Comparison · 2 min read · facts checked
Jump Desktop is a remote desktop app: it connects to whole Windows, Mac and Linux computers over RDP, VNC or its own Fluid protocol, from many platforms. Wormhole works only between two Macs and opens one window from the other Mac as a window of its own here, with no account.
Jump Desktop and Wormhole both put another computer's apps on the Mac in front of you, but they draw the line in a different place: Jump Desktop shows you a computer's displays, Wormhole shows you one of its windows. Every fact about Jump Desktop below comes from its own site and its Mac App Store listing, checked on 5 November 2026. Prices change, so they are not repeated here; follow the sources.
How do they compare?
| Jump Desktop | Wormhole | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | The remote computer's displays: switch between them or see them all at once, up to four, each in its own window on Mac | One window from the other Mac as a window of its own; "Whole screen" is in the picker too |
| Computers you can reach | Windows, Mac and Linux, plus existing RDP and VNC computers | Macs only |
| Where you connect from | Windows, Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android (beta), Linux (alpha) and a web browser | A Mac |
| Protocols | RDP, VNC and its own Fluid Remote Desktop | Its own, Mac to Mac, every frame end-to-end encrypted |
| What runs on the remote computer | Jump Desktop Connect, signed in to your account | Wormhole, the same app on both Macs |
| Account | Sign in with the same account on each device | None: pair once with a six-digit code on both screens |
| Reaching a computer elsewhere | From anywhere; a "Cloudless" option connects by hostname or IP address without the internet | On your network, or by IP address or hostname (over Tailscale, for example) |
| Requirements on Mac | macOS 11 or later (App Store listing) | macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel |
| Dock icon and ⌘Tab per remote window | Not described on its pages | Yes |
| How it is sold | A one-time purchase on Mac and iPhone or iPad, a 14-day trial on Mac, free on Windows, Android and the web; team plans | Once, for up to 3 Macs you sit at (pricing) |
Can Jump Desktop show a single app window?
Its pages do not describe one. Jump Desktop's Mac page talks about the host's displays, a virtual display sized to the screen you connect from, and opening several computers in tabs or separate windows; the App Store listing describes desktops, tabbed windows and multiple monitors. Neither mentions showing one application on its own. If that is what you need, check with Jump Desktop before you buy.
When is each the better fit?
That depends on what you are connecting to, so here are the facts that decide it rather than a verdict:
- A Windows or Linux machine, or a Mac you reach from an iPad or a phone: Wormhole cannot do that. It is Mac to Mac.
- One app from your Mac mini or Studio, used like a local app: Wormhole opens that window by itself, with its own Dock icon, and you can click and type into it. How to set it up.
- Software that must never touch an account: Wormhole has none; Jump Desktop's Mac page asks you to sign in on each device.
Where to read more
- Four ways to use another Mac's apps, including Screen Sharing and Beam.
- Everything that does not work yet, or works differently on purpose.
- Frequently asked questions.
Related
- Universal Control vs Sidecar vs Screen Sharing
- Wormhole vs Beam: one Mac's window on another
- Wormhole vs macOS Screen Sharing