| Mimac | Workbench | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to try, then $49.99 once ($39.99 for the first 30 days) | Free for 20 minutes a day. $14.99 per month or $79.99 per year (launched at $10 and $50) |
| Hosts | Macs with Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later | Macs (Apple-only) |
| Clients | iPad with an M-series chip, iPadOS 26 or later | iPad, requires iPadOS 26 |
| Display resolution on a headless Mac | Your iPad's exact native resolution, 2752×2064 on the 13-inch iPad Pro | Not stated |
| Frame rate | 120 fps on your local network | Not stated ("ultra-low latency", LIQUID codec) |
| Headless Mac, no monitor | Yes, with an optional start-before-login component | Yes, native |
| Trackpad gestures | Native macOS pinch, phase-correct scrolling with momentum, pointer lock | Zoom and pan, middle mouse |
| Apple Pencil | No pressure support | Yes, with pressure |
| Audio from the Mac | Lossless 48 kHz PCM | Yes; codec not stated |
| Dictation | Any Mac dictation app, via the Mimac Microphone device | Built-in speech-to-text |
| Screenshot to the Mac's clipboard | Yes, drag on the glass or double-tap | — |
| Remote access away from home | Your own Tailscale tailnet; no relay, no account | Astropad's relay network, 11 regions, AES-256 |
| Last iPad app update | New for 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
Prices and facts as of September 1, 2026, from Astropad's Workbench product page, the Workbench App Store listing, and AppleInsider's April 8, 2026 coverage of the launch. Workbench has changed price once already; check astropad.com for the current figure. Mimac's 120 fps figure is on a local network. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
Where Workbench is a better choice
Pick Workbench if you draw: it supports Apple Pencil with pressure, which Mimac does not. Pick it if you want zero-configuration access from anywhere through a vendor relay, without installing Tailscale on both devices. The free 20 minutes a day is a real option for occasional check-ins, and Astropad has been shipping Mac-and-iPad display products for a decade, so there is an organisation and a support team behind it.
Where Mimac is a better choice
Pick Mimac if you would rather pay once: $49.99 is less than one year of Workbench and it never renews. Pick it if you want the numbers stated: your Mac renders at your iPad's exact resolution and the pipeline runs at 120 fps on your network, and we say so because every stage of the pipeline is pinned to 120. Pick it if you care where your screen goes: Mimac has no relay and no account; video travels between your own two devices only. And pick it for the small things that add up on a headless Mac: a rectangle dragged on the glass lands on the Mac's clipboard, your iPad's microphone works with any Mac dictation app rather than one built-in engine, and the host can start before anyone logs in.
Bottom line
Two modern products aimed at the same buyer. Workbench trades a subscription for convenience and Pencil support. Mimac trades a one-time price and a private, direct path for the requirement to run Tailscale away from home. If you already have Tailscale, or your Mac and iPad mostly share a network, the trade is easy.
Try Mimac free.
Seven days, every feature, on your own network. Then $49.99 once if it earns its place. Mimac Connect for Mac is free.
Other comparisons: Workbench · Jump Desktop · Screens 5 · Splashtop · Luna Display