Stream Deck Alternatives Compared (2026): Free and Cheap Options
A factual comparison of phone-based Stream Deck alternatives — Touch Portal, Macro Deck, Deckboard, Unified Remote and Elgato's own mobile app — with prices checked September 2026.
Read →How to Control Your PC From Your Phone (Windows 10 & 11)
Every practical way to control a Windows PC from your phone — button decks, remote desktop, mouse/keyboard remotes and voice — and which one fits which job.
Read →Use Your Phone as a Stream Deck for Streaming: A Setup Guide
Build a streaming control deck on the phone you already own: which buttons to make, how to lay out pages, mounting the phone and keeping it awake during a stream.
Read →LaunchBox & Big Box Phone Remote With Voice Control
How SofaDeck grew out of a real LaunchBox arcade cabinet: using a phone as a Big Box remote, searching and launching games by voice, and the parts that make a couch-friendly setup.
Read →The Best HTPC Remote Is the Phone in Your Pocket
Options for controlling a living-room PC from the couch — IR remotes, air mice, wireless keyboards and phone remotes — and how to set up a phone as an HTPC remote.
Read →Use Your Phone as a Presentation Remote for PowerPoint
Turn your phone into a slide clicker for PowerPoint, Google Slides or a PDF: next/previous, blank screen, timer and what to check before you present.
Read →How to Control Your PC With Your Voice on Windows
Windows Voice Access, dictation and phone-based voice remotes compared: what each can do, what it needs, and how to pick one for hands-free PC control.
Read →Accessible PC Control: Big Buttons and Voice for Easier Computing
How large on-screen buttons and short voice commands can make a Windows PC easier to use for people with limited mobility, low vision or tremor — and where they fall short.
Read →Macro Pad vs Phone Deck: Which Should You Use?
Physical macro pads and hardware button decks versus a phone running a deck app: feel, cost, flexibility and when it is worth buying hardware.
Read →How to Use Your Phone as a Macro Pad (Windows & Mac)
Turn your phone into a macro pad for your PC or Mac: pairing, which shortcuts to put on buttons first, pages per task, multi-step macros, and the Mac Accessibility setting.
Read →How to Control Spotify on Your PC From Your Phone
Two ways to control Spotify on a Windows PC or Mac from your phone: Spotify Connect and a media-key remote. What each can do, a 9-button Spotify page, voice commands and fixes.
Read →OBS Phone Remote: Control OBS Studio From Your Phone
Control OBS Studio from your phone: WebSocket remotes vs a hotkey deck, setting up OBS hotkeys, scene and mic buttons, a Go Live macro, and the Mac permissions to check.
Read →How to Control Your PC From an iPhone (Free, No App Needed)
Control a Windows PC from an iPhone: remote desktop apps vs a button deck and voice remote in Safari, the pairing steps, and what works away from home.
Read →How to Remote Control Your Mac From Your iPhone
Three ways to control a Mac from an iPhone: Screen Sharing with a VNC app, Keynote Remote, and a button-and-voice remote, plus the macOS settings to check.
Read →Stream Deck Mobile vs SofaDeck: Phone Decks Compared (2026)
How Elgato's Stream Deck Mobile works and what it costs, compared with SofaDeck's no-app phone deck: free tiers, pricing, plugins, voice and iPad use.
Read →Free Macro Software for Windows: 4 Kinds Compared
Free macro software for Windows compared: AutoHotkey scripts, PowerToys remapping, keyboard-maker recorders and phone button decks, with time-saving ideas.
Read →Where to start
Deciding what to use? Read the Stream Deck alternatives comparison for phone-based decks, macro pad vs phone deck if you're weighing hardware, and how to control your PC from your phone if you're not sure whether you need a deck, a mouse remote or remote desktop at all.
Setting something up? There are ready-made layouts for streaming with OBS, a living-room PC, a LaunchBox and Big Box arcade and presentations, each with the exact keys and buttons to add.
Want hands-free? The voice control guide compares Windows Voice access, dictation and phone voice remotes, and the accessibility guide covers big-button layouts for anyone who finds a mouse and keyboard hard work.
How we write these guides
We make SofaDeck, so we have a point of view — but a guide that only says "use our app" doesn't help anyone. Every comparison lists what we checked and when, uses the vendor's own published prices and features, and links to their sites. Where a hardware deck, remote desktop tool or Windows' own features are the better answer, the guide says so. If you spot something out of date, email support@dixonappstudio.com and we'll fix it.