AnyDesk vs RustDesk
We give AnyDesk a 2.4 GPA and RustDesk a 3.0, out of 4.0. AnyDesk grades higher on ease of use. RustDesk grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AnyDesk
Remote desktop app, free for personal use, licensed for business
Free plan
RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop you can run on your own server
Free plan · from $11.88/mo
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAAnyDeskFair | 3.0GPARustDeskVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price could be read: AnyDesk's website answered our reader with a bot check, and its help centre sends buyers to the pricing page. With no figure to set against TeamViewer or Splashtop for the same job, it gets the C we give any missing price. Personal use is free; work use needs a licence. | A$0: the client is free and works through RustDesk's public relay servers, so one technician can support people with nothing to host. Paid Server Pro starts at $11.88 a month billed annually, for a server you run yourself. TeamViewer and AnyDesk, doing the same job, are free for personal use only. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for personal, non-commercial use, which covers reaching your own computers. But free sessions time out and have to be restarted, and any outgoing connection for work needs a paid licence. No trial is on record. | AFree outright: the client and the open-source server cost nothing, and the listing shows no cap on devices or sessions. Help is community support only, and the web console and user accounts need Server Pro. |
| Features | CAttended and unattended access, remote printing, Wake-on-LAN, screen privacy, a management portal and an on-premises server with a REST API. The gaps it lists itself: Standard allows one outgoing connection at a time, and self-hosting is Ultimate only, quoted by sales. | CIt connects with no setup, self-hosts in a few Docker commands, and Server Pro adds a web console, audit log, single sign-on, LDAP and a branded client. The gaps it lists itself: an iPhone or iPad can't be controlled or share its screen, and the web client needs a large plan. |
| Ease of use | B4.49 from 28,268 App Store ratings, which is a B on a crowd that size. The person at the other end accepts your request and you're connected. | CNo App Store rating on record. The free client is install and connect, but everything you'd pay for runs on a server you host yourself with Docker, which is a job for someone happy on a command line. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux and Raspberry Pi, ChromeOS, iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple TV. That's a lot of devices, but there's no web app or integration list, and the REST API comes only with the on-premises server. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, Android, a web client and an iPhone app that can only control other devices. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | remote access on nearly any device you own | free, open-source remote desktop |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AnyDesk and RustDesk. How we grade
Where they differ
- Only RustDesk lists a web app.
- RustDesk is open source, according to its own site.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroidSelf-hostableRemote desktop
At a glance
| AnyDesk | RustDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $11.88 per month, billed annually (Individual Server Pro, self-hosted) |
| Free plan | Free for personal, non-commercial use. Sessions on the free version time out and have to be restarted; a paid licence removes the time limit. | The client and the open-source server are free: use RustDesk's public relay servers or host your own server, with online status and community support. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | AnyDesk Software GmbH | Purslane Tech Pte. Ltd. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | rustdesk.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
AnyDesk
- Reaching your own home or work computer at no cost for personal use
- Self-employed IT specialists who need one user with up to 100 unattended devices
- IT teams and service providers supporting many people's computers
- Enterprises that need remote access hosted inside their own network
RustDesk
- People who want a free remote desktop app for their own computers
- IT teams that must keep remote access data on their own servers
- Organizations replacing TeamViewer or AnyDesk with a self-hosted setup
- Developers and admins who want open-source code they can inspect
Worth knowing
AnyDesk
- AnyDesk's website answered automated readers with a bot check, so no prices could be read; its help center sends buyers to the pricing page or the my.anydesk portal for figures.
- The free version is for personal use only; any outgoing connection for commercial use needs a paid licence.
- Standard includes 20 users but only one simultaneous outgoing connection; more are add-ons.
- On-premises hosting is only on the Ultimate licence, which is quoted by sales.
RustDesk
- Paid plans are licences for a server you run yourself, not a hosted service, and are sold only with annual payment; they do not auto-renew.
- The iOS app can only control other devices; an iPhone or iPad cannot be controlled or share its screen.
- The web client in Server Pro needs a plan where users x 10 plus devices is at least 400.
- There is no nonprofit or education discount, and trial licences are by request to RustDesk.
Key features
AnyDesk
- Interactive and unattended access
- Connect to any number of devices when the person there accepts the request, or to managed devices without anyone present using a password: up to 100 on Solo and 1,000 on Advanced.
- Wide platform coverage
- Clients for Windows and Windows Server, macOS, Linux and Raspberry Pi, Android and ChromeOS, and iOS, iPadOS and tvOS.
- Remote print and Wake-on-LAN
- Print a document from a remote Windows computer on your local printer, and wake a sleeping Windows, Intel Mac or Linux device when another AnyDesk device on its network is online.
- Screen privacy
- Black out the remote screen so people near the device cannot see what you are doing during a session.
- my.anydesk portal
- A management portal to see licence and invoice details, manage linked clients and address books, review sessions and build custom clients.
- On-premises server
- The Ultimate licence can run on your own appliance server, so only your custom clients can connect, even without internet access, with a REST API for integration.
RustDesk
- Works without setup
- Install the client and connect through RustDesk's public rendezvous and relay servers, with no configuration needed.
- Self-hosted server
- Run the open-source server or Server Pro on your own machine with Docker in a few commands, so connection data stays on your infrastructure.
- Web console and access control
- Server Pro adds an admin website for users, devices, address books, permissions, centralized settings and an audit log, plus distributed relay servers.
- Custom branded client
- From the Basic plan, generate a client with your own name, icon and logo, preset with your server and more than 90 configurable options.
- Single sign-on and LDAP
- Basic and above sign users in through OIDC single sign-on or LDAP, with two-factor authentication on every Pro plan.
- Web client
- Start remote sessions from a browser tab; on Server Pro you host the web client on your own domain, on plans large enough to include it.
Plans
AnyDesk
Pricing could not be confirmed. See anydesk.com.
RustDesk
Free$0
Open-source client and server that you host yourself, or use with RustDesk's public relay servers. Community support only.
Individual$11.88
per month, billed annually
Server Pro you host yourself: 1 login user, 20 managed devices, unlimited concurrent connections, web console, 2FA, address book and audit log.
Basic$23.88
per month, billed annually
10 login users and 100 managed devices, plus OIDC single sign-on, LDAP, cross-group access and the custom client generator.
Customized$23.88
per month, billed annually, plus $1.20 per extra user
Basic with more users and devices: each extra user adds $1.20 a month and each extra managed device $0.12.
Customized V2$23.88
per month, billed annually, plus $24 per extra connection
Like Customized, but priced by concurrent connections: $24 a month for each extra one, with devices over the limit kept working.
