The best remote access software for different needs

Quick picks

These are listed in no particular order. Each "best for" comes from what the vendor documents, not from a score.

Side by side

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.

How we chose

We compared six services: five well-known remote-access tools and our own. For each one we read the vendor's pricing, product and help pages and noted:

• what it's best for, and whether it's self-service or personally set up;
• which operating systems it can reach;
• whether you can connect from a browser;
• unattended access, attended support and file transfer;
• how teams are licensed, and how pricing works;
• notable limits.

We didn't run lab tests, and we haven't measured speed, image quality or reliability. Where a vendor's pages didn't settle a point, the table says "Not verified" rather than guessing. AnyDesk's prices are left out for that reason.

Sources: TeamViewer pricing, AnyDesk licenses, Splashtop pricing, RemotePC pricing, Chrome Remote Desktop help.

The options

TeamViewer

Best for: many unattended devices on one license, or free personal use.

TeamViewer sells yearly plans. Remote Access is $11.90 a month for one user and 3 unattended devices. Business is $25.90 a month for one user and 200 unattended devices, with phone support. Premium ($56.90) allows 15 users and Corporate ($110.90) allows 30. Prices are as listed on teamviewer.com on October 8, 2026, billed yearly, excluding tax.

• For attended support, the other person runs QuickSupport and clicks "Allow access". They don't need an account.
• File transfer is on every paid plan.
• The web client is on Remote Access, Premium, Corporate and Tensor. Business isn't listed.
• It lists Windows 10/11 and macOS 13 or later. Linux is supported in TeamViewer Classic only, and iPhones and iPads (iOS 17+) for screen sharing only.
• Free for personal use with your own devices, family and friends. If it suspects commercial use, it can limit connections.

May fit better when you need many managed devices per license, or free personal use.

AnyDesk

Best for: many users on one license.

AnyDesk's plans are Solo (1 user, 100 managed devices), Standard (20 users, 500 managed devices) and Advanced (100 users, 2 connections, 1,000 managed devices). Billing is annual only. We couldn't verify the prices, so see AnyDesk's pricing page.

• For commercial use, only the computer that connects out needs a license. Free sessions can time out.
• Unattended access is on paid plans.
• For attended support you connect by AnyDesk ID and the other side accepts. It can run as a portable app, without installing.
• It lists Windows, macOS 11 or later, Linux (incoming sessions need Xorg) and Android 5 or later with a plugin. ChromeOS, iOS and iPadOS devices can't be controlled remotely.
• We couldn't verify a browser client or file transfer from AnyDesk's pages.

May fit better when you need many users on one license.

Splashtop

Best for: low annual per-user pricing, and supporting phones and tablets.

Splashtop Remote Access is billed annually. Solo is $6 a month ($72 a year) for 2 computers. Pro is $8.25 per user a month ($99 a year), with 10 computers per license and roles. Performance is $13 per user a month. There's no free tier, only a trial.

• Unattended access and file transfer are on every Remote Access plan.
• Attended support is a separate product, Remote Support (SOS), priced per concurrent technician. It can connect from the Chrome browser.
• It reaches Windows and Mac. Linux is listed, but the vendor's page contradicts itself. You can connect from Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or a Chromebook.
• Setup is self-service.

May fit better when you want low annual per-user pricing, or need to support phones and tablets (SOS).

RemotePC

Best for: a low entry price, monthly billing and browser access on every plan.

On monthly billing, Solo is $2.95 (1 user, 1 computer), Pro is $9.95 (1 user, 10 computers) and Team is $29.95 (unlimited users, 50 computers). Yearly billing costs less per month, and the first year is discounted again; later years renew at the regular yearly price. Enterprise (100 computers) is yearly only.

• Always-ON unattended access, access via web and file transfer are on every plan.
• HelpDesk, for attended support, is included on Team and Enterprise. It's also sold separately, from $99.50 a year.
• It reaches PCs, Macs and Linux, and you can connect from iOS and Android.
• Support is listed as 24/7 email and chat, plus phone.
• No free tier; a 7-day trial with no card.

May fit better when you want low entry pricing, monthly billing, and browser access on every plan.

Chrome Remote Desktop

Best for: occasional access to your own computers if you already use a Google account.

Google's tool reaches Mac, Windows and Linux computers with a PIN. You connect from Chrome at remotedesktop.google.com, and on iOS it's now browser-based. It needs a Google account.

• For attended support, the person sharing gives you a one-time code and reconfirms every 30 minutes.
• There are no team features built in. Google Workspace admins can turn it on or off.
• We couldn't verify the price or file transfer from a primary source.

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.

A small app on each Mac, Windows PC or Linux server connects out over an encrypted WireGuard connection, so there are no router or firewall settings to change. You open Macs with Mac Screen Sharing, Windows PCs with Windows Remote Desktop and servers with a terminal, all in a browser tab.

Every account starts with a conversation. We install it with you on a 20-minute call and support you directly, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm US Eastern. Plans are $12 (Solo: 1 person, 2 hours a day of remote time), $29 (Team: up to 5 people, 12 hours a day) and $59 (Studio: up to 15 people, unlimited remote time) a month. Compare plans →

Look elsewhere when:

• You need access today. Every account starts with an application and a call, and we reply within a few working days.
• Your PCs run Windows Home. Windows Remote Desktop needs Windows Pro, Enterprise or Education.
• You need to help customers on computers you've never set up. The tools above with one-off support sessions fit that better.
• You want a phone or tablet app, or to control phones. There's no mobile app yet, and Aile Insight reaches Macs, Windows PCs and Linux servers only.
• You need help outside US Eastern working hours. RemotePC lists 24/7 email and chat support.
• You need file transfer on Macs. It's built into Windows Remote Desktop sessions only.

How to choose

Feature lists overlap a lot. These questions usually narrow the field faster than comparing checkmarks.

Whose computers are they?

Reaching your own office PC is a different job from helping a customer you've never met. For one-off sessions with outsiders, look at TeamViewer QuickSupport, AnyDesk's ID-and-accept flow, Splashtop SOS, RemotePC HelpDesk or Chrome Remote Desktop's one-time code. For machines you and your team use every week, a tool that keeps them listed and ready matters more.

What do the computers run?

Check versions, not just names. TeamViewer lists macOS 13 or later; AnyDesk lists macOS 11 or later. Windows Home can't host Windows Remote Desktop, which affects Aile Insight and Microsoft's own tool. If you need to reach phones or tablets, look at Splashtop SOS, or at TeamViewer, which lists Android and iOS (screen sharing only); on its Business plan mobile support is an add-on, and Remote Access doesn't include it.

What will you connect from?

If you want to open a computer from any browser, without installing anything, look at RemotePC, Chrome Remote Desktop, TeamViewer's web client plans or Aile Insight.

How is the team counted?

Some tools charge per user (Splashtop Pro), some set user and device limits per plan (TeamViewer, AnyDesk), and some give a plan to a whole team (RemotePC Team, Aile Insight). Count the people who'll sign in and the computers they'll reach, then price two or three tools on those numbers.

Who sets it up, and who do you call?

Most of these tools are self-service: you can start today, and someone on your side does the installing. With Aile Insight you wait for a call, and then we set up each machine with you. Neither is better in general. It depends on whether you have that someone.

Small-business considerations

Small teams tend to feel two costs that feature tables miss: the afternoon someone spends installing and configuring, and the bill that changes when one more person joins. Splashtop and AnyDesk bill annually only, TeamViewer lists yearly prices, and RemotePC offers monthly billing.

We go through setup effort, seat counts, support hours and mixed Mac and Windows offices in a separate guide. Best remote access software for small businesses →

Unattended access considerations

Unattended access means opening a computer with nobody sitting at it: the office PC on a Sunday, or a render machine overnight. All six options support it, with different conditions.

• Device limits. TeamViewer's Remote Access plan includes 3 unattended devices; Business includes 200. Splashtop Solo covers 2 computers and RemotePC Solo covers 1.
• Plan level. AnyDesk includes unattended access on paid plans only.
• How you prove it's you. Chrome Remote Desktop asks for a PIN. Aile Insight asks you to sign in with your email or a passkey.
• The computer has to be reachable. With any tool, it must be switched on and awake. Check sleep settings before you leave the office.

If other people use the computers you'll reach, tell them. Access that people know about is easier to live with than access they discover. Learn about unattended access →