Eleven tools, six yes-or-no questions, and one line on what each is best at. Every mark about another product comes from that vendor’s own pages, linked under “All the details” with prices and plans. Every mark about ManyScreens is what its code does today.
The comparison is written by the maker of ManyScreens, so read it with that in mind. Each line says plainly what that tool is better at, and the ManyScreens line says what it does not do yet.
✓ yes · ◐ partly, or only on paid plans · ✗ no · – not documented. Each mark sums up the vendor’s own documentation; the facts behind every one, with the source, are under “All the details”.
| Product | Free for work use | Watch from a browser | Mobile app | Linux on Wayland | No router setup | Two-factor sign-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ManyScreensYour own computers from any browser, a phone included, with no usage check. Not yet: apps in the phone stores, the Windows login screen. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TeamViewerSupporting other people’s computers as a job, including Windows admin prompts. | ✗ | ◐ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AnyDeskNo account at all, plus chat, a whiteboard and TCP tunnels in the free version. | ✗ | – | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chrome Remote DesktopFree with no paid tier at all, if a Google account and Chrome are fine. | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| RustDeskRunning every server yourself, or reading the source. | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ◐ |
| SplashtopA business plan for a team’s computers; free only inside your home network. | ✗ | ◐ | ◐ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jump DesktopNative Mac and iPhone apps bought once, and free browser access, for work too. | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screens 5A polished native app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, if everything you own is Apple. | ✗ | ✗ | ◐ | – | ◐ | ✓ |
| ParsecGaming and the lowest latency, with Windows and Mac hosts. | ✗ | ◐ | ◐ | ✗ | – | ✓ |
| Windows Remote DesktopWindows Pro machines on your own network or behind a VPN. | ◐ | ✗ | ✓ | – | ✗ | – |
| RealVNC ConnectVNC with cloud connections, and printing and file transfer on paid plans. | ✗ | ◐ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Product | Free version | Cheapest plan for one person | Watch from a browser | Mobile app | Linux on Wayland | Network | Two-factor sign-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ManyScreens | Up to 3 computers; no usage classification. Everything free until 1 Jan 2027 | Pro €4.99/month or €39/year, unlimited computers (from 1 Jan 2027) | Yes, any browser, phones included — it is the only viewer | Yes, for iPhone and Android; not in the App Store or on Google Play yet — the waitlist below writes when it is | GNOME and KDE: picture and control; one monitor | Outbound on 443; relay when no direct path | Yes, with an authenticator app; recovery codes for a lost phone |
| TeamViewer | Personal use only; 3 managed devices12 | Remote Access €16.90/month, billed yearly, excl. tax; 3 managed devices3 | Web client documented for Remote Access and higher plans4 | iPhone, iPad and Android apps5152 | “Still experimental”; attended access on GNOME and KDE5 | Outbound only6 | Yes, free version included2 |
| AnyDesk | Personal use only; sessions time out78 | Solo €28.90/month, billed yearly, excl. VAT; €23.12 in year one7 | None documented; installed or portable app9 | iPhone, iPad and Android apps5354 | “Not supported for incoming sessions”10 | Outbound on TCP 80, 443 or 656811 | Yes, every plan7 |
| Chrome Remote Desktop | Free; Google account required12 | No paid plan | Yes; Chrome required to set up remote access13 | Android app; on iPhone and iPad, the browser5556 | Not documented; Linux gets a separate virtual session12 | No router setup; Google relays14 | Through Google’s 2-Step Verification50 |
| RustDesk | Free and open source; public servers or your own15 | Server Pro $11.88/month billed annually — for self‑hosting, “NOT a SaaS subscription”16 | “Web Client V2 Preview”17 | iPhone, iPad and Android; Android from GitHub or F‑Droid, not Google Play57 | Experimental; login screen needs X1118 | Direct, with a relay you can host yourself15 | On Server Pro, the self-hosted paid edition47 |
| Splashtop | Personal: home network only, non‑commercial, max 2 computers; outside access $5.99/month19 | Remote Access Solo $6/month, billed annually ($72); 2 computers; no monthly billing2021 | Web App on Solo and up; not from iOS22 | iPhone, iPad and Android apps; outside your home network on a paid plan5819 | Documented from Linux Streamer 3.8.2.023 | Outbound only24 | Yes, with an authenticator app44 |
| Jump Desktop | Browser and Windows app free, “for personal and business use”, unlimited computers25 | One‑time purchase per app platform (Mac, iPhone/iPad); no subscription needed26 | Yes, free; no file transfer in the browser27 | iPhone and iPad app, bought once; Android app in beta6059 | Linux host is in alpha28 | Usually no changes; relay29 | Yes45 |
| Screens 5 | 7‑day trial30 | $3.99/month, $29.99/year, or $199.99 once31 | No; viewer on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro30 | iPhone and iPad; Apple devices only30 | Needs a VNC server on Linux30 | Router port mapping or forwarding; trouble behind CGNAT3233 | Yes, on the Screens Connect account46 |
| Parsec | Personal, non‑commercial use34 | Warp $9.99/month (personal); Teams $30/user/month for commercial use34 | Chrome only; cannot join a Mac35 | Android; iPhone and iPad not supported6136 | No Linux hosting36 | — | Yes, TOTP48 |
| Windows Remote Desktop | Built into Windows Pro and up; Home “can’t serve as” a host37 | A Pro edition of Windows (Windows 11 Pro: €259 in the Microsoft Store, Germany)38 | Not for your own PC39 | Windows App on iPhone, iPad and Android, for your own PC too62 | — | Port forwarding or a VPN; Microsoft recommends the VPN40 | — |
| RealVNC Connect | Lite: non‑commercial, 3 devices, one at a time41 | Essentials €8.25/month, billed annually at €99, excl. tax; 3 devices42 | Only through the on‑premises console, an Enterprise add‑on42 | iPhone, iPad and Android viewer apps63 | “Does not currently support Wayland”43 | Cloud connections, no router setup42 | Yes: by email by default, TOTP optional49 |
— means the vendor documents nothing we could cite.
No card. After that, Free stays at three computers with no time limit, and Pro is €4.99 a month for as many as you like.
All checked on 3 October 2026 on the vendors’ own pages. All names are trademarks of their owners; ManyScreens is not affiliated with any of them.