Sidecar won't pair a family iPad, a work iPad or a second-hand one. Kite pairs any iPad with any Mac. You click Allow once.
iPad second display for Mac
Your Mac,
on a string.
Kite turns your iPad into a real second display for your Mac. At your desk over USB-C, around the house over Wi-Fi, and across town over Tailscale. Any Apple Account, one payment, no sign-up.
macOS 15 or later · iPadOS 18 or later · Mac app signed and notarized by Apple
- $9.99 once
- No account
- Works with any Apple Account
- Apple Pencil pressure
- USB-C · Wi-Fi · Tailscale
Measured, not promised
Fast enough to forget it's wireless.
25 msaverage, Mac capture to iPad display, on home Wi-Fi
50 dBpicture quality (PSNR). Small text stays crisp
60 fpsthe most macOS draws for a virtual display
0servers between your Mac and your iPad
Measured with Kite's built-in probe on a Mac mini and a 10th-generation iPad. The delay is shown live on the iPad, so you can check it on your own network.
Why Kite
Sidecar stops at the front door. Kite keeps going.
Sidecar is great when your iPad sits next to your Mac and both use the same Apple Account. Kite is for everything else.
Sidecar needs the iPad close by. Kite reaches your Mac from a café, a hotel or the office over your own Tailscale network.
Other apps put Apple Pencil pressure on a higher plan. Kite includes it in the one-time price, along with the iPad camera as a Mac webcam.
Three ways to connect
One string. Kite picks the shortest one.
Plug in a cable and it switches to the cable. On the same Wi-Fi, video goes straight across your network. Anywhere else, it rides Tailscale.
At your desk
Connect with a cable and Kite connects on its own. The lowest delay, and your iPad charges while you work.
Around the house
On the same network, video goes directly between your devices, encrypted with a fresh key for every session.
Away from home
At a café, at the office, at a friend's place. Your Mac at home becomes the screen in your bag.
Features
A display you can touch, draw on, and talk through.
Draw
Apple Pencil with pressure
Pressure, tilt and hover go to your Mac like a drawing tablet. Double-tap for the eraser. Pick a soft, standard or firm pressure curve to match how hard you press. Squeeze Apple Pencil Pro to show the sidebar.
A real second display
macOS sees your iPad as a monitor. Put it on any side from the menu bar, at the iPad's own Retina resolution. Turn the iPad and the display turns with it.
Your iPad camera on your Mac
Pick “Kite Camera” in Zoom, Meet or FaceTime and the iPad's camera turns on. It runs only while an app is using it.
Control
Sidebar with ⌘ ⌥ ⌃ ⇧
Shift-click to select a range, Command-click to pick files, undo with one tap. Switch apps, open Mission Control or Spotlight without a keyboard.
Pinch to zoom
Zoom in on the iPad to hit small buttons or draw fine details. Your Mac's layout doesn't change.
Type from the iPad
On-screen keyboard with Japanese and Chinese input, or a hardware keyboard. ⌘C, ⌘V and the arrow keys go to the Mac.
Finds your Mac
Macs on the same Wi-Fi appear as cards. Tap one and click Allow on the Mac, once. Macs you've used before are one tap away when you're out.
Handles a sleeping Mac
If the Mac's screen goes to sleep, the iPad waits instead of disconnecting. Tap “Wake Mac” and the picture comes back.
Lives in the menu bar
No Dock icon. Opens at login if you want, so a Mac mini without a monitor is ready when you are.
Speaks your language
Both apps come in 15 languages, from Japanese and Chinese to German, Spanish and Korean.
Where it flies
One iPad. Your whole Mac, wherever you are.
Leave the Mac at home
Your desktop Mac keeps running at home. Open Kite on the iPad in your bag and it's on the table in front of you.
No monitor needed
Kite opens at login and waits in the menu bar. Your iPad is the Mac mini's screen when you need one.
A better webcam
Stand the iPad next to your Mac and pick Kite Camera. Handy for a Mac mini, which has no camera of its own.
A pen display you already own
Draw in Mac apps with Apple Pencil pressure and tilt. Pinch to zoom in for detail without changing the Mac's layout.
Setup
Two minutes, once.
Install Kite for Mac
Move it to Applications and open it. A setup window walks you through Screen Recording and Accessibility.
Open Kite on your iPad
Plug in a USB-C cable, or tap your Mac in the list. For Wi-Fi and away from home, turn on Tailscale on both.
Click Allow, once
The first time a new iPad connects, your Mac asks. After that it connects without asking, over any route.
Compare
The only one that works away from home without a subscription.
| Feature | Kite | Sidecar | Duet Display | Luna Display | OpenDisplay | Lightspan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 once Mac app free | Free, built into macOS | $39.99–$79.99 a year | $89.99 adapter | Free, open source | €9.99 once |
| Use it away from home | Yes, with Tailscale | No. Within 10 m | Duet Air plan | No. Same network | No. Same network | No. Same network |
| iPad on a different Apple Account | Yes | No. Same account required | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sign-up needed | None for Kite Wi-Fi uses a free Tailscale account | Same Apple Account, two-factor | Duet account | ? | None | None |
| Ways to connect | USB-C · Wi-Fi · Tailscale | Wi-Fi · USB | Wi-Fi · USB | Wi-Fi · USB · Ethernet · Thunderbolt | Wi-Fi · USB | Wi-Fi · USB-C |
| Apple Pencil pressure | Yes, included | Yes | Pro plan | With Astropad Studio (subscription) | No | No |
| iPad camera as Mac webcam | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Encrypted on your Wi-Fi | Yes, new key every session | ? | Yes, per Duet | ? | Not yet, per its privacy page | Yes (TLS) |
From each product's own website, support pages and App Store listing, checked October 10, 2026. “?” means the product doesn't say. Prices change; check before you buy.
Before you buy
What Kite doesn't do.
So you're not surprised later.
- No sound on the iPad yet. The Mac's audio still plays on the Mac. It's next on the list.
- 60 fps, not 120. macOS draws virtual displays at up to 60 fps. The pointer itself moves at 120 Hz on ProMotion iPads.
- Wi-Fi needs Tailscale. Your Mac only accepts wireless connections from devices on your own Tailscale network. Tailscale is free for personal use. A USB-C cable needs nothing.
- One iPad per Mac. When a second iPad connects, the first one is disconnected.
- The Mac app isn't on the Mac App Store. Virtual displays use a macOS feature App Store apps can't use. It's signed and notarized by Apple instead.
- A purple icon in the menu bar. macOS shows it for any app that captures the screen. Kite captures only the display it adds for your iPad.
Privacy
Your screen never touches a server.
Kite has no account, no license server and no analytics. It collects nothing, and it keeps working if our website goes down.
- Only your devices can connectYour Mac accepts connections only from devices on your own Tailscale network or a cable you plugged in. Not from strangers on the same café Wi-Fi.
- A new iPad needs your OKThe first time, you click Allow on the Mac. You can remove an iPad from the menu bar at any time.
- Encrypted on every pathTailscale encrypts end to end with WireGuard. On your home network Kite adds its own AES-GCM encryption with a new key every session.
- Only the iPad's display is capturedScreen Recording permission is used for the virtual display Kite adds, not your main screen.
Your Mac, on a string.
One price. Everything included.
Kite for iPad
$9.99once, on the App Store
- No subscriptionUpdates included.
- Apple Pencil pressure and the iPad cameraNo higher tier to unlock.
- At home and awayUSB-C, Wi-Fi and Tailscale. Tailscale is free for personal use.
- Kite for Mac is freeSigned and notarized by Apple.
- Sold by ApplePaid through the App Store. Refunds go through Apple.
macOS 15+ · iPadOS 18+
FAQ
Questions
Do I need Tailscale?
Not over a USB-C cable. Over Wi-Fi, yes: Kite only accepts connections from devices on your own Tailscale network, so nobody else on the network can reach your Mac. At home, once you're connected, the video itself goes straight across your local network.
Does my iPad need the same Apple Account as my Mac?
No. Any iPad can pair with any Mac. The first time, you click Allow on the Mac.
Does my screen go through your servers?
No. We don't run any servers. The picture goes straight from your Mac to your iPad, over a cable, your home network or Tailscale.
What if Kite stops being sold someday?
Kite keeps working. There's no account and no license check, so nothing on our side can switch it off.
Which Apple Pencil works?
Pencils with pressure (1st and 2nd generation, Pro) send pressure and tilt. Apple Pencil (USB-C) has no pressure sensor, so it draws at full pressure. Hover works on iPads that support it.
Is it a subscription?
No. You pay once for the iPad app. Updates are included.
Let your Mac fly.
Free on the Mac. $9.99 once on the iPad. No account.