scrcpy

Pros

• Simply screen recording
• Drag and drop file sharing
• Works wirelessly or connected by USB

Cons

• Narrow usage for the majority of customers
• Somewhat limited capabilities for those without CLI knowledge

Scrcpy is a simple utility that lets you access your smartphone through your desktop or laptop. This nimble little piece of software is lightweight enough to fit comfortably into any professional's tool kit, though it's specific enough that many users may only find themselves using it once or twice. But the fact that it comes with a price tag of free ensures that it's worth checking out even just to give the software a spin.

In addition to being free to use, scrcpy is also open source. The community is enthusiastic, expansive, and smart, and the software regularly sees updates intended to improve the user experience. Scrcpy may be software that works best with edge cases, but it strives to be the best in its very narrow field. For the most part, it succeeds.

One of the primary selling points of screen sharing software like scrcpy is the ability to use a keyboard and mouse to navigate your phone's interface. This software gets the user experience just right. Since it connected to your computer via a simple USB connection, you don't have to worry about lag when interacting with your phone screen. Dedicated power users will love the deep bench of keyboard shortcuts that can be used to more agilely navigate their phone's interface. You can go straight to your home screen with a single click of your mouse's scroll button, but more advanced users can accomplish practically any task with a single click or two.

If you'd rather connect your devices wirelessly, you shouldn't have to worry about too much lag. Scrcpy can connect wirelessly to your desktop device through an adb command in the CLI, and you even have a decent variety of networking options to choose from. People with experience with the command line will find a whole wealth of options for customizing the scrcpy experience, but less savvy users might find themselves a little behind.

Some smart features complement that strong sense of moment-to-moment interactivity. Screen recording is the most convenient option - and an obvious choice for game streamers and tutorial creators. Everything is tied to shortcuts, so a confident user can expertly edit a video in little time at all. Even cooler is how it lets you share files directly between your smartphone and your PC. Simply drag files from one device and drop them in the other for immediate access. Also convenient is the ability to copy from one device and paste it into the other.

Scrcpy may have relatively low ambitions, but it does an exceptional job of fulfilling those ambitions as capably as possible. If you need to share your Android screen on your computer, there's arguably no better option on the market.

Pros

• Simply screen recording
• Drag and drop file sharing
• Works wirelessly or connected by USB

Cons

• Narrow usage for the majority of customers
• Somewhat limited capabilities for those without CLI knowledge