SideMiniSideMini alternatives, compared honestly
Every tool here is good at something, and the table says so plainly. Then it says what each one cannot do, so you can see in thirty seconds which of them solves the problem you actually have.
Prices checked 6 September 2026 from the official product pages. Plans, regional pricing and taxes can change.
| Tool | Cost | Where it wins | Where it does not |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidecar on its own | Free, built into macOS | Best picture, zero cost, nothing to install | Cannot start itself; cannot connect to a Mac with no display |
| SidecarLauncher | Free, open source | Command-line control of Sidecar; scriptable | Cannot help a Mac with no monitor; you build the automation yourself |
| Luna Display | $89.99 hardware | A hardware dongle that works with no monitor by design; also Mac-to-Mac | Costs much more than the software options; one more thing to carry |
| Duet Display | From about $4/month, billed annually | Windows and Android tablets too; wired or wireless | Subscription; installs display software; on Apple-only setups Sidecar generally looks better |
| BetterDisplay | Free tier; $21.99 Pro | Deep display control: virtual screens, resolutions, brightness on any monitor | Not about Sidecar or automation; you still start the iPad connection yourself |
| Amphetamine / Caffeine | Free | Keeps a Mac awake, well made, many triggers | Only the awake half, and only while the app runs; no display, no power-cut recovery |
| SideMini | $9 once | Starts Sidecar at login, works on a Mac with no display, and keeps a Mac awake 24/7 | Apple-only: no Windows PCs or Android tablets |
What only SideMini does
The table above is honest about where each tool is strong. Two situations are where the others stop short, and they are the reason this app exists.
- A Mac with no display at all. Sidecar on its own cannot be the only screen, and tools that only start Sidecar cannot either. SideMini makes the iPad the Mac’s screen from the moment it starts. The only other way is a hardware dongle at ten times the price.
- A Mac that has to stay up. Keep-awake apps stop the moment they quit, you log out or the power goes. SideMini’s Server mode keeps the Mac awake for good and brings it back on after a power cut.
Coming from something else
- From plain Sidecar. The same picture, the same Apple Pencil, the same everything. You stop opening Control Center, and it survives restarts, sleep and dropped links.
- From a dummy plug. You get the port back, and the resolution becomes a setting instead of a purchase. Keep the plug if you like; both work together.
- From Amphetamine or Caffeine. You keep the awake behavior and gain the part they do not cover: restarting after a power cut, waking on connect, and a Screen Sharing picture that is not blank.
- From Luna Display. The same no-monitor setup with nothing in the port, for $9 instead of $89.99, and nothing to leave in a drawer.
Download for macOS
Three days from first launch. No card, no account, nothing to cancel.
Already tried it? Buy for $9, once.