Chrome Remote Desktop vs Remote Mouse (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Chrome Remote Desktop: it is first in our ranking of remote desktop apps, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Chrome Remote Desktop grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Google's free remote access to your own computers from a browser
Remote Mouse
Use a phone as a wireless mouse, keyboard and trackpad
Which one is for you
Pick Chrome Remote Desktop if
- Fits if you just want to grab a file off your home PC while you're out
- Works for helping a relative now and then with a one-time code, without buying anything
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you support people for a living, as there's no team version, help desk or support staff
- Too light for long support sessions, since sharing needs re-confirming every 30 minutes and each code works once
- Not for you if you need to reach a phone or tablet, as only Windows, Mac and Linux computers can be set up
- Watch out: on a work or school account an administrator may block or limit it
- Too light for linking into other tools, as no integrations or API are on record
Pick Remote Mouse if
- Fits if you present or play media from across a room
- Works for homes or offices with Mac, Windows and Linux machines
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want it over the internet, as that needs a VPN such as Tailscale, per the FAQ
- Tight if you stay free, because the vendor doesn't say which features that includes
- Watch out: media panel, web remote and ad removal are separate in-app purchases
- Watch out: Android prices differ, with Google Play items from $1.45 to $27.00 each
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAChrome Remote DesktopVery good | 2.6GPARemote MouseGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$0, with nothing to upgrade to: Google lists no paid plans, and reaching your own computers and one-time support sessions are both free. Of its rivals doing the same job, TeamViewer and AnyDesk are free for personal use only, and Splashtop's free app stays on your home Wi-Fi. | APro is $1.49 a month or $13.99 a year on the US App Store, about $1.17 a month by the year, under the $1.67 line that marks very cheap in remote access. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright. Everything it does costs nothing, with no limit on computers in the listing, and there's no paid tier to push you towards. | CThe app and desktop helper are free, but the vendor doesn't publish which features are free, and the App Store lists several separate in-app purchases. |
| Features | CIt covers reaching your own Windows, Mac and Linux computers and helping someone with a one-time code. The gaps it lists itself: sharing must be confirmed every 30 minutes, each code works once, phones can't be reached, and there's no team or business version. | CMouse, keyboard, trackpad, panels, clipboard sync and voice typing. It is a smaller job than remote desktop, and both devices must share Wi-Fi or be paired by Bluetooth. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record. It runs on the Google account you already have: set up access once on each computer, then pick it from a list and enter its PIN. | CNo rating on record. A helper has to be installed on each computer and paired with the phone. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, so it's on everything. But there are no integrations or API on record, which keeps it at B. | BiOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux, so phone and computer. The Linux helper has no Bluetooth. |
| Best for | reaching your own computers for free | a phone as a wireless mouse and keyboard |
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: Chrome Remote Desktop and Remote Mouse. How we grade
Price against what you get
Chrome Remote Desktop has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Remote Mouse starts at $1.49 a month and scores 2.3.
Chrome Remote Desktop scores higher and starts $1.49 a month lower. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, none scores higher than Chrome Remote Desktop for less, and 4 score higher than Remote Mouse for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Remote Mouse also covers dictation.
At a glance
| Chrome Remote Desktop | Remote Mouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $1.49 per month (Pro Membership, App Store) |
| Free plan | Everything is free: remote access to your own computers and one-time support sessions. Google lists no paid plans and the Android app has no in-app purchases. | The mobile app is free to download; the in-app purchases listed in the App Store are optional. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Emote Interactive | |
| Price read from | play.google.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Chrome Remote Desktop
- Google sells no paid or business version; help comes from its help pages and the Chrome Help Forum rather than a support team.
- When you share your computer, you have to confirm every 30 minutes that sharing should continue, and each support code works only once.
- Only Windows, Mac and Linux computers can be set up for access; the phone and tablet apps connect to computers but cannot be reached themselves.
- On a work or school account an administrator may block or limit it.
Remote Mouse
- Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network or paired over Bluetooth. Reaching a computer from outside needs a VPN such as Tailscale, per the FAQ.
- The Linux helper has no Bluetooth connection.
- The App Store lists several separate in-app purchases (media panel, web remote, ads removal, wallpaper) beside the Pro subscriptions.
- On Google Play the in-app items range from $1.45 to $27.00 each, so Android prices differ from the App Store.
Key features
Chrome Remote Desktop
- Access your own computers
- Set up remote access once on each computer, then pick it from a list at remotedesktop.google.com/access and enter its PIN to connect.
- One-time support codes
- Someone who needs help generates a code and sends it to you; when you enter it they see your email address and choose whether to share.
- Phone and tablet apps
- Apps for Android, iPhone and iPad connect to your online computers; on a computer everything runs in the Chrome browser.
- Linux virtual sessions
- On Linux the host can start its own desktop session, and you can choose which desktop environment it launches.
- Admin controls
- Administrators of managed Google accounts can control whether and how people in their organization use Chrome Remote Desktop.
Remote Mouse
- Mouse, keyboard and trackpad
- The phone works as all three, with multi-touch gestures such as three-finger drag and a mouse button lock for dragging across several swipes.
- Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Connects over the local Wi-Fi network, or over Bluetooth on Mac and Windows. The Linux helper connects over Wi-Fi only.
- Control panels
- Panels for media, web browsing and presentations, plus power options, an application switcher and volume-button control of slides.
- Clipboard sync and voice typing
- Copy and paste between phone and computer, and dictate text on the phone to type it on the computer using the phone's speech recognition.
- Gyroscope mouse
- Moves the cursor by tilting and moving the phone in the air, using the phone's gyroscope and accelerometer.
Plans
Chrome Remote Desktop
Free$0
Remote access to your own Windows, Mac and Linux computers and one-time remote support sessions. No paid tier exists.
Remote Mouse
Free$0
Free app and desktop helper; the App Store lists optional in-app purchases and the vendor does not publish which features are free.
Pro Membership (1 Month)$1.49
per month, App Store price
In-app subscription as listed on the US App Store; the Pro page inside the app holds the details.
Pro Membership (1 Year)$13.99
per year, App Store price
In-app yearly subscription as listed on the US App Store; Android prices are shown in the Play listing as a range.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Chrome Remote Desktop or Remote Mouse?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Chrome Remote Desktop is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.49 a month for Remote Mouse. Chrome Remote Desktop is free, and Remote Mouse starts at $1.49 per month (Pro Membership, App Store).
Which has a free plan, Chrome Remote Desktop or Remote Mouse?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Chrome Remote Desktop and Remote Mouse have a free plan.
Which platforms do Chrome Remote Desktop and Remote Mouse run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Chrome Remote Desktop lists a web app and a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.