HopToDesk vs RustDesk (2026): which should you pick?

Pick HopToDesk if

• Fits if you need a free remote desktop app for a handful of devices
• Works for IT teams that deploy through Intune, Jamf or Ansible

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you manage more than 3 devices from the free dashboard
• Pricey if you grow, since the device limit sets the price: Pro covers 120 to 350, Business 500 to 2,000
• Watch out: SSO, zero-touch rollout and monitoring runbooks need the Business plan at $529 a year
• Watch out: the AI Assistant is billed per task from a prepaid balance, from about $0.05 a task
• Skip it if you need multi-tenant MSP features, which sit on the quote-only Enterprise & MSP plan

Pick RustDesk if

• Fits if you want a free remote desktop app you can use for work too
• Works for companies whose rules say remote access data must stay on their own servers

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need to support people on iPhones or iPads, which can't be controlled or share their screen
• Not for you if you want a hosted service with accounts and a console, as paid plans mean running your own server
• Tight if you need help fast, since the free version has community support only
• Pricey if you want the web client, which needs a plan where users x 10 plus devices is at least 400
• Watch out: paid plans are yearly only, there's no nonprofit or education discount, and trials are by request

HopToDesk

• The device limit sets the price: Free covers 3 devices, Pro 120 to 350, Business 500 to 2,000.
• SSO, zero-touch rollout and monitoring runbooks need the Business plan.
• The AI Assistant is billed per task from a prepaid balance, from about $0.05 a task, and paid plans start with $5 of credit.
• Multi-tenant MSP features and unlimited devices are on the quote-only Enterprise & MSP plan.

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.

HopToDesk

End-to-end encrypted sessions

The vendor says screen sharing, chat and file transfer are all end-to-end encrypted, and that the source code is public.

Unattended access and monitoring

The Dashboard gives unattended access to enrolled devices, real-time status and offline alerts, with health history and software inventory on Business.

Built-in help desk

Tickets come in by email or a customer portal, with SLA targets and satisfaction surveys. The Free plan allows 50 tickets a month.

Custom-branded clients

Generate a client with your own name, logo and preset settings from the Dashboard, then roll it out with GPO, Intune, SCCM, Jamf or Ansible.

Browser access and private network

A web client connects from any browser, and every plan can point clients at a self-run network using a Docker command or an AWS launch link.

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.

HopToDesk

• Free$0

  Dashboard for 3 devices and 2 team members, with a help desk limited to 50 tickets a month.

• Pro$159

  per year for up to 120 devices, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)

  Unlimited team members and tickets, white-label branding and commands across devices. Steps up to 150, 250 and 350 devices.

• Business$529

  per year for up to 500 devices, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)

  Adds zero-touch rollout, monitoring and runbooks, SSO and custom roles. Steps up to 750, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 devices.

• Enterprise & MSPCustom

  Unlimited devices, multi-tenant sub-accounts, SCIM, SIEM streaming, invoicing and priority support. Quoted on request.

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.

HopToDesk

• Annual discount

  Yearly billing saves $21 on Pro

  Pro costs $159 a year against $15 a month, and the page states the saving as $21. Business is $529 a year against $49 a month.

RustDesk

No public discounts listed.