ISL Online vs Zoho Assist (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Zoho Assist: it is second in our ranking of remote desktop apps, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zoho Assist grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ISL Online
Remote support and unattended access, cloud or self-hosted
Zoho Assist
Remote support and unattended access for help desks and IT teams
Which one is for you
Pick ISL Online if
- Fits if you give support to customers and want a self-hosted server option
- Works for small teams that fit within 10 managed devices on Starter
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Starter: 10 managed devices, and no REST API
- Pricey if you grow, as Standard, Premium and Self-Hosted are priced per concurrent user
- Watch out: only yearly-billed monthly figures are shown, with no month-to-month price, and tax is extra
- Skip it if you need SSO on a smaller plan, because external authentication starts above Standard
Pick Zoho Assist if
- Fits if you're a one-person IT shop looking after up to 5 machines without paying
- Works for teams whose support requests arrive as Zendesk, Freshdesk or Jira tickets
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need both support and unattended access, as each is a separate plan at $10 or more
- Tight if you stay free: one session at a time, and no file transfer, screen blanking or reboot-and-reconnect
- Skip it if you need session recording or remote printing at the lowest tier, as neither is in the Standard plans
- Watch out: mobile device support starts on Professional at $15, and webhooks and Zapier on Enterprise at $24
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAISL OnlineFair | 3.0GPAZoho AssistVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $16.90 a month billed annually, between the $10.00 middle and the $28.00 dearer quarter for remote access tools. Standard is $34.90 per concurrent user. | CRemote Support Standard is $10 per technician a month billed annually, and unattended computers are a separate $10 per 25, so a technician doing both pays $20. For the same job that's below ScreenConnect, TeamViewer and LogMeIn Resolve, but above Getscreen.me. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 15-day trial for 1 user and 5 managed devices, with no free plan after it. The pages read don't say whether a card is needed. | BThe free plan has 1 technician, 5 unattended computers and no limit on session length, for personal or small business use. It's one session at a time, and file transfer and screen blanking need paying. Paid plans have a 15-day trial with no card. |
| Features | BAttended and unattended sessions, RDP and SSH, session tools, hosting options and a REST API. The API isn't on Starter, but nothing is missing from the core job. | BOn-demand sessions with chat, voice and video, unattended access with bulk deployment and Wake-on-LAN, recording, branding, a customer widget and Zia AI. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job; recording and remote printing just aren't in Standard. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Deployment links, user management and hosting choices mean some setup. | B4.73 from 909 App Store ratings, which misses our A on the number of ratings. Customers join from an invitation, so there's little to set up on their side. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, plus a REST API. No web version is listed. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, starting sessions from Zendesk, ServiceNow, Freshservice, Freshdesk and Jira tickets, with webhooks and Zapier on higher plans. |
| Best for | remote support and access with a self-hosted option | remote support for small help desks |
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: ISL Online and Zoho Assist. How we grade
Price against what you get
ISL Online starts at $16.90 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho Assist starts at $10 a month and scores 3.3.
Zoho Assist scores higher and starts $6.90 a month lower. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, 3 score higher than ISL Online for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Assist 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
- ISL Online is self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| ISL Online | Zoho Assist | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $16.90 per month, billed annually ($202.80 per year) | $10 per technician / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 1 remote support technician, 5 unattended computers and 1 concurrent session, with no limit on session length. File transfer, screen blanking and reboot-and-reconnect need a paid plan. |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial for 1 user and 5 managed devices. | 15-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ISL Online | Zoho Corporation |
| Price read from | islonline.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ISL Online
- Standard, Premium and Self-Hosted are priced per concurrent user, and the checkout steps run from 1 to 20+ users.
- The pricing page shows monthly figures billed yearly; no month-to-month price is displayed.
- The REST API is not available on the Starter plan, and external authentication starts above Standard.
- A 15-day money-back guarantee applies; prices exclude tax.
Zoho Assist
- Remote Support and Unattended Access are sold separately, one per technician and one per 25 computers, so many teams need both.
- The free plan allows one concurrent session and leaves out file transfer and screen blanking.
- A session-based Corporate plan lists $75 a month for 50 technicians, 2 concurrent sessions and 1,000 managed devices; larger concurrent plans are quoted.
- Session recording and remote printing are not in the Standard plans.
Key features
ISL Online
- Attended and unattended sessions
- Technicians can support a user live or connect to computers set up for unattended access, including Android devices through the ISL Light app.
- Connect via RDP and SSH
- The site says technicians can jump to remote computers over RDP or SSH without VPN tunneling or firewall changes.
- Session tools
- The plan comparison lists session recording, a file manager, chat, audio and video calls, multiple monitors, curtain mode and a clipboard.
- Hosting options
- Besides the cloud license, ISL Online sells a self-hosted server license and a single-tenant managed private cloud.
- Management and API
- Higher plans add computer groups, user management, permissions, reports and a REST API; Premium and Self-Hosted add external authentication.
Zoho Assist
- On-demand remote support
- Start a session with a customer's computer through an invitation, with chat, voice and video chat, file transfer, and session transfer to another technician.
- Unattended access
- Deploy the agent to many computers at once, group them, set permissions and reach them without anyone present, including Wake-on-LAN and power options.
- Help desk integrations
- Start sessions from tickets in Zendesk, ServiceNow, Freshservice, Freshdesk and Jira, with webhooks and Zapier on higher plans.
- Session recording and audit
- Record sessions, keep an advanced session audit and send scheduled reports on Enterprise and Unattended Access Professional.
- Rebranding and customer widget
- Put your own branding and domain on the support experience, and embed a widget so customers can ask for a session from your site.
- Zia AI
- The top Remote Support plan, Unattended Access Professional and the Corporate plan include Zoho's Zia AI features.
Plans
ISL Online
Starter$16.90
per month for 1 licensed user, billed annually
$202.80 a year. 10 managed devices, mobile support, RDP connections, email invites and custom deployment links.
Standard$34.90
per month for 1 concurrent user, billed annually
$418.80 a year per concurrent user. 40 licensed users, 1000 managed devices, user management and device permissions.
Premium$54.90
per month for 1 concurrent user, billed annually
$658.80 a year per concurrent user. Unlimited users and devices, SSO/SAML, advanced customization and premium support.
Self-Hosted$44.90
per month for 1 concurrent user, billed annually
$538.80 a year per concurrent user. On-premises server with unlimited users and devices; SAML SSO or LDAP supported.
Managed Private Cloud$99.90
per month per concurrent user, billed annually
Single-tenant system sold from 20 licenses, so $23,976 a year at the entry point. Includes an account manager.
Zoho Assist
Free$0
One technician, 5 unattended computers and 1 concurrent session, on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, for personal and small business use.
Remote Support Standard$10
per technician / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited on-demand sessions per technician, 2 concurrent sessions, file transfer, session transfer, voice chat and help desk integrations.
Remote Support Professional$15
per technician / month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Adds support for mobile devices, scheduled sessions, rebranding, session notes and audit, and 4 concurrent sessions.
Remote Support Enterprise$24
per technician / month, billed annually ($28 billed monthly)
Adds session recording, remote printing and scripts, video chat, a service queue, customer widget, webhooks, Zapier and 6 concurrent sessions.
Unattended Access Standard$10
per 25 computers / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
Unlimited technicians reaching your configured computers, with grouping, bulk deployment, Wake-on-LAN, file transfer and power options.
Unattended Access Professional$15
per 25 computers / month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
Adds session recording, remote print and scripts, rebranding, mobile and IoT device support, a credential manager and virtual monitors.
Ways to pay less
ISL Online
No public discounts listed.
Zoho Assist
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves more than 15%
The pricing page says yearly billing saves more than 15%: Remote Support Standard is $10 a month billed annually against $12 billed monthly.
- Other savings
Volume discounts for larger teams
Zoho Assist offers volume discounts on both yearly and monthly billing as a team grows, arranged through its volume discount page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ISL Online or Zoho Assist?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Zoho Assist is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $16.90 a month for ISL Online. ISL Online starts at $16.90 per month, billed annually ($202.80 per year), and Zoho Assist starts at $10 per technician / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ISL Online or Zoho Assist?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zoho Assist has a free plan. ISL Online does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do ISL Online and Zoho Assist run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zoho Assist lists a web app. 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.