Mocha VNC Reviews

by Mike Deissler

this app uses an offset between where your finger touchs the iPhone screen to move the mouse around and where the cursor pointer is on the remote screen. This is logical since your finger would cover the mouse cursor otherwise. As you'd expect tapping once is a click; twice is a double-click. Sadly, however, when you take your finger away from the iPhone screen to iniate a click or double-click, the mouse cursor jumps back to where your finger actually is on the iPhone (about 80 pixels below where the remotes mouse cursor used to be and sends the click to the host well below your target. So, basically, it's next to impossible to click on a dialog button or the maximize, minimize or close button on a window. Mochasoft's support site doesn't address this at all. Bottom line: if all you need to do is look at a remote display, MochaVNC will do the job; if you want to interact with the host, you'd be better off hooking up two tin cans and a tight string. Save your money.

by Furhwyeiriguf

Buyer beware. You are not able to refund if MochaVNC does not work as expected.

DO NOT buy if you are expecting to be able to connect to a FactoryTalk HMI.

by Joshua Ochs

This used to be a fast VNC program, if saddled with an ugly, non-standard and unintuitive interface. With the latest updates it's now a slow, jerky VNC program with an ugly, non-standard and unintuitive interface.

The biggest problem is it's now extremely unresponsive. It seems to take a half second to decide if you're tapping, panning, or pinching, and as a result every time you interact with the program there is a disconcerting half second delay. This is especially annoying in an interactive program like this, as that means the screen doesn't pan as far as you expect (if missed the first chunk of your finger movement) or it doesn't zoom as far as expected (again, it misses the first half second of the pinch). Everything is leagues more difficult.

And that leaves aside the ugly, non-standard, unintuitive interface. I can't stress that enough - especially as the developer has shown no interest in user feedback, and has shown no interest in fixing the rampant UI issues in this program. I bought this a long time ago, but with this update, I bought a competing product that cost more money. It may not be perfect either, but at least it's usable.

iPhone 3GS, iOS 4.0.1, and no, it's not jailbroken or running any other apps in the background. About as stock as one gets.

by Slimtrimkid

I should have read more about this online before purchasing MochaVNC. It works fine in terms of connecting with my Mac. I've had no problems as far as this is concerned. However, it doesn't have any true functionality other than the fact that I can see my computer screen and access a couple of files, like text documents. If I needed to do that, I could e-mail my important docs to my iPhone. There is no sound, no ability to watch anything with video (The refresh rate on video is horrible). So, I am having a difficult time understanding why there is a need for this application. I should have experimented with the free version first, and like I said, checked online for reviews. I've never used VNC on any computer before, so, maybe this is the way it's supposed to work. Anyways, I seriously hope that the programmers are going to read this, because I am truly disappointed that I spent the money for MochaVNC. Updates? I certainly hope so.

by Jack_ANSI

A very complicated task was taken on by the developers. Good choices in trade offs on the mouse and navigating larger resolutions on the small screen of the ipod touch. I would like to see the edges more restrained; you can have a good bit of grey wasted space as your scrolling around. Would be best if it stopped at the edge of the visible screen.

Not as fast as I thought it was going to be by what others have said. Even over my G-wireless to a 100M connected PC there was about the same lag as is experienced when using it over a 512kbps DSL connection. I probably can switch to 8-bit color and get it a bit smoother but it works well enough for simple tasks. Just don't expect a perfect experience. Its not even in the same realm of speed as far as a full-PC to PC vs this.

by Mattelfesso

This application definitely accomplishes what it sets out to do. It gives you complete control over a remote Mac using the VNC protocol.

My main complaint is that the controls are not at all intuitive. It would have been much better had the developer used the conventional Mac gestures, i.e. those you would use on a Track Pad, to move the cursor around, drag, drop, double click, etc. One reason that they might have chosen otherwise is that you also need a separate way to pan and zoom the screen. So rather than moving the mouse, swiping the screen scrolls the screen up and down. Fine, this could have been accomplished by providing a "function" button. As it is, you can't really move the cursor smoothly from one place to another. Instead you just tap in different areas to reposition it. This creates problems because you end up activating things that you didn't mean to activate, etc. Maybe this was easier to program or requires less network bandwidth, but it is very awkward.

by Lexi Con

this program works but it keeps crashing on me because of the memory limitations of the ipod touch. so it is not useful. i suppose you might be able to change your screen resolution on your host and get it to work. don't try to do it after login though because MochaVNC will crash before you can.
I wanted to use my ipod as a sophisticated remote with some video presentations. aint gonna happen with mocha.
the programmers need to develop a work around for large screen size memory limitations. perhaps they should employ a clipping algorithm?
i don't know if the more expensive competitors use one so i can't recommend anything. part of the prob is that macs require 32 bit resolution. i am sure that for windows users this program is more workable because they can degrade their resolution.
we need more memory in our ipods. wait before you buy this. i am sad :(

by Ericwastaken

As far as VNC clients are concerned and given the size of the iPhone display, this is an extremely powerful application that delivers exactly what it needs to and is far superior an experience to WIMO and PALM versions. Folks, this is an administrative style DESKTOP CONTROL application. This is NOT for watching videos on your PC (there are plenty of streaming services and applications available for that). As in ANY VNC based connection, of course refresh rates will not support playing video remotely. However, if you are a network admin or network support person and you need to connect to workstations and servers remotely for troubleshooting and support, this is “hands down” the best mobile VNC client out there!

I am giving MochaVNC only 4 starts for now because there is still opportunity to polish the keyboards for more ease of use, connections should not be limited to 6 and one should be able to rename connections rather than relying on host name or ip address. I would also like to see future versions that support: screen scaling and color depth control. However, setting the “version 1” interface issues aside, this VNC client does what it is supposed to.

by Applefan98765

For the $5, i think a great product, can't see why anyone would pay 5x for Jaadu. I had the Lite version for a long time, but then got annoyed i couldn't left click the mouse and paid the $5. Only problem with mouse control is when you hold finger down on iPhone screen to click and drag, you have to put your finger a little down and to the left of the object you want becuase the mouse location is off. Fix that and for the price, terrific.

by Slimpaps

Tried out the lite version to test if it will connect with my macs and it does(while many other vnc apps wouldn’t). Refresh rate isn’t the greatest but what can u really expect on an iPhone 7 over cellular data...

My main use is to access my Mac and run terminal commands on it remotely. Works like a charm. Keyboard and mouse gestures could be better but once u find out where the up/down arrows etc. are u can accomplish what u need.

Will update this review once/if I find any critical issues.

by JANDER22

I suppose it depends on what you expect and what to do with it but I find this application to be very good. It works well with dynamic DNS and you control your PC ( or Mac) from anywhere in the world - how cool is that?! ;)
I do have one suggestion though - it should specify somewhere that if you can't control the mouse you need to change the server settings. I had my ultrVNC server on read only and couldn't do anything. Once I switched the settings to full access everything was good. I ended up buying the full version anyway. I think the free version is very good and the developer deserves a lot of credit for a job well done!

by NeonRanger

Does exactly what I need; accessing my Mac upstairs when I’m too lazy to get off the couch. I probably use it twice a month to tinker with my Plex library. Am I a “power user”? No. Has it ever let me down? No.

by Kdoske

This works really good for me, its a little slow but its actually better then I expected on my wifi connection. I am also not sure what all the bad review are about either. One the mocha website they recommend RealVNC enterprise with vista.....this didn't work for me. I tired ultra VNC and it fired right up with not problems.

Oh for the poster below, I am pretty sure the reason you can't connect to you computer when on 3g is becuase your port is not forwarded on your router. Use your internet IP in Mocha VNC for the computer that is the server , not the local IP address your router has designated your computer. Then forward your port, in my case port 5900, to what ever local ip address your router has designated for the computer you have the VNC server on. Hope this helps.

by Hchavarria

I have been using MochaVNC since I bought it to test it and so far it has worked perfect. I connected to my PC via VPN and then launched VNC and the connection is super fast without any issues. I recommend MochaVNC for anyone who requires remote access. I tried this on a Win XP and on a Server 2003 machine both had real fast responses and the connections never dropped in over 30 mins of usage. The error with connection others have had must be errors at their machines because I have disconnected and reconnect many times to see if errors would generate and none yet. I really like the ctrl alt del support and the left mouse click support. Great app and congrats to the developer.

by Argent117

This is a great VNC app. The interface isn't slick, but it gets the job done. I use it to control a number of different computers from my iPhone, over both WiFi and 3G. Connecting via WiFi is obviously a lot faster, but overall, it works flawlessly. Any basic tasks that you can do while sitting in front of your computer (launching/quitting programs, changing system preferences, transferring files, etc.), you can do from your iPhone—from just about anywhere in the world—with MochaVNC.

Note: Setting up your network so that you can connect from the outside world does require some technical know-how, so if you aren't comfortable with that, then MochaVNC may not be right for you. But if you're familiar with VNC server setup, then Mocha VNC is great.

by Tom Cal

Mocha VNC handles graphics pretty nicely: zooming, scrolling, and display are smooth, and display quality is high.

Unfortunately, it falls short in its user interface. Its mouse interaction is modal and often requires switching modes multiple times for something as simple as clicking a button. Dragging seems to be impossible. There is little documentation on how it's supposed to work. Standard Macintosh and iPhone scrolling gestures are not recognized, and the application doesn't provide the iPhone "magnifying glass" to help with precise pointing.

Another deficiency is the lack of support for SSH and other encrypted connections, making the application unsuitable for many IT tasks or accessing a desktop machine with important information on it.

There aren't many VNC clients for the iPhone/iPod Touch, and this one isn't too expensive, so you may still want to go for it. But it needs work.

by CohoSeattle

Very well written app that allows me to remote desktop connect to my iMac computer at home. I can see the iMac's screen on my iPhone 4, scroll around, do mouse clicks by tapping the screen. For the Mac, it uses the built-in VNC Server software so you don't need to install anything extra (just activate Screen Sharing on the Mac). I suggest you test out the free version first (Mocha VNC Lite) which has basically the same functionality except for some more advanced mousing options (e.g., dragging, right-click, etc).

I'm a bit more computer savvy than most people, so I was able to configure my router to allow me to remotely connect to my Mac using an Internet connection (by port forwarding and setting up a Dynamic DNS). As such, I can access my Mac remotely while traveling or on a business trip.

Connecting via a fast WiFi works fairly smooth and quickly, but it really slows down if using a cellular 3G connection. But, it still works. I highly recommend MochaVNC if you want remote desktop connection with your Mac.

by Rmontyq

I don't know why the other two reviewers had issues. The first thing I did was to uninstall the Lite version (which btw, wipes out any settings you already had). I was repeatedly unable to install the application thru iTunes (purchased on the desktop thru the store as I could not find in in the store listing on the iphone itself).

After several try's, I gave up and looked again on the iphone store (from the phone) and there it was! Selected install, (already paid, yes), and once it installed, immediately fired up the vpn, and connected directly to my CentOS 5 desktop and began using it. Love the addtional keyboards, the ability to create macro's for keystroke intensive, repeated work. The response was phenomenal, and worth the $6 bucks just for the additional keyboards (w/Function keys, WIN key, CTL/ALT, etc, etc)

Now if they can get an SSH client out of the door they can get more of my money!

I still appear to be having issues over the cellular network 2G/3G both, in that VNC never connects. I use VPN to connect, web browsing works just fine, but VNC never connects. If anyone has an idea of what to tweak, please let us know!

Keep up the good work!

by Somune6523

If you're looking for a solid VNC client that lets a power user do what they need, this is it!

by CandaceSoVan

I just upgraded from Mocha VNC Lite to the full Mocha VNC mostly to support this developer. This version adds some cool features — CTRL, ALT, etc., keys; better mouse control, function key, but I'd have bought it anyway, just to vote with my dollars for this developer and MochaVNC. It's one of those things I didn't realized I needed until I had it. I find dozens of reasons to quickly pop into my iMac when I'm sitting at the other end of the house with my iPad or iPod Touch, and this application makes it so easy to do.

I see that it's gotten some negative reviews, but I really can't see why. It took me about two minutes to config MochaVNC to access two different Macs, and now, it just works. I just open MochaVNC and select which computer I need to access. It's easy, quick, and it works.