Beam
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
Beam is a personal productivity tool for Developers and Creators, offered as freemium ($12/mo). Founded in in . Popular alternatives include Obsidian, Willow, Todoist.
About Beam
Beam is a macOS app from Noats, Inc. that shares individual windows between your own Macs. Instead of showing a picture of the whole remote desktop, it opens a chosen window from one Mac as a live, native window on the Mac in front of you, with its own Dock icon and Command-Tab entry. The pitch is running AI agents, builds or heavy apps on a Mac mini or Mac Studio and using their windows from a laptop.
You can beam one window, several windows or a whole display, type and use shortcuts directly, resize the window on both sides, hear the app's audio and sync the clipboard. Headless Macs with no display still show up in the picker, and password managers and hidden windows never appear in the picker. Macs connect over an encrypted link on the same network, or over Tailscale when apart. Free hosts any number of Macs but limits use to 20 minutes a day; Monthly ($12), Yearly ($84) and Lifetime ($199) remove the limit, and a Team plan bills per seat.
It fits developers and creators with a second Mac doing long-running work. Apple's built-in Screen Sharing is free but mirrors the entire desktop, while remote desktop tools such as Jump Desktop or Parsec also reach Windows machines. Beam needs Apple silicon and macOS Sonoma or later on both Macs. Other devices only get browser share links, and a Mac outside your network needs Tailscale.
Beam launched on Product Hunt on October 19, 2026 as Beam.win and finished #1 of the day. Buying tip: use the free 20 minutes a day for a week on your real setup, then choose Yearly over Monthly, which works out to $7 a month instead of $12.
Key features of Beam
- 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
- Share links expire after one hour up to one week
- Password managers and hidden windows are excluded from the picker
Pros and cons
Pros
- 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
- Lifetime option at $199 for people who dislike subscriptions
- Moving from Monthly or Yearly to Lifetime within three months credits what you paid
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
- Reaching a Mac outside your local network requires Tailscale
- Very new product with a short track record
Beam pricing
Beam uses a freemium model.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use |
| Monthly | $12 / mo | Unlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links |
| Yearly | $84 / yr | Same as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually |
| Lifetime | $199 | One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections |
| Team | $12 / seat/mo | Or $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice |
Source: beam.win · checked on Oct 22, 2026
How Beam compares in Personal productivity
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 25
- Starting price
- $12
- Free alternatives
- 1
0 votes from members
14% above the category median ($11/mo)
Free or open-source tools in Personal productivity
Beam ranks #1 of 25 personal productivity tools by community votes and is priced above most tools in the category.
Common use cases
- 1Watching Claude Code or other AI agents run on a Mac mini from a MacBook
- 2Using a Terminal or browser window from a headless Mac Studio
- 3Running heavy apps like video editors on a desktop Mac while working on a laptop
- 4Showing one window to a client or teammate through a time-limited browser link
- 5Spreading a second Mac's app across an ultrawide display
Best for
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.
Not ideal for
People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Integrations
- Tailscale
Our take
Beam solves a narrow problem well: using a few windows from a second Mac without the clutter of full screen sharing, which suits anyone running agents or builds on a Mac mini. Try the free daily minutes first, and if it sticks, Yearly or Lifetime is better value than Monthly.
FAQ
- What is Beam?
- Beam is a Personal productivity tool: Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another.
- How much does Beam cost?
- Beam uses a Freemium model; paid plans start at $12 per month.
- What are the best alternatives to Beam?
- Community-listed alternatives to Beam include Obsidian, Willow, Todoist, Microsoft Excel.
- What does Beam integrate with?
- Beam integrates with Tailscale and more.
- Which platforms does Beam support?
- Beam is available on macos.
- Who is Beam for?
- 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.
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