Parsec
Low-latency remote desktop for games and creative work
Parsec report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for streaming games and creative work with no lag
Parsec is built for speed: it streams a gaming PC or a studio workstation at up to 240 frames per second, with controllers and Wacom tablets. Gaming at home is free. The catch is work use, which needs Teams at $30 a user a month, and there's no iPhone app.
Who Parsec is for
- Great if you want to play games on your gaming PC from the sofa or a laptop
- A treat if you draw or edit on a distant workstation with a Wacom tablet
- Good for studios inviting playtesters onto a machine for a few days
Who Parsec is not for
- Pricey if you use it for work, since that needs Teams at $30 a user a month
- 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
Why Parsec gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyGaming 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.
- BFree plan and trialPersonal 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.
- CFeaturesLow-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.
- BEase of useNo 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWindows, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Parsec's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/parsec#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/parsec.svg" alt="Parsec: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Parsec stands among remote desktop apps
Parsec's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 7 of the 15 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 9 of 15) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month for each person, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 4 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 16 remote desktop apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Parsec’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 15, level with 9
- BFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 15, level with 4
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 15, level with 11
- BEase of useAbove 5 of 15, level with 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 15, level with 12
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 12 remote desktop apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Parsec, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Parsec 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 costs $99.96 a year.
What you could not
- A fast, secure link to another computer through any network.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux and Android that stay in step with each other.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- An API that other software can build on.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: SCIM and roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Parsec’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.
What is Parsec?
Parsec is a remote desktop app from Unity built for low-latency streaming of games and creative work, at up to 4K and up to 240 frames per second over direct peer-to-peer connections. Computers running Windows or macOS can be hosts, and you connect from Windows, macOS, Linux, Android or a Chrome browser. Gaming is free; any work use needs a Teams or Enterprise plan.
Parsec has a free plan. Paid plans start at $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Parsec pricing
- Starts at
- $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly)
- 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.
- Free trial
- 14-day free trial of Teams and Enterprise
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | $8.33per 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 | $30per 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 | $45per user / month, billed annually only | Adds the high-performance relay server, Teams API, role-based access, SCIM provisioning, full audit logs and usage analytics. |
Read from parsec.app on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Parsec before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAnnual 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.
Stated on parsec.app
Parsec alternatives
- Parsec vs Splashtop
Free plan · from $23.99/yr
- Parsec vs Jump Desktop
Free plan · from $14.99 one-time
- Parsec vs NoMachine
Free trial · from $24.50/yr
- Parsec vs TeamViewer
Free plan · from $619.99/yr
- Parsec vs AnyDesk
Free plan
Common questions
Is Parsec free?
Parsec has a 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. Paid plans start at $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly).
How much does Parsec cost?
Parsec lists 4 plans. Personal Use: $0. Individuals (Warp): $8.33 per user / month, billed annually ($9.99 billed monthly). Teams: $30 per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly). Enterprise: $45 per user / month, billed annually only. Prices were read from parsec.app on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Parsec work on?
Parsec is available on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
Does Parsec offer any discounts?
Parsec publicly lists the following: Annual billing saves up to about 17%.
Does Parsec have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Parsec is listed for Web, Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
Is Parsec open source?
Parsec is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Parsec have an API?
Yes. Parsec offers a public API, according to its own site.
Does Parsec have a free trial?
Yes. 14-day free trial of Teams and Enterprise.
Who makes Parsec?
Parsec is made by Unity Technologies SF.
What are the alternatives to Parsec?
The closest alternatives to Parsec in our directory are Splashtop, Jump Desktop, NoMachine, TeamViewer and AnyDesk. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Parsec.
How does Parsec compare with other remote desktop apps?
Parsec's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 7 of the 15 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 9 of 15) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Is Parsec good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Parsec C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $8.33 a month for each person, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 4 of the 10 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of Parsec?
To replace Parsec 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 costs $99.96 a year. What you could not make: A fast, secure link to another computer through any network. Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux and Android that stay in step with each other. Several people working in it at the same moment. An API that other software can build on. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.