Vysor is a free remote control software that allows you to view and use your mobile operating system on your desktop screen. Developed by Vysor, Inc., this productivity program functions similarly to an emulator but offers more ease of use as it can remotely access your mobile device through a USB cable.

Just like scrcpy and AirDroid Desktop, Vysor has emulation, screencasting, and mirroring capabilities. Much of the controls are tied to your keyboard and mouse so there’s no need to worry about interface navigation. This program is available as both a desktop client and a browser add-on.

What is Vysor used for?

At its core, Vysor is for controlling your mobile device through your PC. As mentioned, it’s highly similar to an emulator but instead uses the hardware capabilities of an actual physical device—a.k.a. your capable PC that has more storage and processing more. The process is done by connecting your mobile device to your computer using a USB data cable and enabling ADB (Android Device Bridge) on your device. To start off, download the desktop client or simply open the web app client. 

It will automatically install when you run its EXE file. It will then ask you for its security access so just configure that to whatever you like. Afterward, the menu will now be available for use. You’ll see two panels on the top half: the green “Android Devices” panel and the blue “iOS Devices” panel. These show whichever devices you currently have connected to your PC and to Vysor. If there are none, the instructions on how to connect them are displayed instead. 

They also list what prerequisite programs or drivers you’ll need to run the remote control properly. Clicking on their hyperlinks will redirect you to the developer’s website and help you fetch the necessary downloads. Meanwhile, the bottom half of the menu displays the Settings and About sections. By default, there are only two toggleable buttons under Settings—although you can customize the program via coding. You can also install camera plugins here, letting you integrate this program into Zoom and OBS. 

Is there a free version of Vysor?

After connecting it, your mobile device’s interface will be displayed and you can interact with it—enabling you to use your installed mobile apps, games, and even test any app projects you have. Vysor is pretty useful for mobile app developers as the software offers the integration and ease of an emulator on hardware that has a better performance compared to a mobile device. Mostly, the few serious issues you’ll encounter simply concern connection issues between your PC and your mobile device.

There are technically two versions of this software in terms of licensing: the free version and the Pro version. The first one only features the main mirroring and remote control capabilities. Meanwhile, the Pro version includes additional features such as fullscreen mode, wireless connections, Vysor Share, drag-and-drop functionality, and access to all future features that the developer will add. Vysor Share is the program’s built-in sharing functionality, which allows you to share your mobile device’s remote access to others by simply sending a link.

A handy tool to have

All in all, Vysor is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to try out mirroring apps between PC and mobile or remotely accessing your mobile device. With it, you can bring the comforts of the mouse and keyboard to your mobile device and can even ditch emulators altogether. It offers two versions while still allowing you to enjoy the main features for free. You only have to worry about your connection sometimes going wonky.