9 Best Free Remote Desktop Software of 2026

This list is for home users and small IT teams who want remote access without paying and need to know whether a free plan allows work use. We compared documented features, license terms and published prices on each vendor's own pages in November 2026. Rankozo weights value at 40%, features at 35% and ease of use at 25%; here, value reflects how much the free tier allows, including commercial use, before you have to pay. Paid prices are the cheapest plan in USD. Four vendors showed only euros, złoty or no prices from our location, so those are marked pending.

1. 01Top value

   

   Chrome Remote Desktop

   8.8/10

   Google's browser-based remote access and screen sharing tool, free with a Google Account and no paid tier.

   Price

   Free

   Free with a Google Account, no paid plan

   “You can use a computer or mobile device to access files and applications on another computer with Chrome Remote Desktop.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   9.6

   Features (35%)

   7.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   9.3

   Best forHome users who want to reach their own Mac, Windows or Linux computer, or help a relative, with nothing to buy.

   Chrome Remote Desktop is the easiest free option for personal remote access because there is nothing to license and almost nothing to configure. Google's help guide walks you through opening remotedesktop.google.com/access in Chrome, downloading the host component and setting a PIN for each Mac, Windows or Linux computer you want to reach. To get help from someone, you open the support page, generate a code and send it to them; the code works once, and you approve their email address before they get full access. Google says all sessions are fully encrypted, and when you share your computer it asks you to confirm every 30 minutes that you still want to share. The trade-off is depth. The guide does not describe file transfer, session recording, device groups or reporting, so small IT teams that support many machines will outgrow it. For a household that wants to reach a home desktop from a laptop or phone, it does the job at zero cost.

   • ✓No paid tier, so there is no upgrade prompt
   • ✓Set up from a browser tab at remotedesktop.google.com
   • ✓Administrators can control who may use it

   • ✕No file transfer, session recording or device groups documented in the help guide
   • ✕Sharing sessions ask the host to confirm every 30 minutes
   • ✕Built around a Google Account, so it suits people already in Google's ecosystem

   Price:

   Free

   Host systems:

   Mac, Windows, Linux

   Ad hoc support:

   One-time access code

   Paid plan:

   None

   Bottom line: The simplest free remote desktop for home users, with no paid tier to run into. Small IT teams will want a tool with file transfer and device management.

   Visit remotedesktop.google.com ↗

2. 02

   

   RustDesk

   8.6/10

   Open source remote desktop client with a free self-hosted server and paid Server Pro plans for teams.

   Price

   $11.88per month, billed annually

   Free open source self-hosting plan; Server Pro Individual $11.88 per month billed annually for 1 login user and 20 managed devices

   “$ 11.88 /month USD billed annually 1 login user” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   9.4

   Features (35%)

   8.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   7.2

   Best forSmall IT teams that want an open source tool they can run on their own server and keep data in-house.

   RustDesk is the free option that scales furthest for a small IT team, as long as someone is comfortable running a server. The client is open source and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and the free plan on the pricing page is a self-hosting plan with online status and community support. Setup follows the documented Docker path: download the compose file and run it. The paid tier is Server Pro, which RustDesk stresses is a self-hosted license and not a SaaS subscription. The Individual plan costs $11.88 a month billed annually and covers 1 login user and 20 managed devices with unlimited concurrent connections, 2FA, a web console, an address book, audit logs and access control. The Basic plan at $23.88 a month adds 10 users, 100 devices, OIDC single sign-on and LDAP. RustDesk sells annual plans only and does not auto-renew. The catch is ownership: you host, update and secure the relay yourself.

   • ✓Free plan is the full open source self-hosting stack
   • ✓Data stays on infrastructure you control
   • ✓Paid plans are flat annual licenses, not per technician seats

   • ✕Self-hosting means you run and patch the server yourself
   • ✕Free plan has community support only
   • ✕No monthly billing; Pro is annual only

   Free plan:

   Self-hosted open source server

   Cheapest paid plan:

   $11.88 per month, billed annually

   Pro Individual limits:

   1 login user, 20 managed devices

   Billing:

   Annual only, no auto-renew

   Bottom line: The strongest free pick for small IT teams willing to self-host, with a cheap path to a managed console. Home users who do not want to run a server should start with Chrome Remote Desktop.

   Visit rustdesk.com ↗

3. 03

   

   Zoho Assist

   8.4/10

   Cloud remote support and unattended access software from Zoho with a permanent free edition.

   Price

   Free plan

   See vendor pricing (USD check pending)

   US price check pending. Vendor pricing page

   Free plan

   Yes

   Free trial

   15 days

   Value (40%)

   8.6

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.0

   Best forSmall IT teams that need ad hoc support sessions plus a handful of unattended computers on a free plan.

   Zoho Assist is the most business-ready free edition in this list. Zoho's help documentation says the free edition supports 1 technician running 1 concurrent session, with up to 5 devices configured for permanent unattended access, and no time limits or session count restrictions when connecting to Windows, Mac or Linux desktops. Mobile connections are capped at 5 remote sessions of 15 minutes each. The free feature list includes chat, keyboard and mouse control, clipboard sharing, multiple monitor navigation, Ctrl Alt Del, remote audio, user management, multi-factor authentication and Zoho Assist APIs. New accounts start on a 15-day trial of premium features and then drop to the free edition. Paid Standard plans add file transfer, reboot and reconnect, session transfer and help desk integrations, priced per technician for remote support or per batch of unattended computers. Zoho's pricing page showed euros from our location, so the USD price is pending. For a one-person IT function, the free edition is a workable daily tool.

   • ✓Free edition covers both ad hoc support and unattended access
   • ✓Desktop sessions have no time limit
   • ✓Windows, Mac and Linux supported

   • ✕Only 1 technician and 1 session at a time on the free edition
   • ✕Mobile device sessions are capped at 5 sessions of 15 minutes
   • ✕File transfer starts on paid Standard plans

   Free technicians:

   1

   Free unattended devices:

   5

   Free desktop session limit:

   None

   Trial:

   15 days

   Bottom line: The best free edition for a one-person IT team, with 5 unattended computers and untimed desktop sessions. Teams that need file transfer or a second technician will pay.

   Visit zoho.com ↗

4. 04

   

   TeamViewer

   8.3/10

   Long-running remote access and support platform, free for personal use with paid TeamViewer Remote plans for business.

   Price

   Free plan

   See vendor pricing (USD check pending)

   US price check pending. Vendor pricing page

   Free plan

   Yes

   Free trial

   14 days

   Value (40%)

   7.6

   Features (35%)

   8.8

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.8

   Best forHome users who support family across Windows, Mac and mobile devices and do not use it for work.

   TeamViewer's free version is aimed squarely at personal use. Its personal-use page describes helping friends and family with IT problems, opening your own tablet, laptop or desktop while traveling, grabbing files from personal devices and running updates on them remotely. Connections use AES 256-bit end-to-end encryption, and support sessions start from a secure invite link. Anything work related belongs on a commercial plan, and TeamViewer offers a 14-day trial of those plans. Its pricing FAQ says subscriptions are annual and renew automatically every 12 months unless you cancel at least 28 days before the term ends, and that only the expert providing support needs a license, not the person being helped. TeamViewer's pricing page did not show USD prices from our location, so the paid price is pending. For home users, it is one of the most capable free tools. For a small business, the free plan is not an option, so compare its annual price against RustDesk and Zoho Assist.

   • ✓Free for personal use on all major platforms
   • ✓Fast support sessions through invite links
   • ✓Commercial plans available when needs grow

   • ✕Free plan is for personal use only
   • ✕Paid plans are annual subscriptions that auto-renew
   • ✕USD prices did not load from our location

   Free plan:

   Personal use only

   Encryption:

   AES 256-bit end to end

   Business trial:

   14 days

   Billing:

   Annual subscription

   Bottom line: A polished free tool for personal support across devices, but the free plan excludes work use. Businesses should budget for an annual license.

   Visit teamviewer.com ↗

5. 05

   

   AnyDesk

   8.1/10

   Remote desktop software from Stuttgart with a free version for personal use and annual Solo, Standard and Advanced plans.

   Price

   Free plan

   See vendor pricing (USD check pending)

   US price check pending. Vendor pricing page

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.6

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.6

   Best forHome users who help friends and family and accept occasional session timeouts.

   AnyDesk's free version works for personal support, but its terms draw a firm line around work. The supplementary terms say the free offer is aimed at consumers for personal and non-commercial use only, not for use in a trade, business or profession or for anything you are paid for, and AnyDesk may analyze usage patterns and suspend free use it believes is commercial. Its help center also notes that free sessions can time out and you can restart the connection as many times as needed. For home users, the personal-use page focuses on helping friends and family and sharing screens. On paid plans, only the outgoing client that starts connections needs a license. The Standard plan includes 500 managed devices for unattended access, file transfer, session recording and privacy mode, and Advanced adds mass deployment and Group Policy support. All plans bill yearly. The pricing page showed złoty from our location, so the USD price is pending. Small teams should treat the free version as off limits.

   • ✓Free version for personal use
   • ✓People you connect to do not need a license for commercial use
   • ✓Paid plans scale to unattended access for hundreds of devices

   • ✕Free use excludes trade, business or professional work
   • ✕Free sessions can time out, so you may need to reconnect
   • ✕Prices showed in local currency from our location

   Free plan:

   Personal, non-commercial use

   Free session length:

   Timeouts; reconnect as needed

   Standard managed devices:

   500

   Billing:

   Annual

   Bottom line: Good for occasional personal support, with clear rules against business use on the free version. Session timeouts make it less convenient than TeamViewer's free plan.

   Visit anydesk.com ↗

6. 06

   

   Parsec

   8.1/10

   Low-latency remote desktop from Unity, free for personal use with Warp and Teams plans for creators and businesses.

   Price

   $8.33per user per month, billed annually

   Free for personal use; Warp $8.33 per user per month billed annually ($9.99 monthly); Teams $30 per user per month billed annually

   “$8.33 per user/month, paid annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Free trial

   14 days

   Value (40%)

   8.0

   Features (35%)

   8.0

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.2

   Best forGamers and hobbyist creators who want smooth 60 FPS streaming from a home PC or Mac.

   Parsec is built for responsive streaming rather than IT support. Every plan, including the free Personal Use tier, includes low-latency 60 FPS desktop capture, single-link desktop sharing, keyboard, mouse and gamepad support, and encrypted peer-to-peer connections, with hosting on Windows 10 or later and macOS 10.15 or later. The Individuals plan, called Warp, costs $8.33 per user per month paid annually or $9.99 monthly and adds up to 3 monitors, 4:4:4 color, virtual monitors, privacy mode and Wacom tablet pressure and tilt. The licensing note matters most for this list: Parsec says both Personal Use and Warp are licensed for personal, non-commercial use only, and commercial use requires Teams at $30 per user per month paid annually or Enterprise at $45. Teams adds an admin panel, SSO and team computers, with a 14-day trial. That makes Parsec a strong free choice for gaming and hobby projects, and an expensive one for small businesses.

   • ✓Free plan keeps the core 60 FPS streaming
   • ✓Gamepad support suits game streaming
   • ✓Clear license terms on the pricing page

   • ✕Free and Warp plans are licensed for personal, non-commercial use only
   • ✕Commercial use starts at the Teams plan, $30 per user per month billed annually
   • ✕Multi-monitor streaming needs a paid plan

   Free plan:

   Personal, non-commercial use

   Cheapest paid plan:

   Warp, $8.33 per month billed annually

   Commercial use:

   Teams or Enterprise plan required

   Teams trial:

   14 days

   Bottom line: The best free option for smooth game and creative streaming at home. Any work use requires the Teams plan.

   Visit parsec.app ↗

7. 07

   

   Microsoft Remote Desktop

   8.0/10

   Remote Desktop built into Windows Pro, reached through Remote Desktop Connection on Windows and Windows App on other platforms.

   Price

   Free

   Included with Windows; the remote PC must run Windows Pro

   “Use Remote Desktop on your Windows, Android, or iOS device to connect to a Windows PC from afar.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   8.8

   Features (35%)

   7.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   7.4

   Best forOffices whose computers already run Windows Pro and that want remote access without another vendor.

   Microsoft Remote Desktop costs nothing extra if your computers already run the right edition of Windows. Microsoft's support guide says the PC you connect to must run Windows Pro, while the device you connect from can run any edition of Windows or a different operating system. You turn on Remote Desktop in Settings, note the PC name and connect with Remote Desktop Connection on Windows, Windows App on macOS and iOS, or the Remote Desktop app on Android. Microsoft's Windows App documentation lists multiple monitor support, custom and dynamic display resolutions, and redirection of webcams, audio, storage devices and printers. That is a full working desktop rather than a support viewer. What it lacks is the easy support flow: there is no one-time code for helping someone, and Home edition PCs cannot be hosts. For an office already standardized on Windows Pro, it is a free and capable way to reach desks from home.

   • ✓No extra software license if your PCs already run Windows Pro
   • ✓Full desktop session with device redirection
   • ✓Clients on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web

   • ✕Windows Home PCs cannot be the remote host
   • ✕No built-in ad hoc support codes like the other tools
   • ✕Reaching a PC outside your network needs extra network setup not covered in the guide

   Host requirement:

   Windows Pro

   Client platforms:

   Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, web

   Extra cost:

   None beyond Windows Pro

   Client app:

   Windows App

   Bottom line: Free and capable for offices already on Windows Pro. Households on Windows Home should pick Chrome Remote Desktop instead.

   Visit microsoft.com ↗

8. 08

   

   RealVNC Connect

   7.4/10

   VNC-based remote access from Cambridge, UK, with a free Lite plan for non-commercial use and paid plans by active connection.

   Price

   Free plan

   See vendor pricing (USD check pending)

   US price check pending. Vendor pricing page

   Free plan

   Yes

   Free trial

   7 days

   Value (40%)

   7.4

   Features (35%)

   7.0

   Ease of use (25%)

   7.8

   Best forHobbyists who want to reach up to 3 personal devices, including headless Raspberry Pi boards.

   RealVNC Connect Lite is a narrow but clear free plan. RealVNC describes it as a single-user account with 3 devices that you can connect to one at a time, covering Windows, Mac and Linux machines plus headless Raspberry Pi boards. Lite includes two-factor authentication and the same end-to-end encryption RealVNC uses for paid customers. Its help center spells out the commercial rule better than most vendors: connecting to a computer at your place of work counts as commercial use, helping friends or family does not, and RealVNC reserves the right to end a Lite subscription it believes is being used commercially. Paid plans start with Essentials, which covers 3 devices and 1 active connection and adds remote audio, printing and file transfer, while Plus raises the limits to 50 devices and session recording. A 7-day trial is available. The pricing page showed euros from our location, so the USD price is pending. For Raspberry Pi tinkerers, Lite is a good fit.

   • ✓Free plan covers Raspberry Pi, a rare strength
   • ✓Same end-to-end encryption on Lite as paid plans
   • ✓Clear written definition of non-commercial use

   • ✕Lite is limited to 3 devices and one connection at a time
   • ✕Connecting to a computer at work counts as commercial use
   • ✕RealVNC can terminate Lite subscriptions it believes are used commercially

   Free devices:

   3

   Free connections:

   1 at a time

   Free plan use:

   Non-commercial only

   Paid trial:

   7 days

   Bottom line: A good free plan for Raspberry Pi and a few personal machines, with an explicit ban on work use. Small teams need a paid plan.

   Visit realvnc.com ↗

9. 09

   

   Splashtop

   7.3/10

   Remote access vendor whose free Splashtop Personal app works on your home network, with paid packs and business plans for internet access.

   Price

   $5.99per month (Anywhere Access Pack, personal use)

   Free on your local home network; Anywhere Access Pack $5.99 per month or $23.99 per year for personal use; business Solo $6 per month billed annually at $72

   “$ 5 . 99 /month or $ 23 . 99 /year when you subscribe here.” Quoted from the pricing page, November 10, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.0

   Features (35%)

   7.0

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.0

   Best forPeople who only need to reach a home computer from the couch over the same Wi-Fi network.

   Splashtop's free tier is the most limited in this list, but its paid upgrades are cheap and clearly priced. Splashtop Personal is free for personal, non-commercial use on your local home network, letting you reach up to 2 computers that are not used for business from an iPhone, iPad, Android device or another computer. Splashtop says commercial use, including working from home, requires a business trial or subscription. To reach those home computers over the internet, the Anywhere Access Pack costs $5.99 a month or $23.99 a year. For work, Splashtop Remote Access Solo costs $6 a month billed annually at $72 and includes unattended access from any device, file transfer and remote print. Pro, at $99 per user per year, adds multi-monitor support, chat, session recording and up to 3 users into one computer, and Performance adds 4:4:4 color and 240 FPS. The free version suits couch use only; most people will pay.

   • ✓Free option for home network use
   • ✓Cheap personal add-on for internet access at $23.99 a year
   • ✓Clear business plans with published USD prices

   • ✕Free version does not work outside your home network
   • ✕Free use excludes commercial use, including working from home
   • ✕Only 2 computers on the free plan

   Free plan:

   Local home network only

   Free computers:

   Up to 2

   Personal internet access:

   $5.99 per month or $23.99 per year

   Business plans from:

   $6 per month, billed annually

   Bottom line: Free only inside your home network and only for personal use. The $23.99 a year Anywhere Access Pack is the real starting point.

   Visit splashtop.com ↗

Questions or corrections: editorial@rankozo.comSee our disclosure. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page before buying.