The Jump Desktop Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Jump Desktop in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Jump Desktop
The Insider’s Guide
Remote desktop with one-time app licences and a per-user team plan
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among remote desktop apps, read from Jump Desktop’s own pages.
Made by Phase Five Systems · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Jump Desktop’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Jump Desktop’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.2
GPA, above 14 of the 15 other remote desktop apps we grade
Jump Desktop is mainly for reaching your own computers, including for video editing, design and gaming, through its Fluid protocol at up to 480 frames per second, and it also speaks RDP and VNC. The Windows, Android and web apps are free, the Mac and iPhone or iPad apps are one-time purchases, and Teams plans add a dashboard, access groups and single sign-on for organizations.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Jump Desktop, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Linux hosts are still in alpha, though, so it's really for Windows and Mac machines.
- 1
Best for paying once for remote access to your Mac or PC
Jump Desktop is the pick for reaching your own computers without a subscription.
- 2
What it costs
Paid plans start at $14.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad app); Teams from $7.99 per user / month, yearly.
- 3
There is a free plan
Free on Windows, Android and the web, with unlimited computers and connections, up to 480 fps, one virtual display, 4:4:4 color, game controllers and privacy mode.
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 5
Fluid protocol with RDP and VNC
Its own Fluid protocol uses the host's GPU for encoding at up to 480 frames per second; the apps also connect to computers over standard RDP and VNC.
- 6
Virtual displays
Give the host a display that matches your screen's resolution and refresh rate even with no monitor attached; Teams Enterprise allows up to 4.
- 7
Creative and gaming input
Game controllers work on every plan; Enterprise adds USB drawing tablets, Stream Deck, color panels, pen pressure and tilt, and 10-bit color.
- 8
A 3.2 GPA, above 14 of 15
That is against the other remote desktop apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Jump Desktop you would be making a fast, secure link to another computer through any network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Jump Desktop at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $14.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad app); Teams from $7.99 per user / month, yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Teams plans, no credit card required; 14-day trial of the Mac app
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Phase Five Systems
- Category
- Remote Desktop
- Our grade
- 3.2 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.5 on the App Store, 1,692 ratings
The report card
Best for paying once for remote access to your Mac or PC
Jump Desktop is the pick for reaching your own computers without a subscription. It's free on Windows, Android and the web, the Mac and iPhone apps are one-off purchases, and its Fluid protocol runs at up to 480 frames per second. Linux hosts are still in alpha, though, so it's really for Windows and Mac machines.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free on Windows, Android and the web, with no limit on computers or connections. On Apple devices you pay once: $34.99 for the Mac app and $14.99 for iPhone and iPad. Against Parsec's and Splashtop's paid personal plans for the same job, which renew every year, that's cheap. |
| Free plan and trial | B | The Windows, Android and web apps are free with unlimited computers, 480 fps, 4:4:4 colour and controllers, a plan one person can live on. The Mac and iPhone apps aren't free, though; the Mac app has a 14-day trial. |
| Features | C | The Fluid protocol at up to 480 fps, plus RDP and VNC, virtual displays, controllers and Mission Control for AI agents. The gaps it lists itself: Linux hosts are alpha only, and 10-bit colour, extra displays, USB and more than 20 mbps need Teams Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.5 from 1,692 App Store ratings for the iPhone and iPad app. Install Jump Desktop Connect on the computer you want to reach and pick it from the list on the other device. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus Linux in alpha, with a REST API on Teams and single sign-on through Okta and Azure AD. It speaks RDP and VNC too, so it reaches machines without Jump on them. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Jump Desktop is for
- Great if you'd rather pay once than rent your remote desktop by the month
- A treat if you game or edit video on a powerful PC from somewhere else
- Handy when some of your machines only speak RDP or VNC
Who it is not for
- Skip it if the computer you need to reach runs Linux, as that's still alpha
- Pricey if you need 10-bit colour or a USB pen tablet, which need Teams Enterprise
- Not for you if you want the iPhone app included in a Teams plan, as it's sold separately
Good to know
Good for
- Mac or iPad owners who would rather pay once than subscribe
- Video editors and designers working on a powerful remote workstation
- Gamers streaming PC or Mac games to another device
- Small teams that want managed remote access for a few dollars per user
Worth knowing
- The Mac and iPhone or iPad apps cost extra as one-time purchases; Teams plans include the Mac app but not the iPhone and iPad app.
- 10-bit color, more than one virtual display, USB redirection and bandwidth above 20 mbps need Teams Enterprise.
- Linux computers can be reached only through Connect for Linux, which is in alpha and meant for testing.
- Single sign-on and SCIM provisioning are Teams Enterprise features.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$14.99 one-time
To start. There is a free plan too
Jump Desktop has a free plan. Paid plans start at $14.99 one-time (iPhone and iPad app); Teams from $7.99 per user / month, yearly.
Free on Windows, Android and the web, with no limit on computers or connections.
Free
$0
The Windows, Android and web apps, with no recurring fees and no limit on computers or simultaneous connections.
iPhone and iPad app
$14.99
one-time, on the US App Store
A one-time purchase with no subscription. Not included in Teams plans, which cover the Mac app only.
Mac app
$34.99
one-time, on the US Mac App Store
A one-time purchase with no subscription, also sold directly with a 14-day trial. Included with Teams plans.
Teams Pro
$7.99
per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly)
Teams Dashboard, 5 access groups, Mac app licences, REST API, automated custom installers and 5 years of cloud access logs.
Teams Enterprise
$15.99
per user / month, billed annually ($19.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited access groups, up to 4 virtual displays, 10-bit color, 60 mbps, USB and stylus pressure, security keys, SSO and SCIM.
The free plan
Free on Windows, Android and the web, with unlimited computers and connections, up to 480 fps, one virtual display, 4:4:4 color, game controllers and privacy mode.
Trying it first
14-day free trial of Teams plans, no credit card required; 14-day trial of the Mac app
Read from jumpdesktop.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Yearly billing saves 20% on Teams
The pricing page says yearly billing saves 20%: Teams Pro is $95.90 a year against $9.99 a month, and Enterprise $191.88 a year against $19.99.
Stated on jumpdesktop.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Remote desktop with one-time app licences and a per-user team plan. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: one-time purchase, public API, remote desktop.
Web, Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android, plus Linux in alpha, with a REST API on Teams and single sign-on through Okta and Azure AD.
- Fluid protocol with RDP and VNC
- Its own Fluid protocol uses the host's GPU for encoding at up to 480 frames per second; the apps also connect to computers over standard RDP and VNC.
- Virtual displays
- Give the host a display that matches your screen's resolution and refresh rate even with no monitor attached; Teams Enterprise allows up to 4.
- Creative and gaming input
- Game controllers work on every plan; Enterprise adds USB drawing tablets, Stream Deck, color panels, pen pressure and tilt, and 10-bit color.
- Ask to share screen
- Ask the person at a computer to share their screen; they choose whether you can view or control, and several people can join one computer.
- AI agents with Mission Control
- Give AI agents a full desktop on a computer or virtual machine and watch, or step in, while they set up machines, test apps or fix problems.
- Team management
- Teams get a web dashboard for users, computers and permissions, access groups, a REST API, a command-line tool in beta and session watermarks on Enterprise.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Okta
- Azure AD
Jump Desktop is made by Phase Five Systems.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
14/15
Other remote desktop apps it is graded above
Jump Desktop's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 14 of the 15 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 13 of 15) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 16 remote desktop apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Jump Desktop’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 13 of 15
- BFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 15
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 15
- BEase of useAbove 5 of 15
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 13 of 15
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Jump Desktop you would be making a fast, secure link to another computer through any network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 14 of the 15 other remote desktop apps we grade. It costs $14.99, paid once.
What you could not
- A fast, secure link to another computer through any network.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Okta and Azure AD among them, and has an API.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on and roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Jump Desktop’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Parsec, Splashtop, Chrome Remote Desktop, RealVNC Connect and NoMachine
The 5 tools Jump Desktop is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Parsec
Free plan · from $8.33/mo
Low-latency remote desktop for games and creative work.
- Only Jump Desktop lists an iOS app.
- Jump Desktop can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.8GPA
Splashtop
Free plan · from $23.99/yr
Remote access to your own computers, plus separate IT support plans.
- Only Jump Desktop lists a web app.
- Jump Desktop can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Splashtop is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 3.2GPA
Chrome Remote Desktop
Free
Google's free remote access to your own computers from a browser.
- Only Chrome Remote Desktop lists a browser extension.
- Jump Desktop can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.4GPA
RealVNC Connect
Free plan
Remote access from the makers of VNC, with end-to-end encryption.
- Only Jump Desktop lists a web app.
- Jump Desktop can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- RealVNC Connect is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.2GPA
NoMachine
Free trial · from $24.50/yr
Self-hosted remote desktop sold as yearly server subscriptions.
- Jump Desktop has a free plan. NoMachine does not, though it has a free trial.
- Jump Desktop can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- NoMachine is self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Jump Desktop free?
Jump Desktop has a free plan. Free on Windows, Android and the web, with unlimited computers and connections, up to 480 fps, one virtual display, 4:4:4 color, game controllers and privacy mode.
How much does Jump Desktop cost?
Jump Desktop lists 5 plans. Free: $0. iPhone and iPad app: $14.99 one-time, on the US App Store.
What platforms does Jump Desktop work on?
Jump Desktop is available on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Jump Desktop offer any discounts?
Jump Desktop publicly lists the following: Yearly billing saves 20% on Teams.
How is Jump Desktop rated?
Jump Desktop's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1,692 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Is Jump Desktop open source?
Jump Desktop is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Jump Desktop have an API?
Yes. Jump Desktop offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Jump Desktop integrate with?
Jump Desktop's listing names Okta and Azure AD. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Jump Desktop have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of Teams plans, no credit card required; 14-day trial of the Mac app.
Who makes Jump Desktop?
Jump Desktop is made by Phase Five Systems.
What are the alternatives to Jump Desktop?
The closest alternatives to Jump Desktop in our directory are Parsec, Splashtop, Chrome Remote Desktop, RealVNC Connect and NoMachine.
How does Jump Desktop compare with other remote desktop apps?
Jump Desktop's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 14 of the 15 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 1.
Could I make my own version of Jump Desktop?
To replace Jump Desktop you would be making a fast, secure link to another computer through any network.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Jump Desktop’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Jump Desktop's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Phase Five Systems. Prices change, so check jumpdesktop.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Jump Desktop, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/jump-desktop
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Jump Desktop: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/jump-desktop
Know someone choosing between remote desktop apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/jump-desktop/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded remote desktop apps after Jump Desktop, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Remote Desktop Insider's GuideEvery one of the 16 remote desktop apps we grade, compared
- Chrome Remote Desktop Insider's GuideGoogle's free remote access to your own computers from a browser3.2 GPA
- RustDesk Insider's GuideOpen-source remote desktop you can run on your own server3.0 GPA
- Zoho Assist Insider's GuideRemote support and unattended access for help desks and IT teams3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Jump Desktop’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Jump Desktop is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Phase Five Systems. Prices and plans change: check jumpdesktop.com before you buy.