no account or server of the vendor's in between.

Connections go straight to Screen Sharing (VNC) with no server app or agents. Macs on the same Wi-Fi are discovered automatically through Bonjour, and an IP address can be entered manually. Metal rendering and ZRLE compression are used to keep the session close to real time on a LAN. On iPhone and iPad you tap to click, long-press to drag and pinch to zoom, and software and hardware keyboards both work, including modifier keys. A guide covers using Headroom with Tailscale.

Headroom is built for iPhone Duo, where the Mac sits on the upper screen and the keyboard on the lower one when the device is half open. The keyboard appears when you fold the device and stays when you open it flat again. The screens and help come in seventeen languages. The privacy position is that there is no account and no server of the vendor's, and the screen and input travel only between your own devices.

Pricing is free to try, with a connection time limit. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and removes that limit. The page does not state the Pro price, so check it on the App Store listing before budgeting. Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. Headroom reaches Macs only, so it does not replace a tool for Windows or Linux machines. Questions and business inquiries go through a contact form.