Ghostty
Focus: terminal, emulator and gpu. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS and Linux. Rated 4.9 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.9Visit
Desktop App
KDE Connect
A free, open-source project that links your phone and computer.
Rating
4.4 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Cross-Platform
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is KDE Connect?
KDE Connect is a project that lets your devices communicate with each other. It can share files and links between a computer and a phone, show phone notifications on the desktop, let you reply to text messages from the computer, control music remotely, and turn the phone into a presentation remote or trackpad. It can also ring your phone to find it. The site says it is open source and free to use for any purpose.
Pros: what KDE Connect does well
- Free and open source
- Share files, links and clipboard between devices
- Reply to texts and see notifications on your computer
Cons: where it falls short
- Both devices need to be set up and paired
- The site does not list supported systems on its home page
Who KDE Connect is for
People who move between a phone and a computer all day and want them to work together.
Who can skip it
People who rarely need to link their phone and computer.
KDE Connect alternatives
Not sold on KDE Connect? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
fzf
Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.8 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
lazygit
Focus: git client, terminal ui and developer tool. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.8 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
navi
Focus: terminal, cli and cheatsheet. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.8 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Upscayl
Focus: image upscaling, ai and electron. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds Linux, macOS and Windows. Rated 4.8 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeLinux, macOS
4.8Visit
Atuin
Focus: shell history, terminal and command line. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Linux and Windows. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to KDE Connect
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
AutoHotkey
Focus: hotkeys, macros and scripting. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds Windows and Offline. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, Offline
4.7Visit
bat
Focus: file viewer, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
btop
Focus: system monitor, terminal and processes. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Linux and Offline. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
htop
Focus: process viewer, system monitor and terminal. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS and Linux. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
mpv
Focus: video player, media and subtitles. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
OBS Studio
Focus: screen recording, live streaming and video. Shares open source with KDE Connect. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.7 (KDE Connect: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
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