Compare · checked November 2026
PhoneUse rents phones to AI agents: virtual Android cloud phones, and real iPhones and Androids racked in their San Francisco facility, controlled over MCP, an API or a CLI.
The short answer
PhoneUse gives your agent rented phones in their cloud. ScreenTap gives your agent your own iPhone, on your desk, with your apps and accounts. Pick PhoneUse to run many phones around the clock; pick ScreenTap to automate the iPhone you already have, privately and for a fraction of the price.
| ScreenTap | PhoneUse | |
|---|---|---|
| Which phone | Your own iPhone | Rented cloud Android or real iPhone in their rack |
| iPhone | Yes | Yes, real iPhones |
| Android | No | Yes, cloud and real |
| Your apps, accounts, iMessage and iCloud | Already there | You set them up on a rented device |
| Where it runs | Your Mac | PhoneUse's cloud |
| Screens and data leave your machine | No | Yes, phones are remote |
| Connects to agents over MCP | Yes | Yes, plus API and CLI |
| Many phones at once | One iPhone per Mac (more on request) | Yes, up to enterprise fleets |
| Setup | Plug in your iPhone, about 2 minutes | Sign up; iPhones prepared within 7 days |
| Price for a real iPhone | $19/mo, or $99 once at launch (you bring the iPhone) | $149/mo per iPhone |
| Price for Android | Not available | From $20/mo, or $0.024/min |
PhoneUse details from phoneuse.com, checked November 2026. Prices and features change, so check their site before you decide.
ScreenTap works on the iPhone in your pocket, so your agent sees your real apps, logins, messages and photos. PhoneUse gives you separate devices you rent and set up, which is better when you want a clean phone per account or job.
With ScreenTap the screen never leaves your Mac and the MCP server only listens on 127.0.0.1. PhoneUse phones live in their cloud, so screens and app data pass through their servers.
A real iPhone on PhoneUse is $149 a month. ScreenTap is $19 a month, or $99 once during launch, on an iPhone you already own. PhoneUse's Android cloud phones start at $20 a month.
PhoneUse can run many phones in parallel, around the clock, without anything on your desk. ScreenTap drives your iPhone from your Mac while both are on; running several phones is available on request.
Choose ScreenTap if
Choose PhoneUse if
For iPhone, yes, if you're happy to use your own phone. Both let Claude Code, Codex or Cursor operate an iPhone over MCP. ScreenTap drives the iPhone you own from your Mac; PhoneUse rents you phones in their cloud.
For one iPhone, ScreenTap: $19 a month or $99 once at launch, versus $149 a month for a real iPhone on PhoneUse. PhoneUse's Android cloud phones start at $20 a month, which ScreenTap doesn't offer.
Yes. Some people use ScreenTap for their personal iPhone and a cloud service for extra phones. Both connect to the same agents over MCP.
Try it free for 15 minutes on your own iPhone. No account needed.