Remote desktop sofware for Mac and Windows
I’m looking for an alternative to TeamViewer. I need an app that allows me to connect to a remote computer on both Windows and Mac. TeamViewer works well, but its free version has some limitations, just like AnyDesk.
What are some alternatives to these apps? What do you use?
7 comments
Does it have to be the same app for both platforms? If not, I'd recommend checking out Microsoft's RDP protocol and their own software that uses it (sorry, can't remember what it's called, maybe Remote Desktop something?).
Unlike most screen share protocols, it's not just sending pixels but abstracted window layout information (think XML but Microsoft-made). This makes the remote experience muuuuch smoother than pixel streaming, even on high speed connections but especially on lower bandwidth devices.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Protocol?wprov=...
Unlike most screen share protocols, it's not just sending pixels but abstracted window layout information (think XML but Microsoft-made). This makes the remote experience muuuuch smoother than pixel streaming, even on high speed connections but especially on lower bandwidth devices.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Protocol?wprov=...
NoMachine, or if you have a GPU then Parsec.
When Teamviewer started blocking connections because of exceeding the limits, I switched to https://www.helpwire.app/ which runs smoothly on both Windows and Mac. And it's free.
I have not used it personally, but I hear good things about Rust Desk
https://rustdesk.com/
Second this. It is not very convenient to self-host and configure the clients for self-hosted version, but after an initial period of "press the three dots next to the number... yes... now switch to tab xxx" it works well enough. The configuration UI has room for improvement. :)
You could also look at Tailscale as an option
https://tailscale.com/
One of the best is jump desktop.