Parsec vs Splashtop
We give Parsec a 2.6 GPA and Splashtop a 2.8, out of 4.0. Parsec grades higher on the free plan. Splashtop grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Parsec
Low-latency remote desktop for games and creative work
Splashtop
Remote access to your own computers, plus separate IT support plans
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAParsecGood | 2.8GPASplashtopGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CRemote Support SOS is $22 per concurrent technician a month billed annually: $259 a year with 10 managed computers, or $399 with 300. For the same job that's mid-pack, above Zoho Assist and below TeamViewer's Business. For your own computers, the Anywhere Access Pack is only $23.99 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CSplashtop Personal is free, but only on your home network, for up to 2 computers and never for work. Working from home counts as work. Business plans have a free trial with no card, though its length isn't stated. |
| Features | 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. | BUnattended access, support by session code, file transfer, remote print, and a Performance plan with 4:4:4 colour, 240 frames per second, Wacom pens and USB passthrough. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job; single sign-on and the APIs wait for Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | 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. | A4.81 from 4,713 App Store ratings for its Business app, the best on record in this category. Install the Streamer on a computer and reach it from anything. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone and Android, with Intune, Jira, Freshservice, Jamf, Atera and Datto RMM. There's no web app on record, which keeps it at B, and the APIs are Enterprise only. |
| Best for | streaming games and creative work with no lag | remote access from home office to help desk |
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: Parsec and Splashtop. How we grade
Price against what you get
Parsec starts at $8.33 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Splashtop starts at $2 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3.
Splashtop scores higher and starts $6.33 a month lower. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Parsec for less, and none scores higher than Splashtop 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
- Parsec starts at $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly). Splashtop starts at $23.99 per year for personal use; business plans from $6 / month, billed annually.
- Only Parsec lists a web app.
- Only Splashtop lists an iOS app.
- Splashtop is self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Parsec | Splashtop | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly) | $23.99 per year for personal use; business plans from $6 / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | 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. | Splashtop Personal is free for non-commercial use on your local home network, for up to 2 computers. Reaching them from outside the home network needs the Anywhere Access Pack. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Teams and Enterprise | Free trial of business plans, no credit card required; length not stated |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Unity Technologies SF | Splashtop Inc. |
| Price read from | parsec.app | splashtop.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Parsec
- Playing games on a home PC from another computer or an Android device
- Game studios and VFX artists who need accurate color and low lag remotely
- Video editors and designers using a Wacom tablet on a distant workstation
- Studios inviting outside playtesters to a machine for a few days
Splashtop
- Reaching a home computer from the couch at no cost, or from anywhere for a small yearly fee
- People working from home who need their office computer from another device
- Designers and video editors who need accurate color and a stylus over a remote link
- IT teams and MSPs supporting staff or customers by concurrent technician
Worth knowing
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.
Splashtop
- Splashtop Personal is free only on your home network and only for non-commercial use; working from home needs a business plan.
- Business plan prices are shown only as annual billing on the pricing page.
- Remote Support SOS is priced per concurrent technician, with the number of managed computers capped by the option you buy (10 or 300 per licence, up to 1,200).
- Enterprise, with single sign-on, APIs and the on-premises option, has no public price and is quoted by sales.
Key features
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.
Splashtop
- Unattended access to your own computers
- Install the Streamer on a computer and reach it later from a phone, tablet or another computer, with file transfer and remote print.
- On-demand support by session code
- Remote Support SOS lets a technician connect to any computer or mobile device the user opens a session code on, with or without someone present on managed machines.
- High-performance streaming
- The Performance plan adds 4:4:4 color, up to 240 frames per second, high-fidelity audio, Wacom stylus support and USB passthrough for creative work.
- Endpoint management add-on
- Autonomous Endpoint Management adds real-time patching, monitoring and remediation, and is sold on its own or added to SOS and Enterprise.
- Enterprise and on-premises
- Enterprise adds single sign-on, granular and scheduled access, SIEM logging, cloud recording, APIs and unattended Android access, with an on-premises option.
- Help desk and RMM integrations
- Launch sessions from tools such as Freshservice, Jira, Jamf, Atera and Datto RMM, and manage Bitdefender antivirus from the Splashtop console.
Plans
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.
Splashtop
Personal$0
Non-commercial use only, on your home Wi-Fi network, for up to 2 Windows or Mac computers. Working from home counts as commercial use.
Anywhere Access Pack$23.99
per year ($5.99 a month billed monthly)
Add-on to Personal for reaching up to 2 home computers from anywhere over the internet. Personal use only.
Solo$6
per month, billed annually ($72 a year)
One user with unattended access from any device, file transfer with drag and drop, and remote print.
Pro$8.25
per user / month, billed annually ($99 a year)
Adds multi-monitor support, user roles and access management, chat, session recording and up to 3 users into one computer.
Performance$13
per user / month, billed annually ($149 a year)
Adds 4:4:4 color accuracy, up to 240 frames per second, high-fidelity audio, remote stylus with Wacom Bridge and USB passthrough.
Remote Support SOS$22
per concurrent technician / month, billed annually
$259 a year with 10 managed computers, or $399 a year with 300; on-demand sessions by code to unlimited computers and mobile devices.
Ways to pay less
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.
Splashtop
- Annual discount
Anywhere Access Pack is cheaper paid yearly
The pack costs $23.99 a year against $5.99 a month, which is $71.88 over twelve months: about two-thirds less.
- Other savings
Volume discounts on Pro and Performance
The pricing page marks volume discounts on the Pro and Performance plans for teams buying several user licences.
