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Quick comparison
| Plan | Price | Billing | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome Remote Desktop | Free | Free | Browser-based access and screen sharing |
| RustDesk (open source) | Free | Free, self-hosted | Open source; run your own relay server |
| RustDesk Server Pro Individual | $11.88/mo | Billed annually, self-hosted | Self-hosted Pro server for one person |
| RustDesk Server Pro Basic | $23.88/mo | Billed annually, self-hosted | 10 users, 100 managed devices, SSO, LDAP |
| Splashtop Solo | $6.00/mo | $72 billed annually | 1 user, unattended access, file transfer |
| Splashtop Pro | $8.25/mo | $99 per user per year | Multi-monitor, session recording, user roles |
| Splashtop Performance | $13.00/mo | $149 per user per year | 4:4:4 color, 240 FPS, USB passthrough |
Official list prices checked Oct 31, 2026, before tax. Sources: remotedesktop.google.com, rustdesk.com, www.splashtop.com.
This list compares products on their published plans and prices. We have not benchmarked them for this article.
How we chose
- Price, including whether billing is annual only.
- Unattended access: connecting to your own computer or server when nobody is at it.
- Self-hosting: running the relay server yourself for privacy and control.
- Who it suits: personal use, a solo professional or a support team.
1. Chrome Remote Desktop: best free option
What we like
- Free
- Works from a browser
- Remote access and screen sharing
What could be better
- Basic feature set
- Needs a Google account
Google’s Chrome Remote Desktop is free and lets you reach your own computers or share your screen from a browser. It is the easiest way to get to a home or office PC from anywhere. It lacks the management, file transfer and support features of paid tools.
2. RustDesk: best open-source and self-hosted
What we like
- Open source and free to self-host
- Your own relay server keeps traffic under your control
- Paid Server Pro adds SSO, LDAP and device management
What could be better
- Self-hosting means running a server
- Pro plans are billed annually
RustDesk is open source. You can use it free and run your own relay server, for example on a small VPS, so sessions go through infrastructure you control. Server Pro plans add management features: Individual lists at $11.88 a month billed annually, and Basic at $23.88 a month billed annually for 10 users and 100 managed devices with SSO and LDAP.
A relay server for a handful of users needs few resources, so an entry-level VPS is a common choice. Compare servers in best VPS hosting.
3. Splashtop: best value paid
What we like
- Solo plan from $6 a month billed annually
- Unattended access and file transfer on Solo
- Performance plan for high frame rate and color accuracy
What could be better
- Annual billing
- Higher tiers needed for multi-monitor and recording
Splashtop’s Solo plan is $72 a year ($6 a month) for one user with unattended access and file transfer. Pro ($99 per user per year) adds multi-monitor, session recording and user roles. Performance ($149 per user per year) adds 4:4:4 color, up to 240 FPS and USB passthrough for creative and technical work.
4. AnyDesk
AnyDesk is free for personal use. Its commercial plans are billed annually; when we checked, the pricing page’s monthly figures were shown “billed annually” and were tied to the number of simultaneous connections, which made the real cost hard to read at a glance. Use the checkout total, not the monthly figure, to compare it with Splashtop.
5. TeamViewer
TeamViewer is one of the best-known remote support tools and is widely used by IT teams. Its website did not publish plan prices when we checked; you need to request a quote or go through the purchase flow. If you only need personal access, the free options above may be enough.
Which remote desktop tool is right for you?
| You need | Choose |
|---|---|
| Free access to your own computers | Chrome Remote Desktop |
| Full control and privacy, and you can run a server | RustDesk (self-hosted) |
| A low-cost paid tool for one person | Splashtop Solo |
| High frame rates and color accuracy | Splashtop Performance |
| An established business support tool | AnyDesk or TeamViewer (get a quote) |
Remote desktop vs SSH for servers
If you run websites, much of your remote work is on servers, not desktops. Linux servers rarely need a remote desktop at all:
- SSH gives you a secure command line on the server. We manage our own VPS entirely over SSH with key-based logins, and deploy files with
scp. - A web control panel such as CloudPanel covers sites, databases and certificates in the browser.
- Remote desktop is for computers with a graphical desktop: a Windows server, a design workstation, or a family member’s laptop.
Avoid exposing a remote desktop service directly to the internet on a server. If you must, restrict it to your own IP address or reach it through a VPN or an SSH tunnel.
Unattended access: what to set up
Unattended access lets you connect to a computer when nobody is in front of it, such as your office PC from home. To set it up safely:
- Install the full client on the remote computer, not the one-time “quick support” version.
- Set a strong, unique password for unattended access and turn on two-factor authentication on your account.
- Limit access to your own account or devices if the tool allows it.
- Set the computer’s power settings so it does not sleep, or enable wake-on-LAN if supported.
- Check the access log occasionally for sessions you do not recognize.
Security tips for remote access
- Turn on two-factor authentication for your remote access account.
- Use a strong unattended-access password, unique to that tool.
- Never let someone who contacted you unexpectedly connect to your computer. Remote access tools are common in support scams.
- Keep the software updated on every device.
Want more detail? Read our AnyDesk vs TeamViewer comparison for licensing and renewal rules, and our RustDesk review for what self-hosting involves and costs.
Frequently asked questions
Chrome Remote Desktop for simple browser-based access to your own computers, or RustDesk if you want open-source software you can self-host.What is the best free remote desktop software?
Yes, the open-source version is free, including running your own relay server. Paid Server Pro plans add management features such as SSO and LDAP.Is RustDesk really free?
On October 31, 2026: Solo $72 a year, Pro $99 per user per year and Performance $149 per user per year.How much does Splashtop cost?
Not on its website when we checked. You need to request a quote or go through the purchase flow.Does TeamViewer publish its prices?
Sources
We run our own WordPress sites on shared hosting and on a VPS, and use AI coding tools every day. We publish what we measured, list every price with the date we checked it and label anything we have not tested ourselves. About us · Editorial policy