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Qwinty merged 1 commit into from
Sep 29, 2026
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v0.2.0: Wi-Fi, site and READMEs up to date #7

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42 changes: 26 additions & 16 deletions README.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@

<p align="center">
<b>Your Android phone as a Windows webcam.</b><br>
One cable, one button. No app on the phone, no OBS, no watermarks.<br>
USB or Wi-Fi, one button. No app on the phone, no OBS, no watermarks.<br>
A free, open-source alternative to DroidCam, Iriun and iVCam.
</p>

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -36,6 +36,9 @@

- **Nothing to install on the phone.** Plugcam talks to the phone over USB debugging and runs the
camera part of [scrcpy](https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy) on it for as long as you stream.
- **USB or Wi-Fi.** Pair the phone once by QR code or a six-digit code, or move a phone on the
cable to Wi-Fi with one click. After that it connects by itself whenever it is on the network,
and if the network drops for a moment, Plugcam reconnects while apps keep the last picture.
- **A real webcam for Windows.** "Plugcam Camera" shows up next to your other cameras in desktop
apps and browsers that use DirectShow: Zoom, Discord, Telegram Desktop, OBS, Chrome, Edge,
Firefox, and so web calls like Google Meet too.
Expand All @@ -46,7 +49,7 @@
presets, flashlight, rotation for a phone standing upright, mirror, and brightness, contrast,
saturation and warmth.
- **Free for good.** No watermarks, no time limits, no account, no telemetry. Apache-2.0.
- **Light.** A 7.4 MB download. Waiting in the tray it takes 7 MB of memory; streaming from
- **Light.** A 7.2 MB download. Waiting in the tray it takes 7 MB of memory; streaming from
there, under 1% of the CPU. Updates install themselves with one click.
- **Speaks your language.** English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Polski, Português,
Türkçe, Українська, Русский, 日本語, 한국어, 简体中文.
Expand All @@ -61,29 +64,29 @@ links to the vendor's own page.
| App on the phone | **none** | yes | yes | yes | yes | Link to Windows |
| Free picture | **up to 4K, 30 or 60 fps** | 640×480; HD has a watermark | up to 4K, with a watermark | watermark; 640×480 after the trial | up to 720p | 720p |
| Ads | **none** | yes | yes | yes | none | none |
| Connection | USB | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth |
| Connection | **USB, Wi-Fi** | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi + Bluetooth |
| Open source | **yes, Apache-2.0** | PC client only | no | no | no | no |
| Windows download | **7.4 MB** | 98 MB | 8.8 MB, needs .NET Desktop Runtime | about 43 MB | about 475 MB | built into Windows 11 |
| Windows download | **7.2 MB** | 98 MB | 8.8 MB, needs .NET Desktop Runtime | about 43 MB | about 475 MB | built into Windows 11 |

Two app-free options you may already have: phones with Android 14 or newer can act as a USB
webcam on their own if the maker turned that mode on (Pixels do), and
[scrcpy](https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy), which Plugcam builds on, shows the camera in a
window (on Windows you need OBS to turn that window into a webcam). What Plugcam still lacks next
to the paid apps: Wi-Fi and sound.
to the paid apps: sound.

### Other open-source projects

Of these, only Plugcam gives Windows a webcam with nothing installed on the phone and no OBS in
between. The others have things Plugcam doesn't: Wi-Fi, older Android versions, or (BestCam)
a camera that Microsoft Store apps can see. scrcpy, which Plugcam builds on, is a command-line
between. The others have things Plugcam doesn't: older Android versions, or (BestCam) a camera
that Microsoft Store apps can see. scrcpy, which Plugcam builds on, is a command-line
tool; Plugcam puts its camera mode into an app with a preview and controls. Checked against each
project's README in September 2026.

| | Plugcam | [VCamdroid](https://github.com/darusc/VCamdroid) | [Android Webcam Project](https://github.com/soubhagyajit/Android-Webcam-Project) | [BestCam](https://github.com/OneLimeStudio/BestCam) (alpha) | [scrcpy](https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App on the phone | none | yes | yes | yes | none |
| Webcam on Windows | yes, DirectShow | yes, DirectShow | yes | yes, Media Foundation (Windows 11 22H2+) | through OBS or another window-capture tool; a webcam on Linux |
| Connection | USB | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB | USB, Wi-Fi |
| Connection | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB, Wi-Fi | USB | USB, Wi-Fi |
| Android | 12+ | 7.0+ | 8.0+ | 8.0+ | 12+ for the camera |
| On the PC | app with a preview, controls and a first-run guide | app | app | Python script; app announced | command line; the window shows only the video |
| Install | installer or portable zip; updates itself | zip, then install.bat as administrator | installer | zip, no installer | zip or winget |
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -131,6 +134,9 @@ Android tool you run.
walks you through it.
3. **Plug in the phone**, tap *Allow* on it, and press **Turn camera on**. In your video app, pick
**Plugcam Camera**.
4. **Want it without the cable?** Open *Phones and Wi-Fi* in the side panel and pair the phone by
QR code or pairing code (*Developer options → Wireless debugging*), or press *From cable* while
it is still plugged in. The phone and the PC need to be on the same network.

The installer is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC". Click
*More info → Run anyway*, or check the file against the `.sha256` next to it in the release.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -164,8 +170,8 @@ way, and you can turn the daily check off in Settings.
## Requirements

- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
- An Android phone with Android 12 or newer (camera capture needs it) and a USB cable that
carries data.
- An Android phone with Android 12 or newer (camera capture needs it), and a USB cable that
carries data or the same Wi-Fi network as the PC.
- On most PCs the phone's USB driver comes with Windows Update. If the phone is not found, install
the [Google USB driver](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb) or your phone maker's
driver.
Expand All @@ -182,7 +188,7 @@ built-in USB webcam mode, if the maker turned it on (Pixels do).
### Is there a free, open-source alternative to DroidCam, Iriun or iVCam?

Plugcam is one. It is open source under Apache-2.0 and gives up to 4K at 30 fps, or 60 fps on phones
that support it, with no watermark, ads, time limit or account. What those apps have and Plugcam doesn't yet: Wi-Fi and sound. See
that support it, over USB or Wi-Fi, with no watermark, ads, time limit or account. What those apps have and Plugcam doesn't yet: sound. See
[How it compares](#how-it-compares).

### Which apps can use Plugcam Camera?
Expand All @@ -199,7 +205,11 @@ you would capture its window in OBS and start OBS's virtual camera.

### Does Plugcam work over Wi-Fi?

Not yet, only over a USB cable. Wi-Fi is next on the list.
Yes, since version 0.2.0. Open *Phones and Wi-Fi* and pair the phone once by QR code or a six-digit
code from *Developer options → Wireless debugging*, or press *From cable* to move a phone that is on
the cable to Wi-Fi. Paired phones connect by themselves when they show up on the network. Over
Wi-Fi the picture never falls more than about half a second behind: Plugcam skips ahead instead of
letting the delay pile up, and lowers the bit rate if the network can't keep up.

### Does Plugcam send sound?

Expand All @@ -224,9 +234,9 @@ In Plugcam, **Settings → Diagnostics → Save report** makes a file to attach
## How it works

```
phone camera ─▶ scrcpy-server ─▶ adb over USB ─▶ Plugcam ─▶ "Plugcam Camera" ─▶ Zoom, OBS, …
(H.264 in the (TCP tunnel) (Media Foundation (DirectShow
phone's encoder) decoder → frames) filter, Softcam)
phone camera ─▶ scrcpy-server ─▶ adb, USB/Wi-Fi ─▶ Plugcam ─▶ "Plugcam Camera" ─▶ Zoom, OBS, …
(H.264 in the (TCP tunnel) (Media Foundation (DirectShow
phone's encoder) decoder → frames) filter, Softcam)
```

Plugcam pushes `scrcpy-server` 4.1 (pinned by checksum) to the phone, starts it through adb and
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -259,7 +269,7 @@ The design notes (in Russian) are in [docs/SPEC.md](docs/SPEC.md).
## Privacy

Plugcam has no servers and sends nothing anywhere. The video goes from the phone to your PC over
the cable and stays there. The only thing it fetches from the internet is the list of releases on
the cable or your local network and stays there. The only thing it fetches from the internet is the list of releases on
GitHub, once a day, to see whether there is an update (turn it off in Settings). Settings are a
JSON file in `%APPDATA%\io.github.plugcam`, or in the `data` folder of the portable version.

Expand Down
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