AnyDesk vs RustDesk

AnyDesk: what it's good at

AnyDesk provides responsive remote desktop access even over modest connections, with a very small client that runs without installation. Free for personal use, making it a common pick for remote family tech support.

• Low latency even on slow connections
• Tiny portable client, no install needed
• File transfer between machines
• Free for personal use

RustDesk: what it's good at

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.

• Fully open source
• Self-hostable relay server
• No account required to start
• Cross-platform

Which should you choose?

Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.

Both run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. If open source matters to you, RustDesk publishes its source code and AnyDesk does not.

We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.

Frequently asked questions

Is AnyDesk better than RustDesk?

Neither is universally better. AnyDesk fast, low-latency remote desktop access, while RustDesk open-source remote desktop you can fully self-host. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.

Are both really free?

AnyDesk is free tier and RustDesk is open source. Both can be downloaded without paying.

Can I install both?

Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.