Opportunities › Cross-device input and screen sharing for multi-device workflows › Proposed app
Sidewise
One mouse and keyboard across your Mac, PC, Linux box and phone
- Score
- 52
- confidence 62
- Evidence
- 6
- items on the page
- Rivals
- 5
- named in sources
- First version
- 60 d
- estimate
- Type
- Desktop and mobile
- PWA: on computers and phones alike
- Market since
- 2006
- Mature market · AI estimate
ScreensConcept
Desktop and mobile: Sidewise requires setup and screen arrangement on desktop, but seamlessly connects phones and computers for ongoing cursor/clipboard sharing across all devices. Sample screens on a computer and a phone, in the proposed brand. Their numbers are sample data.
Layout
All connected4 devices
About this appAI proposal
Sidewise lets one mouse and keyboard move across every computer on your desk. Push the cursor off the edge of one screen and it appears on the next, whether that is a Mac, a Windows PC, a Linux machine or an Android phone. Clipboard and files travel the same way.
Devices pair directly with a short code and talk peer to peer. There is no account and no cloud relay for your content. A small helper app on each computer handles the input; the PWA is where you arrange screens, pair devices and manage transfers.
It is for developers and knowledge workers who run several machines at once and are tired of extra keyboards, retyping snippets and emailing files to themselves. It aims to be one tool for all platforms, without needing a shared network.
- Tagline
- Your whole desk, one keyboard and mouse.
- Voice
- CalmDirectPractical
- Why this name
- Sidewise names the core gesture: sliding the cursor sideways off one screen onto the next. Short, plain and easy to say.
In the first version
Members say which features they would use. It tells PWAS what people want; it changes no score.
One keyboard and mouse everywhere
Move the cursor past a screen edge to control the next device. Keyboard focus follows, on Mac, Windows, Linux and Android.
No member yet
Shared clipboard
Copy on one device, paste on another. Text and images sync directly between paired devices, with a per-device on/off switch.
No member yet
Drag files between machines
Drop a file on a device tile and it lands in a folder you choose on the other device.
No member yet
Pairing without a shared network
Pair with a short code or QR. Devices connect peer to peer, so they need not sit on the same Wi-Fi or LAN.
No member yet
Brand identityAI proposal
Check the name against trademark registers before using it.
Palette
#1E6B5CDeep Teal · primary#F6F1E7Paper · surface#1F2A2EInk · text#E0762BSignal Orange · accent#3A5BA0Slate Blue · data
Typography
Aa
Sidewise
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789
Your whole desk, one keyboard and mouse.
PricingAI proposal
Based on Synergy's verified pricing page: 3 paid plans from €15 to €29 one-time. Dollar figures are a starting point to test, not a conversion. The material gives no prices for other competitors.
Free
Free
- 2 devices
- Shared clipboard (text)
- Keyboard and mouse sharing
Personal
$19 once
- Up to 5 devices
- Clipboard with images
- File transfer
- Android notifications
Pro
$29 once
- Unlimited devices
- Saved desk layouts
- Priority support
- Updates for one year
Would you pay Personal · $19 once?
Your answer tells PWAS which prices people accept. It changes no score.
No answers yet.
What it could be worthEstimate
What a software business making this much sells for today, from real deals. Pick a monthly revenue.
If it makes
Worth about
$190,000
Sale range $132,000 to $263,000
$120,000 a year in revenue
From 87 software businesses listed and sold on Empire Flippers in the last year, revenue vetted by the broker: they sell for about 19× their monthly revenue, most between 13× and 26×.
Measured on profit, the middle deal is 32× monthly net profit: about 2.7 years of profit.
An estimate, not an offer or financial advice. A real price depends on profit, growth, churn, how much of the work is the owner's, and the buyer.
How it would growAI proposal
How the product would reach new customers through its own use, and how the first ones would be found. A plan to test, not a result.
- Built-in loop
- No loop in the product. Sidewise reaches customers through content, open-source communities and word of mouth among developers. Use stays on a person's own devices, so it creates no shared outputs or invitations.
- Do they become customers?
- Every person reached is already a potential buyer, but only by finding it themselves. Test whether the free tier converts to paid after users add a third device or need file transfer.
- First customers
- Software developers who work on a Mac or Windows machine plus a Linux machine at a desk, solo or at small teams of under 20.
- Where to reach them
- GitHub and Hacker News: Post a demo comparing setup with existing tools, and answer threads where people ask for Synergy or Barrier alternatives.
- Reddit developer communities: Share a short video of cursor crossing Mac, Linux and Android in communities for multi-machine setups.
- First milestone
- Fifty free installs with three or more devices paired, and ten paid Personal licenses within 60 days.
Why people already pay for this
- VerifiedGitHub repository gained 1968 stars in 17 days
- Public claimThe product integrates input control and file/content sharing across multiple operating systems and device types.
- AI inferenceExisting solutions (Synergy, KDE Connect, Phone Link) exist but have limitations that created demand for an alternative.
- Public claimThe product removes the requirement for a shared network, addressing a prior infrastructure barrier.
- Verified
Tech stack
Every proposal builds on the same PWA base, installable from the browser on any phone or computer. Dashed boxes are what this app adds.
- AppNext.js and TypeScript
- PWAManifest and service worker
- UITailwind CSS
- Data and authSupabase Postgres
- PaymentsStripe
- EmailResend
- HostingVercel
- This app · Desktop and Android helperSmall native helper per OSBrowsers cannot capture or inject system-wide mouse and keyboard input, so each device needs a helper.
- This app · Peer-to-peer linkWebRTC with encrypted data channelsDirect device links for clipboard, files and input events without a shared network or content relay.
RisksAI inference
- TechnicalSystem-wide input capture and injection differs on macOS, Windows, Linux (Wayland especially) and Android, and needs native helpers. Latency must feel instant or users go back to separate peripherals.
- PlatformmacOS and Android permissions for accessibility and input control can change or be restricted, and helper apps may face store review or security warnings.
- CommercialFree open-source alternatives are popular and Synergy sells one-time licenses at €15 to €29, so willingness to pay for a new entrant is unproven.
- TechnicalPeer to peer links across different networks often fail behind strict NATs, so a relay fallback is needed, which adds cost and weakens the no-infrastructure promise.
- DataClipboard and file contents are sensitive. A flaw in pairing or encryption could expose passwords or files across devices.
Everything marked AI proposal or AI inference was written by a model from the evidence on the opportunity page. The proposed name must be checked against trademark registers before it is used.