Visibility in this ranking can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the
shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review. The largest vendors in remote desktop software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 17 tools, reviewed
#1 Zoho Assist
Browser-based remote support and unattended access · India · zoho.com
Web console Free plan Help desk integrations
Zoho Assist runs the technician side entirely in a browser, so there is nothing to install for IT staff, and customers join through a small download or a link.
- Pricing: Per technician / month. Published plans: remote support priced per technician, unattended access priced in packs of 25 computers with unlimited technicians, billed monthly or yearly, plus a free plan with limited features. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Small IT teams on a budget
- Strengths: Browser-based technician console; Attended support via join link; Unattended access groups.
Where it falls short
Performance is good rather than excellent, and heavy graphical work or multi-monitor setups feel slower than on Splashtop.
Wrong for
Service providers managing thousands of endpoints or teams needing a self-hosted server.
Visit Zoho Assist →
#2 RealVNC Connect
VNC-based remote access for mixed and embedded systems · United Kingdom · realvnc.com
Linux and embedded Direct connections Offline networks
RealVNC's founders created the VNC protocol at the Olivetti and Oracle lab in Cambridge, and the company still leads in places where other tools struggle: Linux desktops, Raspberry Pi and embedded devices, industrial controllers and networks with no internet access at all, where direct connections and offline licenses are required.
- Pricing: Per device / year. Published subscription plans per device or per user, with offline and embedded licensing quoted for industrial use. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Industrial, Linux and air-gapped sites
- Strengths: Cloud and direct connections; Raspberry Pi and Linux support; Offline licensing for air-gapped networks.
Where it falls short
Attended support features such as quick-join codes, chat and technician queues are weaker than in Splashtop or Zoho Assist. Performance over the internet is good but not the fastest. Pricing per device adds up for large fleets, and the consumer-friendly free tier has been cut back over the years.
Wrong for
A Windows-only office needing a help desk tool for everyday user support.
Visit RealVNC Connect →
#3 ISL Online
Remote support licensed by concurrent users · Slovenia · islonline.com
Concurrent licensing Self-hosted option EU vendor
ISL Online counts connections rather than people, which suits a service desk where eight technicians share shifts but only two or three sessions ever run at once.
- Pricing: Per concurrent user / year. Annual cloud plans sized by concurrent users, with caps on named users and managed devices below the Premium tier, plus self-hosted and managed private cloud editions. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Shared helpdesks with rotating technicians
- Strengths: ISL Light attended support; ISL AlwaysOn unattended access; Browser-based customer join.
Where it falls short
The technician console feels a generation behind Splashtop's, and the product names (ISL Light, ISL AlwaysOn, ISL Pronto) make the lineup harder to decode than it should be.
Wrong for
An MSP running dozens of simultaneous sessions at peak hours pays more under concurrency than under per-technician plans.
Visit ISL Online →
#4 Splashtop
Remote access and support for IT teams and staff · United States · splashtop.com
Good value Fast streaming Support and access
Splashtop does the practical things right. Sessions are smooth on modest connections, multi-monitor handling is good, and it covers attended support, unattended administration and home access to office PCs through separate but clearly priced products.
- Pricing: Per technician / year. Published annual plans: Remote Access priced per user, Remote Support SOS per concurrent technician with managed-computer allowances. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: SMB IT teams and small MSPs
- Strengths: Attended and unattended access; Multi-monitor and 4K streaming; Session recording.
Where it falls short
The product line is confusing, with overlapping names for access, support and enterprise editions, and some features appear only in particular bundles.
Wrong for
Enterprises that need privileged access controls, credential injection and approval workflows for regulated systems.
Visit Splashtop →
#5 ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Remote support and access with cloud or on-premises hosting · United States · screenconnect.com
Self-hostable MSP standard Extensions
ScreenConnect earned its place in thousands of service providers through speed, flexible unattended access and deep customization.
- Pricing: Per technician / month. Published cloud plans per concurrent technician, billed monthly or annually, with session limits per technician and unattended agents capped at 10 on the entry One plan. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: MSPs and self-hosting IT teams
- Strengths: Cloud or on-premises server; Unattended access agents; Session backstage mode.
Where it falls short
In February 2024 a maximum-severity authentication bypass, CVE-2024-1709, was exploited widely against unpatched on-premises servers, and ConnectWise later disclosed suspicious activity affecting some cloud customers in 2025.
Wrong for
Small teams without anyone to watch advisories and patch servers the day fixes ship.
Visit ConnectWise ScreenConnect →
#6 TeamViewer
The best-known remote access and support platform · Germany · teamviewer.com
Widest platform support Well known Licensing complaints
TeamViewer supports almost every platform you might need to reach, including embedded systems, and many end users already know how to open it and read out an ID, which saves time on support calls.
- Pricing: Per license / year. Published annual subscriptions tied to licensed users, concurrent session channels and managed devices, with mobile device support as an add-on and the Tensor enterprise tier custom-priced. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Mixed-platform fleets, large helpdesks
- Strengths: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android support; Augmented reality assistance; Mass deployment and policies.
Where it falls short
Licensing is the persistent complaint: concurrent session channels, device limits and add-ons make it expensive for what a small team uses, and renewal prices rise.
Wrong for
Small teams that want predictable, low per-technician pricing.
Visit TeamViewer →
#7 AnyDesk
Lightweight remote desktop with cloud or on-premises options · Germany · anydesk.com
Low latency On-premises edition 2024 breach
AnyDesk's small client and codec perform well on poor connections, which makes it popular for supporting remote sites and older hardware.
- Pricing: Per license / year. Published per-license annual plans by number of users and devices. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Teams wanting speed on weak links
- Strengths: Proprietary low-bandwidth codec; Unattended access; Custom-branded clients.
Where it falls short
The 2024 breach and the slow detail in early statements shook confidence. Scammers use AnyDesk heavily, and some security teams block it by default.
Wrong for
Organizations whose security team already blocks AnyDesk or who need detailed audit reporting.
Visit AnyDesk →
#8 RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop with a self-hosted server · Singapore · rustdesk.com
Open source Self-hosted Low cost
RustDesk gives a small technical team what used to require an enterprise contract: its own relay and ID server, running in a container on a small virtual machine, with clients for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
- Pricing: Open source + paid tiers. Free open-source client and server; paid Server Pro licenses priced by users and devices, published. Free plan: open source.
- Best for: Technical teams wanting full control
- Strengths: Self-hosted relay and ID server; Cross-platform clients; Custom client generator.
Where it falls short
Management features are basic compared with Splashtop or ScreenConnect, and there are no deep integrations with service desks or RMM tools.
Wrong for
Teams without anyone comfortable running Linux servers or who need vendor support on call.
Visit RustDesk →
#9 LogMeIn Resolve (formerly GoTo Resolve)
Remote support with built-in RMM and help desk features · United States · goto.com
Support plus RMM Zero-trust design LogMeIn heritage
LogMeIn Resolve, sold as GoTo Resolve until GoTo moved it under the LogMeIn name, is the group's answer to newer rivals: remote support, remote monitoring, patching, ticketing and scripts in one console, with mobile device management on the top tier.
- Pricing: Per endpoint / year. Published tiers priced per endpoint with a 25-endpoint minimum and unlimited users, billed monthly or annually. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Small MSPs and lean IT teams
- Strengths: Attended and unattended support; Remote monitoring and patching; Ticketing.
Where it falls short
In January 2023 GoTo disclosed that encrypted backups for several products, including LogMeIn Central and Pro, had been taken in the same wave of attacks that hit LastPass.
Wrong for
Providers needing a full RMM platform, or teams wary of vendors with recent backup theft.
Visit LogMeIn Resolve (formerly GoTo Resolve) →
#10 RemotePC
Low-cost remote access priced per computer · United States · remotepc.com
Low cost Remote access focus Simple setup
RemotePC, from the backup company IDrive, keeps things simple: install it on the office computers, sign in from home or a browser, and work.
- Pricing: Per computer / year. Published plans priced by number of computers, billed monthly, yearly or for two years, with first-year discounts. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Small offices, home access
- Strengths: Always-on access to office PCs; Web browser access; Drag-and-drop file transfer.
Where it falls short
Management and security controls are basic: fewer permission options, simpler logs, and SSO only on the Team and Enterprise plans. Performance with graphics-heavy software is behind Splashtop.
Wrong for
IT teams supporting many users with attended sessions or needing detailed audit trails.
Visit RemotePC →
#11 BeyondTrust Remote Support
Enterprise remote support with privileged access controls · United States · beyondtrust.com
Enterprise controls On-premises appliance Credential injection
BeyondTrust Remote Support, the product once sold as Bomgar, is built for banks, hospitals and government agencies that need to prove who touched which system.
- Pricing: Quote only. Quote only, sold as cloud or on-premises appliance deployments licensed per concurrent technician. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Regulated enterprise help desks
- Strengths: Credential injection from vault; Granular technician permissions; Session recording and audit.
Where it falls short
Price and complexity are high; setup often involves professional services. The December 2024 incident, and related vulnerabilities patched afterwards, hurt a product whose selling point is security.
Wrong for
Small and mid-sized firms without compliance requirements for privileged sessions.
Visit BeyondTrust Remote Support →
#12 Microsoft Intune Remote Help and Windows App
Remote support within an Intune tenant, plus RDP · United States · learn.microsoft.com
Microsoft 365 native Entra ID sign-in Tenant-only
For a company already running Intune, Remote Help removes a third-party agent: both helper and user sign in with Entra ID accounts, permissions follow Intune roles, and the helper can see the device's compliance state before starting.
- Pricing: Per user / month. Remote Help needs a per-user license for helpers and sharers on top of Intune Plan 1 or 2, sold as an add-on or through the Intune Suite and select Microsoft 365 bundles. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Intune-managed Microsoft 365 companies
- Strengths: Entra ID authenticated helpers and sharers; Role-based access in Intune; Compliance check before session.
Where it falls short
Remote Help works only within your own tenant, so helping contractors, customers or another company is impossible.
Wrong for
Companies not on Intune, service providers supporting many clients, and anyone needing mixed-platform support.
Visit Microsoft Intune Remote Help and Windows App →
Free Browser-based No admin console
Chrome Remote Desktop costs nothing, runs in a browser and ties access to a Google account with two-step verification, which makes it a reasonable tool for a founder reaching an office computer or a colleague helping another once in a while.
- Pricing: Free. Free; no paid business tier, with limited admin control through Google Workspace and Chrome policies. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Occasional, informal access
- Strengths: Browser-based access; Remote support with one-time code; Unattended access to own computers.
Where it falls short
There is no central console, no technician accounts, no session logs an administrator can review and no file transfer workflow worth the name.
Wrong for
Any company where more than one person provides IT support or where access must be audited.
Visit Chrome Remote Desktop →
#14 Supremo
Portable remote desktop that runs without installing · Italy · supremocontrol.com
No install needed Low cost Unattended access
Supremo is a small executable that a user can download and launch without admin rights, which makes it one of the quickest ways onto an unfamiliar PC in an accounting office or a shop back room.
- Pricing: Per concurrent session. Published Solo, Business and Professional plans on terms from three months to three years, sized by concurrent sessions with extra sessions sold per year. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Very small offices and solo technicians
- Strengths: Single executable, no admin rights; Unattended access as a Windows service; Console address book with groups.
Where it falls short
The Professional plan adds device health monitoring and patch management, but role design, audit detail and single sign-on are limited compared with Splashtop or Zoho Assist, and there is no ticketing integration worth the name.
Wrong for
An IT team that must enforce single sign-on for every technician and keep detailed session audits should pay more for Splashtop or ScreenConnect.
Visit Supremo →
#15 NoMachine
NX-protocol remote access for Linux, Mac and Windows · Luxembourg · nomachine.com
Linux strength Self-hosted High frame rate
NoMachine descends from the NX protocol that made remote X11 usable over slow links, and it remains the best-behaved option on this page for Linux desktops, including headless servers where it can spawn a virtual session.
- Pricing: Per host / year. No free edition since version 10: Personal Edition is a low-cost annual subscription. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Engineers reaching their own workstations
- Strengths: NX display protocol; Virtual Linux desktops; Enterprise Terminal Server.
Where it falls short
There is no quick-join code, technician queue or chat-driven workflow, so helping an unprepared user means walking them through an install and network settings first. Reaching machines behind NAT without a VPN means running your own gateway or paying for the NoMachine Network subscription, and the free edition was dropped in version 10.
Wrong for
A helpdesk supporting nontechnical staff across the internet should look at Splashtop, Zoho Assist or ISL Online, where the user's side is a one-click join.
Visit NoMachine →
#16 Dameware Remote Everywhere
Cloud remote support from SolarWinds · United States · solarwinds.com
Cloud console Unattended agents Mobile support
Dameware began as an on-premises toolkit for Windows administrators, and Remote Everywhere is its cloud-hosted sibling.
- Pricing: Per technician / year. Annual subscription per technician with a starting price shown by SolarWinds, volume deals through sales or resellers, and a 14-day free trial. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Internal IT teams on SolarWinds tools
- Strengths: Attended and unattended sessions; Windows, macOS and Linux agents; iOS and Android support.
Where it falls short
Visible development has been slower than at Splashtop or ScreenConnect, and the admin area is cluttered.
Wrong for
A small team with no SolarWinds footprint gains nothing from the brand connection and will find Zoho Assist or Splashtop cheaper and quicker to learn.
Visit Dameware Remote Everywhere →
#17 Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager
Connection and credential manager for admins · Canada · devolutions.net
Connection manager Credential vault Self-hosted option
Remote Desktop Manager works one layer above the other products on this page.
- Pricing: Per user / year. Free edition for individuals, including commercial use. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Sysadmins juggling many protocols
- Strengths: RDP, SSH, VNC and web session launcher; Shared connection vaults; Built-in password vault.
Where it falls short
It does not broker connections across the internet by itself, so reaching machines outside the network still needs a VPN, a gateway or another product from this list. The Windows client is crowded with options and takes time to learn, and the macOS build has fewer features.
Wrong for
Anyone whose main job is helping employees with their own screens, rather than administering servers, should start with Splashtop or Zoho Assist and add a connection manager later.
Visit Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager →
Questions and answers
What is the best remote desktop software in 2026?
Zoho Assist ranks first of 17, best for small IT teams on a budget. RealVNC Connect is second (industrial, Linux and air-gapped sites) and ISL Online third (shared helpdesks with rotating technicians). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
Is Windows Remote Desktop (RDP) enough for a small business?
RDP is built into Windows Pro and works well on a local network or over a VPN.
Why do TeamViewer and AnyDesk flag my free account as commercial use?
Both offer free versions for personal use only and run detection that looks for patterns such as connections to many different devices or use in a corporate network.
What is the difference between remote support and remote access?
Remote support is a technician helping someone else, usually attended, with features such as a quick-join code, chat, elevation and session transfer between technicians.
Should we self-host the remote access server?
Self-hosting keeps the brokering and relay traffic on infrastructure you control, which helps with data residency rules and removes one vendor from the attack path.
How do scammers abuse remote desktop tools, and how do we protect staff?
Tech-support and refund scams call or message victims and talk them into installing a legitimate remote tool, then take control.
Do remote desktop tools record sessions?
Most business plans can, sometimes only on higher tiers. Recording helps with training, dispute resolution and compliance in sectors such as finance and healthcare. Check where recordings are stored, how long they are kept, and whether users are notified.
Can we control Android phones and tablets remotely?
Viewing is widely supported; full control depends on the manufacturer, because Android requires special permissions. Samsung, Zebra and other rugged-device makers work with several vendors to allow control.
How much should remote desktop software cost?
For a small IT team, expect a per-technician subscription that ranges from roughly the price of a streaming service to several times that per month, depending on concurrent sessions and endpoint limits.
What happened in the 2024 security incidents at remote desktop vendors?
AnyDesk disclosed in February 2024 that attackers had compromised production systems; it revoked certificates and reset web portal passwords.
What features matter most for a managed service provider?
Unlimited or high endpoint counts per technician, a console organized by client, integration with RMM and PSA tools so a session opens from a ticket, custom branding for the support client, and per-client permission limits for technicians.
