The Relay vs MacDroid: which one fits what I need?

MacDroid and The Relay overlap on one job only: getting files between an Android phone and a Mac. Pick MacDroid if files are all you need and you want the phone to show up as a disk in Finder, over a cable or Wi-Fi, with a free version and a paid PRO tier. Pick The Relay if you also want the clipboard, login codes, notifications, incoming calls, links, and a webcam on the Mac, over your own Wi-Fi, with one subscription through Google Play after a 7-day free trial. If you only need to pull files off the phone, MacDroid's free version or a free tool such as OpenMTP may be all you need.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 2 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

How do MacDroid and The Relay compare side by side?

A cell says "Yes" only where the maker's own page lists the feature. "Not stated" means the pages we read do not mention it. It does not mean we tested the product and found it missing.

The MacDroid cells come from its home page, purchase page, FAQ, and Android file transfer page. Check the lifetime price on the purchase page before you pay, because the $34 sat beside a struck-out $49.

What is MacDroid?

MacDroid, from Electronic Team, Inc., is a Mac app for moving files to and from Android phones and other MTP devices. Its home page describes three modes. MTP is the standard file-transfer mode Android offers when you plug in. ADB is a mode for "smoother and faster file transfer and management" that, per its FAQ, needs USB debugging turned on. Wi-Fi connects "wirelessly", and the setup steps on the home page say to tap the build number seven times, turn on USB debugging, and add the device. Once connected, the page says to open the phone "in the Finder app".

The purchase page's PRO list includes transferring in both directions, "USB or Wi-Fi connection", and editing Android files directly on the Mac. Its pages say the free version only transfers from the phone to the Mac. We compare it with OpenMTP in MacDroid vs OpenMTP.

When MacDroid is the better choice

• Files are the only job. MacDroid is built for that, and The Relay does much more that you would not use.
• You want the phone as a disk in Finder. The Relay shows the phone's storage in its own Mac window and does not mount it in Finder. MacDroid says you can open files and edit them where they sit, without copying them to the Mac first.
• You prefer a cable. MacDroid has USB modes. The Relay has no USB mode.
• You only need to pull photos and documents off the phone. The free version does that, per its pages, so you can start for nothing.
• You want a lifetime licence. Its paid options on the date above were $19 a year or $34 once. The Relay is a subscription through Google Play, after a 7-day free trial, and does a different, wider job.
• You are on macOS 11.5 or 12. MacDroid lists 11.5 or newer, and The Relay needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.

When The Relay is the better choice

• The files are the smallest part of it. You want a copied address on the phone to be paste-ready on the Mac, a texted code to land on the Mac's clipboard, and the phone's notifications and calls in front of you.
• You do not want to turn on USB debugging. MacDroid's Wi-Fi setup steps and its ADB mode both use it. The Relay pairs by scanning a QR code shown on the Mac with the phone.
• You want no cable at all. The Relay is wireless over your own network.
• You want the phone as a camera and microphone. MacDroid's pages say nothing about it. See using an Android phone as a webcam for a Mac.
• You want one subscription to cover everything. There are no feature tiers. What you see in the table is what the subscription covers.

What The Relay will not do

• It does not mount the phone as a disk in Finder.
• It does not mirror the phone's screen.
• It does not send texts and does not place calls.
• It is not remote. Both devices must be on the same network or in Bluetooth range.
• It has no USB cable mode.
• It does not back up your photo library. Google Photos does that.
• It needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later, with no iPhone, Windows, or Linux version.
• It is not free: after the 7-day trial it is a subscription through Google Play unless you cancel in Google Play before the trial ends. Refunds go through Google Play; see the terms.

How do I test them against each other?

We have not tested either product, so we will not say which transfers faster. Copy the same folder with each. MacDroid's free version lets you do the phone-to-Mac half without paying. Then try the thing MacDroid does not claim: copy a sentence on the phone and see whether you can paste it on the Mac. If you never want that, MacDroid is enough.

Questions people ask

Is MacDroid free?

Partly. Its pages describe a free version that transfers from the phone to the Mac, and a PRO version for both directions. See MacDroid review.

Does The Relay do what MacDroid does?

It covers moving files between the phone and the Mac in either direction over your network. It does not mount the phone in Finder and has no cable mode. It does a lot that MacDroid's pages do not describe.

Why will my Mac not see my phone in MacDroid?

That is usually a USB mode, cable, or permission problem rather than a product problem. Start with MacDroid not connecting.

Which has the better Wi-Fi mode?

We cannot say. We have not tested either. MacDroid's Wi-Fi mode needs Developer options and USB debugging on the phone, and The Relay pairs with a QR code, but that describes setup and not performance.