AirPlay, Miracast, and Google Cast are the three main screen mirroring protocols. All three let you show your device's screen on a bigger display without a cable, but each was developed by a different company for a different device ecosystem.
AirPlay
Developed by Apple. Built into iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
AirPlay is the native mirroring protocol on Apple devices. You start a session from Control Center on iOS and iPadOS, or from the menu bar on macOS. AirPlay also supports media streaming, which lets apps like Apple Music and Apple TV send audio or video to a receiver directly, without mirroring the whole screen.
Because AirPlay is built into every recent Apple device, it's the most convenient way to mirror from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
AirPlay 2, introduced in 2018, is the current version of the protocol. It adds features like multi-room audio streaming across multiple receivers and improved stream stability.
Miracast
Developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Built into Windows and some Android devices, most notably Samsung.
Miracast is based on Wi-Fi Direct, a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi standard, which means it can work even when the sender and receiver aren't on the same Wi-Fi network. Unlike AirPlay and Google Cast, which use mDNS for discovery, Miracast uses Wi-Fi beaconing.
On Windows, you connect via Win + K or the Project menu. On Android, the entry point varies by manufacturer (Samsung calls it Smart View, others may call it Screen Mirroring or Cast).
Windows 10 introduced Miracast over Infrastructure in version 1703, allowing the media stream to travel over the existing network after discovery. Before that, only the peer-to-peer Direct Miracast mode was available.
Google Cast
Developed by Google. Built into Android devices, Chromebooks, and the Google Chrome browser.
Google Cast supports both screen mirroring (showing the whole screen) and media casting from within specific apps like YouTube and Spotify. App-based casting can work on different platforms, including Android, iPhone, iPad, and Chrome, as long as the app and receiver support Google Cast.
Google Cast is often confused with Chromecast (the hardware) and Google Home (the app). Both use Google Cast, but the protocol itself is separate from them.
Comparison
| AirPlay | Miracast | Google Cast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developed by | Apple | Wi-Fi Alliance | |
| Native to | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Windows, some Android | Android, Chromebook, Chrome browser |
| Discovery method | mDNS (Bonjour) | Wi-Fi beaconing | mDNS (Bonjour) |
| Same network required | Yes | Only for Miracast over Infrastructure | Yes |
| Supports media casting from apps | Yes | No | Yes |
| Video codec | H.264, HEVC (on AirServer Connect) | H.264 | H.264 or VP8 |
| Transport | TCP | RTSP/RTP | UDP |
| Typical latency (good conditions) | ~150 ms | ~180 ms | ~400 ms |
| Bandwidth | ~25 Mbps recommended | Up to 35 Mbps (for 4K streams) | Up to 20 Mbps peak |
Values such as latency, codec, and bandwidth are simplified and may vary by device, network, operating system, receiver, and content type.
Which one does AirServer support?
AirServer supports AirPlay, Miracast, and Google Cast, so most phones, tablets, and laptops can mirror using their native wireless display option, depending on the AirServer product, sender device, and network configuration.
AirServer Connect also supports Google Cast app casting, while AirServer software versions support Google Cast screen mirroring but not app-based Google Cast from buttons inside apps such as YouTube or Spotify.
AirServer Connect 3 supports AirPlay 2, which enables multi-room audio streaming across multiple receivers. Previous AirServer Connect generations and the software versions support the standard AirPlay protocol.
For a breakdown of which mirroring and casting types each AirServer product supports (particularly the difference between mirroring and app-based casting), see Screen mirroring vs casting.