Open-source alternatives to TeamViewer and AnyDesk
The best open-source alternative to TeamViewer and AnyDesk is RustDesk. RustDesk with its free self-hosted server is the pick for a small business or small IT team. Move up to the paid Server Pro only if you need a web console, shared address book and audit logs.
Last reviewed by Rob Sherwood.
At a glance
| Tool | Licence | Self-hosting difficulty | Who it suits | Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | AGPL-3.0 | Easy to moderate: Docker on a small server, a few open ports, and each client pointed at your server | Small businesses and small IT teams supporting their own computers | Free self-hosted server, Windows, Mac, Linux and Android clients, file transfer, very low server requirements |
- RustDesk: AGPL-3.0. The client and the OSS server are AGPL-3.0. RustDesk Server Pro is a separate paid product. Licence checked 31 October 2026.
Remote support tools get expensive for what's often a small job: a colleague's laptop is playing up, and you'd like to see the screen. AnyDesk Solo lists at $28.90 a month on an annual bill, for one licensed user. TeamViewer sells annual subscriptions too, with no monthly option. For a business that dials in a couple of times a week, that's a lot to pay.
There's really one open-source tool worth talking about for this, and it's RustDesk. So this page is a bit shorter on comparison, and a bit longer on the choice that actually matters: the free server or the paid one.
RustDesk
RustDesk is a remote desktop tool that you can point at your own server. You install a client on each computer, connect using an ID, and see and control the other machine.
- Screen, keyboard and mouse control, plus file transfer and copy and paste.
- Clients for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.
- Direct connections where possible. RustDesk tries to connect the two machines directly, and only falls back to a relay if that fails.
- Your own server is free. The open-source server has two small parts: one that introduces the computers to each other, and a relay for when a direct link isn't possible.
The server is cheap to run. RustDesk says the requirements are very low: a basic cloud server is enough, and even a Raspberry Pi can do it. Relay traffic varies with what's on screen, but it puts typical office use at about 100 KB/s.
Setting it up isn't hard for someone comfortable with a server. The recommended route is Docker, using RustDesk's compose file. The docs list TCP ports 21114 to 21119 and UDP 21116, though the web client ports (21118 and 21119) should stay closed if you aren't using them. Then each client needs your server's address and public key typed in. That's a small job on five laptops, and a dull one on fifty.
Free server or Server Pro?
This is the real decision. The free server does the core job of connecting computers. Server Pro adds the management layer.
- What Pro adds: a web console, user accounts, a shared address book, audit logs, access control, and security settings you can push to every client. The Basic plan and above add single sign-on, LDAP and a custom client generator, which saves typing server details into each machine.
- What it costs: Individual is $11.88 a month for 1 login user and 20 managed devices. Basic is $23.88 a month for 10 users and 100 devices. Both are billed annually, and it's software you host yourself, not a hosted service.
Server Pro is a separate paid product, not part of the open-source project. Even so, those prices sit well below AnyDesk's list prices. Do check whether you really need it first. If one or two people are supporting a handful of machines, the free server will probably do.
What it costs
TeamViewer and AnyDesk
- TeamViewer: Billed annually. See TeamViewer's pricing page for the current price.
- AnyDesk Solo: $28.90 a month list price, billed annually, for one licensed user. Discounts may apply. Checked 31 October 2026 (source).
- AnyDesk Standard: $49.90 a month list price, billed annually. Discounts may apply. Checked 31 October 2026 (source).
Self-hosted, run for you
- No per-user fees. Adding people doesn't add licence costs.
- Setup: a one-off fee to set it up and move your data across.
- Hosting and care: a fixed monthly fee covering every app on your server.
- I'll quote once I know what you need.
Paid tool prices exclude VAT unless stated.
The UK angle
Most small firms are fine using TeamViewer or AnyDesk, and I wouldn't switch purely because of where their servers sit.
It's worth thinking about if you handle sensitive data, though, because remote support means someone seeing whatever's on that screen. With your own RustDesk server, connection details and any relayed traffic run through a server you control, and that can be in the UK.
Whichever tool you use, the bigger risk is people, not hosting. Decide who's allowed to connect, tell staff what to expect, and write it down.
Honest drawbacks
- No central audit trail on the free server. Audit logs are a Pro feature. For a business with compliance duties, that may decide it.
- No shared address book or web console without Pro.
- Client setup is manual on the free server, unless you pay for the custom client generator.
- Your server is now important. It needs its updates, and if it's down, your remote support is too.
- Nobody to ring. The free server comes with community support only.
- Anything this powerful can be misused. RustDesk's own README warns against unauthorised access. Lock down who can connect.
Which one?
My pick is RustDesk with the free self-hosted server, for small businesses looking after their own machines. It's free, light to run, and does the core job. The main drawback is the lack of central audit logs and management.
The realistic alternative is Server Pro, for an IT team that supports more machines and needs to show who did what.
Need it built or customised?
If you need remote support wired into your own helpdesk or systems, the team at Dev Partners can help you build that.
Sources
Want it set up for you?
I set up open-source tools on a UK server, move your data across and look after it, with no per-user fees.