Moonlight vs Parsec (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Moonlight grades higher than Parsec: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Moonlight grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Parsec grades higher on ease of use. 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.
Moonlight
Open-source client for streaming PC games to other devices
Parsec
Low-latency remote desktop for games and creative work
Which one is for you
Pick Moonlight if
- Fits if you want to play games from your PC on another screen in the house
- Works for people who can set up a host such as Sunshine
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a plug-and-play remote support tool, as you must set up a host and network yourself
- Not for you if the PC has no compatible host, since Moonlight is only a client
- Watch out: console and TV ports are community or homebrew builds, not official apps
- Tight if you want to stream over the internet, which needs port forwarding or a virtual network
Pick Parsec if
- Fits if you want to play games on your own gaming PC from the sofa or a laptop
- Works for studios inviting playtesters onto a machine, at $25 per outside guest
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you use it for work, since that needs Teams at $30 a user a month, or $45 on Enterprise
- Skip it if you want to connect from an iPhone or iPad, as there's no iOS app
- Not for you if the computer you want to reach runs Linux, as only Windows and Mac can host
- Tight if you stay free: one monitor, 60 FPS, and no 4:4:4 color, privacy mode or Wacom pressure
- Watch out: outside guests cost $25 an invitation on Teams, there are no volume discounts, and Enterprise is yearly only
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMoonlightVery good | 2.6GPAParsecGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree with no paid versions, subscriptions, ads or bundled services, against a $2.50 cheaper-quarter start for remote access tools. | CGaming at home is free, and Warp, the personal plan with extra monitors and 4:4:4 colour, is $8.33 a month billed annually. Any work use needs Teams at $30 a user a month, though, well above what Splashtop's Performance plan and Jump Desktop's Teams Enterprise charge for the same creative job. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with nothing held back and no paid versions at all. | BPersonal Use is free for gaming and other non-commercial use, with 60 FPS, controllers and link sharing, and one person can live on that. It's one monitor only, no 4:4:4 colour and no work use at all; Teams has a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CStreaming, many client devices and full desktop access. It's only a client that needs a compatible host, and console and TV ports are unofficial. | CLow-latency streaming at up to 4K and 240 frames per second, controllers, Wacom pressure, shared sessions and guest access. The gaps it lists itself: only Windows and Mac computers can be hosts, there's no iOS app, and outside guests cost $25 an invitation. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You set up a host such as Sunshine, and over the internet you need port forwarding or a virtual network. | BNo App Store rating on record. Install it on the computer you want to reach and the one you're sitting at, and connect. There's nothing to configure for a game at home. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, with Sunshine, GeForce Experience, ZeroTier and Tailscale links. No web version is listed. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, Android and a Chrome browser client, with a Teams API on Enterprise. There's no iPhone or iPad app, and Linux, Android and the browser can only connect, not host. |
| Best for | streaming your gaming PC to another device | streaming games and creative work from a PC |
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: Moonlight and Parsec. How we grade
Price against what you get
Moonlight has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Parsec starts at $8.33 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Parsec scores higher, and starts $8.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, none scores higher than Moonlight for less, and 2 score higher than Parsec 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
- Moonlight is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Moonlight | Parsec | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Personal Use is free for non-commercial use: low-latency 60 FPS desktop capture, link sharing, keyboard, mouse and gamepad support and encrypted peer-to-peer connections, on one monitor. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Teams and Enterprise |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Moonlight Game Streaming Project | Unity Technologies SF |
| Price read from | moonlight-stream.org | parsec.app |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Moonlight
- It is only a client: you need a compatible host such as Sunshine or GeForce Experience on the PC.
- Console and TV ports are community or homebrew builds, not official apps.
- Streaming over the Internet needs your own network setup, such as port forwarding or a virtual network.
Parsec
- The free and Individuals plans are for personal, non-commercial use only; any work use needs Teams or Enterprise.
- Only Windows 10+ and macOS 10.15+ computers can be hosts; Linux, Android and the Chrome web client can only connect. There is no iOS app.
- Guest access for external users costs $25 per invitation on top of the Teams plan.
- Parsec does not offer volume discounts, and Enterprise is sold with annual billing only.
Key features
Moonlight
- High-quality streaming
- The site lists streaming at up to 4K with HDR support and up to 120 FPS on the PC client, with an option to disable V-Sync for lower latency.
- Many client devices
- Clients are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Link, Raspberry Pi 4, iOS, Apple TV, Android, Fire OS and ChromeOS, plus community ports for consoles and TVs.
- Full desktop access
- Anything visible on the host PC can be streamed, including the whole Windows desktop, not only games.
- Your own host
- Sunshine, an open-source host built for Moonlight, is the recommended host; GeForce Experience and an Internet Hosting Tool are also listed.
- Remote hosting options
- The site says a home server can be reached through port forwarding, IPv6 or software-defined networks such as ZeroTier and Tailscale.
Parsec
- Low-latency streaming
- Up to 4K resolution and up to 240 frames per second (60 at 4K), with 4:4:4 color on paid plans, over direct peer-to-peer connections.
- Controllers and Wacom tablets
- Keyboard, mouse and gamepad input on every plan; paid plans add pressure- and tilt-sensitive Wacom tablet support.
- Shared sessions
- Share a link so someone can watch or take control of your computer, for co-op games, live reviews or working on something together.
- Team computers
- Teams can provision computers on demand to a team member or group, and block computers inside the network from hosting connections.
- Guest access
- Invite outside people into a Teams computer for up to five days, for playtests, events or user research, using separately bought credits.
- Enterprise relay and API
- Enterprise adds a high-performance relay that sits in your firewall, a Teams API for automating deployment, SCIM and role-based admin roles.
Plans
Moonlight
Free$0
Community project; the site says it has no paid versions, subscriptions, ads or bundled services.
Parsec
Personal Use$0
Free for gaming and other non-commercial use. No multi-monitor streaming, 4:4:4 color, privacy mode or Wacom pressure support.
Individuals (Warp)$8.33
per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly)
Personal, non-commercial use with up to 3 monitors, 4:4:4 color, virtual monitors, privacy mode and Wacom pressure and tilt.
Teams$30
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Licensed for work: admin panel, SAML single sign-on, team-managed computers and groups, 7 days of audit logs and paid guest access.
Enterprise$45
per user / month, billed annually only
Adds the high-performance relay server, Teams API, role-based access, SCIM provisioning, full audit logs and usage analytics.
Ways to pay less
Moonlight
No public discounts listed.
Parsec
- Annual discount
Annual billing saves up to about 17%
Individuals is $8.33 a month paid annually against $9.99 monthly, about 17% less; Teams is $30 against $35, about 14% less.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Moonlight or Parsec?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Moonlight is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8.33 a month for each person for Parsec. Moonlight is free, and Parsec starts at $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Moonlight or Parsec?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Moonlight and Parsec have a free plan.
Which platforms do Moonlight and Parsec run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Moonlight lists an iOS app and only Parsec lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux 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.