RustDesk
Open SourceOpen-source remote desktop you can fully self-host.
- Fully open source
- Self-hostable relay server
- No account required to start
TeamViewer (Commercial) is paid software from TeamViewer SE. These remote desktop programs do the same job for free.
Open-source remote desktop you can fully self-host.
Fast, low-latency remote desktop access.
TeamViewer is free for personal use but its commercial licensing is expensive, and its usage detection frequently flags home users by mistake. RustDesk avoids the problem entirely and can be self-hosted.
Being honest about it: free alternatives are not always a feature-for-feature match, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something. What they are is free — so the cost of finding out whether they cover your particular workflow is an hour of your time rather than a subscription.
RustDesk is an open-source alternative to TeamViewer and AnyDesk that works out of the box but can also be pointed at your own relay server, keeping remote sessions entirely within infrastructure you control.
| Program | Licence | Platforms | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | Open Source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Fully open source |
| AnyDesk | Free tier | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Low latency even on slow connections |
AnyDesk provides responsive remote desktop access even over modest connections, with a very small client that runs without installation. Notable for low latency even on slow connections and tiny portable client, no install needed. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
If you want fully auditable, open-source code, RustDesk is the one to try first. For the widest platform coverage, RustDesk, AnyDesk run on three or more operating systems.
All 2 are free to download from the publisher's own website, so installing two or three and testing them on your own files is the fastest way to decide — it costs nothing but a few minutes.
1 of these (RustDesk) are open source. That means no company can later restrict the free tier, raise a price, or discontinue the product and leave your files stranded — the situation that pushes many people to look for an alternative to TeamViewer (Commercial) in the first place.
RustDesk is the closest match — open-source remote desktop you can fully self-host. If it does not suit your workflow, AnyDesk are worth trying.
TeamViewer (Commercial) is commercial software from TeamViewer SE. The programs above are separate products that do the same job — not cracked or modified copies. We do not link to pirated software under any circumstances.
Yes, provided you get them from the publisher. Every button above opens the software author's own official website — we host no installers.