Beam vs Many Displays
Beam and Many Displays are both personal productivity tools. Beam is aimed at developers and creators, while Many Displays is aimed at developers and freelancers. Both have a free plan.
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
Mac menu bar app that restores windows after sleep, unlock or replug
| Pricing | Freemium · $12 | Paid |
| Starting price | $12/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | 14 days |
| Built for | Developers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businesses | Developers, Freelancers, Creators, Small businesses |
| Platforms | macos | macos |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Beam if
Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.
- Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
- Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
- Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs
Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Choose Many Displays if
Mac users with docks or several external monitors, especially identical ones, who are tired of rearranging windows after every sleep.
- Works with zero setup: no layouts to name, save or trigger
- Built specifically for identical monitors that macOS swaps
- No network access, analytics or account inside the app
Look elsewhere if: People who want keyboard tiling or saved workspace presets rather than automatic restore (Rectangle, Moom).
Beam vs Many Displays pricing
Beam
- Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
- Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
- Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
- Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
- Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice
Many Displays
- Free trial$014 days with every feature, no account or card
- Licence$19One-time; 1 person, up to 3 Macs, 12 months of updates
- BusinessCustomOne licence per employee; volume pricing by email
Beam · Key features
- Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
- Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
- Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
- Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
- Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
- Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default
Cons
- macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
- Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
- Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links
Many Displays · Key features
- Automatic window restore after wake, unlock, login or monitor replug
- Identical monitors told apart by system UUID and physical port
- One remembered layout per combination of displays
- Restores arrangement, resolution, refresh rate, rotation and HDR first
- Reads the window server list in about 20 ms instead of polling apps
- Remembers and restores windows on other Spaces, not just the visible one
Cons
- macOS only, with no Windows or Linux version
- Cannot move windows between Spaces on macOS 14.5 and later
- Updates after the first year require buying a new licence
Beam vs Many Displays: FAQ
Do Beam and Many Displays have a free plan?
Yes, both Beam and Many Displays have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.