Helm vs alternatives
How Helm compares with Unified Remote, KDE Connect, Remote Mouse and Stream Deck Mobile.
Many apps let you control a PC from a phone. They inspired Helm, and each is good at its own job. Helm’s angle is to put the remote, the touchpad, a live screen, file sharing and a Stream Deck-style grid in one free Windows + Android app with no account. Here is a fair look at where each one fits.
At a glance
| App | Computers | Phones | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helm | Windows 10, 11 | Android 8.0+ | Free, every feature, no account |
| Unified Remote | Windows, Mac, Linux | Android, iPhone, iPad | Free with 18 remotes; paid Full version |
| KDE Connect | Linux, Windows, macOS | Android, iOS | Free |
| Remote Mouse | Windows, Mac, Linux | Android, iPhone, iPad | Core free; Pro by subscription or lifetime |
| Stream Deck Mobile | PC or Mac | Android, iOS | 6 keys free; Pro up to 64 keys |
A Unified Remote alternative
Unified Remote turns a phone into a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth remote for Windows, Mac and Linux. The free app comes with 18 remotes; the paid Full version adds 90+ remotes, custom remotes, widgets, voice commands and IR and NFC actions. Its strength is the long list of ready-made remotes for specific programs.
Helm covers the same daily jobs on Windows — touchpad and keyboard, media, volume and power, files and Wake-on-LAN — with nothing to unlock, and adds a hardware-encoded live screen at up to 1080p60 and a button deck with macros. Instead of a library of 90+ remotes, Helm has app remotes for PowerPoint, VLC, Spotify, YouTube, the browser, OBS and Discord.
A KDE Connect alternative for Windows
KDE Connect links a phone and a computer: it sends files, syncs notifications and lets you reply to texts from the computer, runs commands, controls media and works as a virtual trackpad or presentation remote. It runs on Linux, Windows and macOS, with phone apps for Android and iOS.
Helm shares KDE Connect’s phone ↔ PC side — files both ways, clipboard sync and phone notifications on the PC — and is built only for Windows, so it goes deeper there: real app icons in the dock, window snapping and virtual desktops, a per-app volume mixer, a CPU, GPU and temperature monitor and a live view of the desktop.
A Remote Mouse alternative
Remote Mouse makes a phone a wireless mouse, keyboard and trackpad for Windows, Mac or Linux over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The mouse, keyboard, trackpad, power controls and app switcher are free; extra shortcuts and features come with Pro, by subscription or a lifetime licence.
Helm’s touchpad and keyboard do the same core job — gestures, right-click, pinch zoom, a keyboard that opens when a PC text box gets focus, an air mouse and a Bluetooth mouse mode — and the rest of Helm comes with it at no cost.
A free Stream Deck Mobile alternative on Android
Elgato’s Stream Deck Mobile puts Stream Deck keys on an Android or iOS phone and works with the Stream Deck software on a PC or Mac. Six keys are free; Pro unlocks up to 64 keys, more layouts and custom faceplates. Its strength is Elgato’s plugin ecosystem.
Helm’s Deck is a Stream Deck-style grid on your Android phone for a Windows PC: hotkeys, text, apps, scripts, OBS, Spotify and Home Assistant actions, macros, toggle buttons that show the real state and live widgets, plus sandboxed plugins and triggers. It is free and needs no account.
Remote desktop apps
Remote desktop apps such as Chrome Remote Desktop or Microsoft’s Remote Desktop client show and control a PC remotely. Helm’s live screen does that for your own PC, tuned for low latency on home Wi-Fi, next to controls made for a phone. Away from home it uses USB tethering, Tailscale or a relay you deploy yourself — see anywhere access.
Which should I use?
- Windows PC + Android phone, and you want one app for all of it: Helm.
- Mac, Linux or iPhone: Unified Remote, KDE Connect or Remote Mouse.
- A ready-made remote for many specific programs: Unified Remote.
- Linux desktop integration: KDE Connect.
- You already use Elgato Stream Deck plugins: Stream Deck Mobile.