Lightspan vs Yam Display
Yam Display turns an iPad or iPhone into a second display for a Mac over a USB cable. It costs $7.99 once; Wi-Fi is a separate app, Yam Air, for $3.99. Lightspan is €9.99 once with cable and Wi-Fi in one app.
What is Yam Display?
Yam Display ("Yet Another Monitor") is an app by Yamstu Inc. that makes an iPad or iPhone a second display for a Mac. It is Mac only: there is no Windows version.
- What it costs
- Yam Display (USB) is $7.99 once in the US App Store, €8.99 in the German one. Yam Air (wireless) is a separate app for $3.99. The Mac app is a free download from yamdisplay.com.
- What it runs on
- A Mac with macOS 10.9 or later (Yam Air: OS X 10.10 or later) and an iPad or iPhone with iOS 7.1 or later (Yam Air: iOS 8.0 or later). The App Store listing says it supports Apple Silicon Macs natively.
- How it connects
- Yam Display: USB cable. Yam Air: peer-to-peer Wi-Fi, with "Air mode" switched on in the Mac app. They are two apps, bought separately.
- What it does
- Extends or mirrors the Mac display at 30 or 60 frames a second in Retina resolution, with touch gestures (click, zoom, scroll, drag, rotate), a virtual Touch Bar and Split View on the iPad.
- Is it still updated?
- The iPad app is at version 2.2, released on 2 February 2023. The Mac app on yamdisplay.com is version 2.4.8.4; the download file is dated 7 May 2026.
Checked on the App Store and yamdisplay.com on 8 October 2026. Prices in detail.
The honest comparison.
Cyan = clear winner on that row. Plain text = roughly tied.
| Feature | Lightspan | Yam Display |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €9.99 one-time | $7.99 one-time (USB); Yam Air for Wi-Fi is $3.99 more |
| Pricing model | Pay once, owned forever | Pay once, per app |
| Connection | Wi-Fi + USB-C cable | USB cable (Yam Display) or Wi-Fi (Yam Air), as two separate apps |
| Latency | 40–60 ms (cable / clean Wi-Fi) | Not measured by us |
| Touch support | Yes — display only | Yes — click, zoom, scroll, drag, rotate |
| Mac-as-display | No | Yes — with the separate Yam Air Desk app |
| Direct download | Mac app (.dmg) | Mac app (.dmg), free |
| iPadOS minimum | iPadOS 16+ | iOS 7.1+ (Yam Air: iOS 8.0+) |
| macOS minimum | macOS 14.2 Sonoma+ | macOS 10.9+ (Yam Air: OS X 10.10+) |
| Status | Active, indie support | iPad app last updated 2 February 2023 |
| Windows PC as the computer | No — Mac only | No — Mac only |
What Lightspan does better.
- Cable and Wi-Fi in one €9.99 purchase. With Yam you buy Yam Display for the cable and Yam Air for Wi-Fi.
- The iPad app is current. Yam Display for iPad was last updated on 2 February 2023.
- Audio is sent to the iPad. Yam does not list audio as a feature.
Where it’s the better pick.
- Cheaper if a cable is all you need: $7.99 once.
- Runs on much older devices: macOS 10.9 and iOS 7.1, where Lightspan needs macOS 14.2 and iPadOS 16.
- Works with an iPhone as the display, not only an iPad.
- Touch gestures control the Mac, and there is a virtual Touch Bar.
- A second Mac can be the display, with the separate Yam Air Desk app.
Which one's right for you?
If your Mac or iPad is too old for Lightspan, or you will only ever plug in a cable and want the lowest price, Yam Display is a fair choice. If you want cable and Wi-Fi from one purchase on a current Mac and iPad, with sound on the iPad, choose Lightspan.
Yam Display price in 2026
Yam is sold as separate one-time purchases in the App Store. There is no subscription. The app for the Mac is free.
- Yam Display $7.99 once (€8.99 in Germany)
- The iPad and iPhone app for a USB cable connection. Its two in-app purchases, Drag and Drop and Teleprompter Mode, are listed at $0.00.
- Yam Air $3.99 once (€3.99 in Germany)
- The wireless version, a separate app. Teleprompter Mode is listed at $0.00, Drag and Drop at $1.99.
- Yam Display for Mac Free
- The app on the Mac that both iPad apps connect to. Downloaded from yamdisplay.com.
The App Store also lists a bundle, "Yam Display Pack (USB + Air)"; we could not read its price. Yam Air Desk, for using a second Mac as the display, is a further one-time purchase after a 7-day trial; yamdisplay.com does not state its price. Lightspan is €9.99 once, with cable and Wi-Fi included.
Checked on the App Store and yamdisplay.com on 8 October 2026. Source: Yam Display in the App Store.
See also:
Lightspan still right for you?
€9.99 once on the App Store.