Remote desktop apps for the iPad are all over the place now, and so are their prices. Some are free with limited functionality, and some can cost as much as $30. We’ve tried a range of different remote desktop apps, and the cost of the app is definitely not an indicator of how good the app is. In fact, some of the more expensive ones over $10 are a true pain to use and, in some cases, simply don’t even work like they say they will. When we heard that Splashtop was on sale for $2.99 in the App Store, we were skeptical, but our dissatisfaction with all our other remote desktop apps for the iPad led us to try one last option, and it blew us away. Meet Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad.

This is hands down the best remote desktop app we’ve ever used. It streams such a high quality, high framerate image of your desktop that it really does feel like your iPad is just an extension of your PC or Mac desktop. It refreshes at about 30 frames per second, which is significantly faster than other apps, and allows you to watch flash or other video just as you’d see it on your actual computer. We’re also pleased with its ability to stream audio (your PC must be in stereo audio mode for it to work), and we were able to stream audio from our computer via iTunes very well – see the video review for details on this.

To get started with Splashtop, go ahead and buy it on the app store here. It’s only sale for $2.99 at the time this article was written, and is normally priced at $9.99. At $2.99 it’s a steal, and at $9.99 it’s worth it. After you’ve got it on your iPad (or iPhone), download the Splashtop software to either your Mac or PC by going to their website here and installing the software. It’s easy to set up, lets you set a password for added security, and allows internet discovery of your desktop PC or Mac via a Google account. This means that when you’re not on the same network as your computer, your iPad can still find your computer online without needing the IP address and port. We definitely recommend you do this if you plan on using your iPad to remotely access your desktop while away from your home network.

Like other remote desktop apps for the iPad, Splashtop allows for internet discovery of your desktop via a Google account.

When you have installed the necessary software and gone through the setup on your desktop, you can load up the Splashtop Remote Desktop app on your iPad. You’ll see the screen below as it scans for your computer:

On your local network, your desktop will automatically be detected. Over the internet, using the Google account lookup will find your computer as well.

Go ahead and connect to your computer and enter your password when prompted. If you’d like the app to save your password so you don’t have to enter it every time, you can click the blue arrows to the right of your computer’s name and enter the password permanently. We went ahead and did that.

You should be able to connect, and you’ll be presented with the below set of tips for using Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad. The multi-touch gesture support makes controlling Splashtop pretty flexible.

The different multi-touch gestures available in Splashtop make controlling your desktop very easy on the iPad.

We tested the app with Microsoft Word, Photoshop, several flash-based websites and videos, and even our favorite MMORPG of the moment, Rift. Go ahead and check out the video review for more examples of what this program is capable of!

Compose documents in MS Office or Adobe Photoshop, right on your iPad. This is critical for us to have in a remote desktop app, and Splashtop works great.

You can get Splashtop by clicking below – it’s worth every penny of the $4.99 pricetag if you didn’t grab it while it was on sale for $2.99. If you think you can benefit from a Remote Desktop app, then you owe it to yourself to get Splashtop. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below.