Aile Insight publishes this guide and is one of the services compared. We include other options because the right remote-access setup depends on how you work.
Picks by situation
No order is implied. Each pick matches something the vendor documents, checked on October 8, 2026.
Small-business comparison
| Criterion | TeamViewer | AnyDesk | Splashtop | RemotePC | Chrome Remote Desktop | Aile Insight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who installs it | You do (self-service; no assisted onboarding documented) | You do; it can also run without installing. Assisted setup: not verified | You do (self-service) | Not verified | You do, in Chrome, with a Google account | We do, with you, on a 20-minute call |
| Smallest paid plan | Remote Access: $11.90 a month, 1 user, 3 unattended devices (as listed on teamviewer.com on October 8, 2026, billed yearly, excluding tax) | Solo: 1 user, 100 managed devices. Price: see their pricing page | Solo: $6 a month, billed annually ($72 a year), 2 computers | Solo: $2.95 a month, billed monthly, 1 computer | Not verified | Solo: $12 a month, 1 person, up to 20 machines |
| Billing | Prices listed billed yearly | Annual only | Annual only | Monthly or yearly; yearly has a lower first-year price, then the regular price | Not verified | Priced per month, per plan. When your trial ends, we'll send you a simple way to pay for the plan you choose. |
| How people are counted | By plan: 1 user (Remote Access, Business), 15 (Premium), 30 (Corporate) | By plan: 1, 20 or 100 users | Per user on Pro and Performance | 1 user on Solo and Pro; unlimited on Team and Enterprise | No team features built in | By plan: 1, 5 or 15 people. More than 15? Talk to us |
| Support the vendor lists | Phone support on Business | Not verified | Not verified | 24/7 email and chat, plus phone | Not verified | Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm US Eastern, from the people who set you up; Studio first in line |
| Macs and Windows PCs | Windows 10/11 and macOS 13+ | Windows and macOS 11+ | Windows and Mac | PC, Mac and Linux | Windows, Mac and Linux | Mac, and Windows Pro or higher for Remote Desktop |
| Help someone at their screen | QuickSupport; no account needed on their side | By AnyDesk ID; they accept | Separate SOS product | HelpDesk on Team and Enterprise | One-time code; reconfirmed every 30 minutes | Mac Screen Sharing; screen sharing set up on Windows PCs during setup |
| Reach it with nobody there | Yes, up to a device limit per plan | On paid plans | Every Remote Access plan | Every plan | Yes, with a PIN | Yes, while it's on, awake and running its app |
| Try it first | Free for personal use only; business trial not verified | Not verified | Trial; no free tier | 7-day trial, no card | Not verified | 14-day trial, no card, from when your first machine connects |
Facts checked on October 8, 2026 from each vendor's public pages; prices change, so check before buying. "Not verified" means we couldn't confirm it from the vendor's own pages. Prices exclude tax.
What we looked at
We read each vendor's pricing, product and help pages and asked the questions a small business tends to ask before it buys:
- How hard is setup, and do you need IT knowledge?
- Is there a minimum number of seats, and will the bill stay predictable?
- How easy is it to add a new person, or run a small team?
- What support does the vendor list?
- Does it handle a mix of Macs and Windows PCs?
- Can you help someone at their screen, and reach a computer when nobody's there?
- Is it secure without enterprise-level administration?
We didn't run lab tests or time any setups. This comparison covers what vendors publish, not how fast or smooth each tool feels in use. For the full product summaries, see the general guide. The best remote access software for different needs
Setup and IT knowledge
Picture a six-person bookkeeping office where the owner is also the IT department. With a self-service tool, the owner downloads the software, installs it on each computer, sets up unattended access and adds the others. A confident owner can do that. They're also the person everyone asks when a computer won't connect next month.
Aile Insight works the other way round. You apply, talk to us, and then we install it with you on a call, name the machines and check each one opens from where you need it. It takes longer to start, because there's a conversation first, and we take on a limited number of businesses each month so each one is set up properly. See how setup works
Cost, seat counts and predictable bills
Three things change what you actually pay: whether you're charged per person or per plan, whether you must pay a year up front, and whether the first-year price lasts.
Here is what list prices on October 8, 2026 work out to for a five-person team:
- Aile Insight Team: $29 a month for up to 5 people and up to 50 machines, with 12 hours a day of remote time.
- RemotePC Team: $29.95 a month on monthly billing, for unlimited users and 50 computers.
- Splashtop Pro: five licenses at $99 a year each ($495 a year, billed annually), each covering 10 computers.
- TeamViewer Premium: the first listed plan with more than one user, at $56.90 a month for up to 15 users, as listed on teamviewer.com on October 8, 2026, billed yearly, excluding tax.
- AnyDesk Standard: up to 20 users, billed annually. See AnyDesk's pricing page for the price.
- Chrome Remote Desktop: no team features built in, so each person uses their own Google account.
We haven't checked add-ons or volume terms, so treat this as a starting point. Two things to watch: RemotePC's yearly billing has a discounted first year, then renews at the regular yearly price; and Aile Insight's Solo and Team plans include a daily remote-time allowance (2 hours a day and 12 hours a day) that resets at midnight US Eastern, while Studio is unlimited. Compare plans
Adding new people and running a small team
Take a virtual-assistant agency that hires someone new every few weeks. What it needs from remote access is less about features and more about the first week: giving the new assistant access to the right machines, and being on their screen during their first client call.
Look at how each tool counts people. Splashtop adds a license per user, so each hire changes the bill. TeamViewer and AnyDesk set a user limit per plan, so the bill changes when you cross it. RemotePC Team allows unlimited users within 50 computers. Aile Insight's Team plan covers up to 5 people and Studio up to 15 people, with roles, and time-limited share links for giving someone access for a set period.
Support when something stops working
Support is hard to judge from outside, so we've only listed what vendors publish. RemotePC lists 24/7 email and chat, plus phone. TeamViewer lists phone support on its Business plan. We couldn't verify support terms for AnyDesk, Splashtop or Chrome Remote Desktop.
Aile Insight's support comes from the people who set you up, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm US Eastern, and Studio customers are first in line. That's a person who already knows your machines. It isn't round-the-clock: if your team works nights or weekends and needs help then, a vendor with 24/7 support fits better.
Offices with both Macs and Windows PCs
Every option here lists both Windows and Mac, but the details matter in an office with an older iMac and a mix of Windows editions:
- TeamViewer lists macOS 13 or later, and AnyDesk macOS 11 or later.
- Windows Home can't host Windows Remote Desktop. Check each PC's Windows edition before you choose a tool that relies on it.
- Aile Insight opens Macs with Mac Screen Sharing and Windows PCs with Windows Remote Desktop, which needs Windows Pro, Enterprise or Education. We check this with you before setup.
Helping a colleague, and reaching computers after hours
Small businesses usually need both. During the day, a colleague is stuck and you want to see their screen rather than have it described. After hours, you want the office PC with nobody at it.
For helping someone, TeamViewer QuickSupport and AnyDesk let the other person accept a session without much setup, and Chrome Remote Desktop uses a one-time code. Splashtop sells this as a separate SOS product, and RemotePC includes HelpDesk on Team and Enterprise. With Aile Insight you see a colleague's Mac as it is and take the mouse when they ask; on Windows PCs, we set up screen sharing during setup. It's built for your own team's machines, not for one-off sessions with customers. Remote support with Aile Insight
For after-hours access, every tool here can open a computer with nobody at it, as long as it's switched on and awake. The limits differ: TeamViewer's Remote Access plan includes 3 unattended devices, and AnyDesk includes unattended access on paid plans only. Learn about unattended access
Security without enterprise overhead
The do-it-yourself route is to open Windows Remote Desktop through the router. Microsoft says to enable Remote Desktop only on trusted networks, advises against port forwarding and suggests a VPN or an RD Gateway. If your PCs run Windows Pro and you already have one of those, Microsoft's tool may be all you need, at no extra license cost.
Aile Insight avoids the router question: the app on each machine connects out over WireGuard, so nothing on your network is opened to the internet. Each person signs in with their own email or passkey, logs are kept for 60 days, and it's built on open-source software. Studio adds IP and country access rules.
What it doesn't have: custom single sign-on, enforced password policies or device management. If a client contract or insurer requires those, ask each vendor directly before you buy. How Aile Insight protects remote access
Notes on each option for a small business
TeamViewer
Business gives one person 200 unattended devices, with phone support. For a team, Premium is the first plan with more than one user. It's free for personal use, but commercial use on the free version can be limited. May fit better when you need many managed devices per license.
AnyDesk
Only the computers that connect out need a commercial license, and Standard covers 20 users. Billing is annual and we couldn't verify prices. May fit better when you need many users on one license.
Splashtop
Low per-user prices if you pay yearly, with unattended access and file transfer on every Remote Access plan. Helping someone at their screen is a separate product. May fit better when you want low annual per-user pricing, or need to support phones and tablets.
RemotePC
Monthly billing, browser access on every plan, and listed 24/7 email and chat support. Watch the first-year yearly price, which goes up at renewal. May fit better when you want low entry pricing and monthly billing.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Fine for an owner reaching their own computer now and then. It has no team features of its own, so it doesn't help you manage access for staff. May fit better when you already use Google accounts and need occasional access to your own computers.
Aile Insight
Best for teams that want it set up with them and a person to call. The trade-offs: you apply and have a call before you start, Windows Remote Desktop needs Windows Pro or higher, there's no mobile app yet, and support runs Mon–Fri, 9–5 US Eastern. Plans run from $12 to $59 a month, by team size, and the 14-day trial needs no card.