choclift Review (2026): Pricing, Features & Honest Verdict

TLDR

choclift turns your iPhone into a touch control panel for your Mac. Over the same Wi-Fi network you launch apps, run Apple Shortcuts, open saved websites, and trigger window gestures from your phone. We found it clever and cheap, but niche and Mac-only. Best for: Mac power users who want a software Stream Deck. Price: Free, Premium $2.99/mo. Rating: 6.2/10.

What is choclift?

The name is misleading, so let us clear it up first: choclift is not a chocolate brand. It is a cross-device productivity app that turns your iPhone into what the maker calls a third interface for your Mac. Over the same Wi-Fi network, your phone becomes a touch control panel. You tap to launch and switch between Mac apps, trigger Apple Shortcuts, and open saved websites, all organized into pages with emoji labels. The chocolate theming is just a playful skin, right down to an app icon shaped like a chocolate bar.

It was built by Phil Traut and is sold under Trautmann & Dorre GbR. The app is current, sitting at version 2.1 as of mid-2026, and runs on iOS, macOS, and visionOS. The closest mental model is Stream Deck Mobile, but choclift leans harder into Mac app launching and window management than button-pad streaming controls. Crucially, it is a pure software product, so there is no $150 hardware deck to buy. You install an app on each device and you are running. We tested the concept and it is a real, focused tool: a way to offload the constant app-switching and window-juggling of a busy Mac onto a second screen you already own.

What Are choclift’s Key Features?

Instant Mac app launching

The core job is launching and switching Mac apps from your iPhone. You pin your favorites, then tap to bring any app to the front without reaching for the keyboard or hunting through the Dock. For people who live in a dozen apps at once, this turns the phone into a dedicated app switcher that sits next to the keyboard. There is one rough edge worth flagging: some users report the app cannot find programs in the home Applications folder, so app discovery is not flawless.

Shortcuts and saved websites

Beyond apps, choclift triggers Apple Shortcuts and opens saved websites with a single tap. This is where it earns the control panel label. You can wire up a Shortcut that runs a multi-step automation and fire it from your phone, or keep a row of frequently visited URLs one tap away. Everything is organized with emoji so a glance tells you what each tile does, which keeps a busy board readable.

Finger gestures

choclift supports finger gestures for window management and basic editing. You can minimize and maximize Mac windows or run copy and paste actions with a swipe or tap on the phone. It even supports drag-and-drop targeting across desktops. These gestures are the feature that pushes it past a simple launcher into something closer to a remote trackpad for your most common actions.

App Time Travel

App Time Travel is the standout Premium feature. It gives you a scrollable timeline of recently used Mac apps, so you can jump back to something you had open earlier without remembering exactly where it went. It is a small but genuinely useful idea for anyone who churns through apps all day, and it is the kind of feature that does not exist in a stock macOS app switcher. The catch is that it sits behind the paid tier, as do multiple pages. If you only use the free single page, you will not see it, which is part of why the free version feels more like a teaser than a complete tool for heavy users.

How Much Does choclift Cost?

choclift is free to download and use, and the free tier covers the core experience: launching apps, gestures, Shortcuts, and saved websites on a single page. For a lot of users that single free page is enough, which makes choclift an easy no-risk install.

The paid tier is called Added Sugar, leaning into the chocolate theme, and costs $2.99 per month with a 7-day free trial. Premium unlocks up to 8 customizable pages and the App Time Travel timeline, plus future premium features. The honest limitation is the structure: the free tier appears capped at one page, so if you want to organize tiles across multiple boards you have to subscribe. There is no annual discount and no one-time purchase, which is the most common complaint in the app’s reviews.

At $2.99 a month, the price is fair against the competition. Stream Deck Mobile charges the same $2.99 monthly but also offers a $49.99 lifetime option. Touch Portal is a one-time $12.99. DeckPilot has a free 8-button tier. So choclift is cheap month to month, but over a couple of years the subscription costs more than rivals that let you pay once. Whether that matters depends on how long you expect to use it. Pay $2.99 a month for two years and you have spent roughly $72, more than Stream Deck Mobile’s lifetime license. That math is the single most common gripe in choclift’s App Store reviews, where users keep asking for a one-time purchase the app does not offer.

Who is choclift Best For?

Use choclift if you are a Mac power user who switches apps constantly, owns an iPhone, and wants a software Stream Deck without buying a $150 hardware deck. The free tier lets you test the whole idea at zero cost, and at $2.99 a month the Premium upgrade is trivially cheap if the multi-page layout clicks for you. visionOS early adopters get a bonus, since it runs there too.

Skip choclift if you need to control your Mac remotely, because both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network and there is no cellular or internet option. Skip it if you want to control your iPhone or other devices, since it only controls the Mac. And skip it if you prefer to pay once and own software outright, because Premium is subscription-only with no lifetime tier. If those constraints do not bother you, it is a tidy little utility. One more thing to weigh: the user base is small, with only a handful of App Store ratings so far, so you are betting on an indie maker continuing to ship updates rather than a product with a long, proven track record behind it.

Best choclift Alternatives

Stream Deck Mobile

Stream Deck Mobile from Elgato is the most polished alternative and the obvious benchmark. It costs $2.99 per month or $49.99 for a lifetime license and caps at 64 buttons. It is more mature, with a huge plugin ecosystem aimed at streamers and creators. If you want the deepest button-pad customization and the option to pay once, Stream Deck Mobile wins. choclift counters with a sharper focus on Mac app launching and window gestures rather than stream controls.

Touch Portal

Touch Portal is the cross-platform pick. It is free to start, with a Pro upgrade at a one-time $12.99, and it works on both iOS and Android. If you carry an Android phone or want a deck that controls Windows as well as Mac, Touch Portal is far more flexible than choclift’s Apple-only, Mac-only design. The trade-off is a steeper setup and a less native Mac feel.

DeckPilot

DeckPilot is the closest free competitor. Its free tier gives you an 8-button launcher with shortcuts and system controls, and paid tiers add more. If you want a free, no-subscription option and 8 buttons is enough, DeckPilot is the most direct rival to choclift’s free page. choclift offers more gesture and window features, but DeckPilot avoids the subscription entirely.

Final Verdict: Is choclift Worth It?

choclift is a clever, well-made utility that solves a real annoyance: the constant app-switching and window-juggling of a busy Mac. Turning the iPhone you already own into a dedicated control panel is a smart use of a second screen, and the gesture support plus App Time Travel show real thought about how power users actually work. At free to start and $2.99 a month for Premium, the price is never the obstacle.

The 6.2 reflects how niche and thin it is rather than any flaw in execution. It only works on the same Wi-Fi network, it only controls the Mac, it is Apple-only, and Premium is subscription-only with a tiny user base behind it. Those are real limits that keep it from being essential. But if you are a Mac power user who wants a software Stream Deck and the constraints do not bother you, choclift is worth the free download and an easy $2.99 upgrade. Try the free tier first, then decide if the extra pages are worth it.