Software Alternatives & Reviews

Air Display VS Synergy

Compare Air Display VS Synergy and see what are their differences

Air Display logo Air Display

Air Display allows extra screens to extend the display size of a Mac desktop. The company behind the product is Avatron Software, which was founded in 2008. Read more about Air Display.

Synergy logo Synergy

Cross-platform software for sharing your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers
  • Air Display Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-29
  • Synergy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-05

Synergy is a software application developed by Symless. It is used for sharing a keyboard and mouse between multiple computers, and is useful in situations where several PCs are used together, with a monitor connected to each, but are to be controlled by one user. The user needs only one keyboard and mouse on the desk — similar to a KVM switch without the video.

Partly open source and partly closed source, the open source components are released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, which is free software. The first version of Synergy was created on May 13, 2001, by Chris Schoeneman and worked with the X Window System only. Synergy now supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like operating systems.

Once the program is installed, users can move the mouse "off" the side of their desktop on one computer, and the mouse pointer will appear on the desktop of another computer. Key presses will be delivered to whichever computer the mouse-pointer is located in. This makes it possible to control several machines as easily as if they were a single multi-monitor computer. The clipboard and even screensavers can be synchronized.

The program is implemented as a server which defines which screen-edges lead to which machines, and one or more clients, which connect to the server to offer the use of their desktops. The keyboard and mouse are connected to the server machine.

Air Display videos

Air Display App Review

More videos:

  • Review - Air Display Review
  • Review - Air Display for iPhone and iPad Review

Synergy videos

Review - Synergy by Symless - Multi Machine Network Control Software

More videos:

  • Review - Symless Synergy Review - Mac (Keyboard & Mouse Sharing)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Air Display and Synergy)
Remote Desktop
39 39%
61% 61
Mouse Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Remote PC Access
20 20%
80% 80
Multi Monitor
20 20%
80% 80

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Air Display and Synergy

Air Display Reviews

Top 10 Duet Display Alternatives (Free and Paid) Reviewed | 2022
Air Display vs Duet Display: Similar to Duet Display, AirDisplay is another ideal method of making your iOS device behave as a second monitor. Using AirDisplay, you will be able to quickly view documents,, web pages, photos, videos, certain PC games, and other content without having a hyper CPU-intensive application ran in the background.
Source: mediapeanut.com
Top 6 Best Spacedesk Alternatives for Duet Display
As many as four devices can be connected at once over Air Display software and it works for both PC and laptop. You can remotely access your PC or laptop over the internet from anywhere in the world!
Source: itechhacks.com
8 Best SpaceDesk Alternatives for Duet Display (2022)
If you want to turn your Tablet into an extra screen for multitasking, Air Display must be your option. Several useful features in the software make it a suitable option to choose. For instance, you can set up customizable hotkeys to control the subsidiary screen.
Source: techdator.net
7 Of The Best Spacedesk Alternatives For Multi-Monitor Work
Looking for a spare screen for your Mac then Air Display does that for you. They provide an extra filter in the primary Mac device. The software is easy to use without any hassle, not like the others that are quite complicated.
Top spacedesk Alternatives & Similar Software (2020)
You can use multiple devices, iOS devices, Windows PCs, Macs and Android tablets as an added screen for your Mac computer. While earlier Windows PCs were used as Air Display hosts, now only Mac computers are supported as hosts. With the latest version, Air Display 3, you can use four devices to act as interactive screens for your Mac computer. It allows use with USB cables...

Synergy Reviews

Top spacedesk Alternatives & Similar Software (2020)
Synergy is yet another software that lets you work on separate computers with the same input devices. It helps you save all the clutter caused by the cables of a traditional KVM. What’s more, it works even when the computers are working on separate operating systems. This feature makes it stand out from Spacedesk. For Synergy to function, you’ll need the systems to run on...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Synergy seems to be a lot more popular than Air Display. While we know about 281 links to Synergy, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Air Display. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Air Display mentions (3)

  • Duplicate monitor to wireless display or iPad
    Https://avatron.com/applications/air-display/ Not sure, if it does screen mirroring. Source: about 2 years ago
  • MacBook Pro 2018 to iMac 2017 connection for external display?
    If you're talking about Target Display Mode, I'm afraid your iMac does not support it. You can still use something like Air Display, although I'm not sure if it will help you achieve what you want. Source: over 2 years ago
  • MacBook As Display
    The other option is via software like AirDisplay, but that does cost money as well! Source: about 3 years ago

Synergy mentions (281)

  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    I use a software called Synergy. https://symless.com/synergy I have one keyboard and mouse connected to one "host" machine, and two machines connected as clients. Sometimes if the host machine bogs a bit (like running a build or something) then the clients will have some latency but I've used this setup for gaming and work for two years and it's been pretty good. My only complaint (about my personal setup, not the... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    I’ve been using a software solution for this for over a decade. It’s called Synergy (https://symless.com/synergy) and it is fast - switches instantly over wifi and also works across Windows/Mac/Linux. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Hrvach/Deskhop: Fast Desktop Switching Device
    Synergy works well for this purely in software. Unfortunately it's not free or open source, but it's relatively inexpensive. https://symless.com/synergy. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Help me create a seamless LAN with a WAP on the end of a switch
    I want to be able to do things like Synergy, Steam Link, Unified Remote, and Media Servers between any of these devices, with as little added latency as possible (especially important for steam link). Source: 5 months ago
  • Linux VNC viewer not displaying MacOS with multiple desktops (single monitor)
    i've got several fedora linux machines running and sharing their monitors via synergy (https://symless.com/synergy) , all controlled by the keyboard/mouse on the primary synergy server. Source: 5 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Air Display and Synergy, you can also consider the following products

Duet Display - With Duet Display, you can transform your iPhone or iPad into a second display to expand the screen space of your PC or Mac system.

Barrier - Barrier is a cross-platform software for sharing your mouse and keyboard between multiple computers...

iDisplay - iDisplay is an app that turns a mobile device into a secondary desktop monitor. The app currently supports iOS, Android, Windows and MacOS, and it lets users connect a desktop computer to a mobile device over WiFi. Read more about iDisplay.

Input Director - Control multiple windows systems with one keyboard/mouse. Share a keyboard and mouse across multiple windows system.

spacedesk - spacedesk expands the Windows desktop computer screen to other computers over the local area...

DisplayFusion - DisplayFusion will make your multi-monitor life much easier.