Best Remote Desktop Apps: Which One Fits Your Setup
Reaching a home computer, a work machine, or just controlling one from the couch are three different problems. Five apps, and which one answers which question.
"Remote desktop" covers three different problems, and half the frustration with this category comes from picking a tool built for the wrong one.
Home computer or work machine
AnyDesk, RealVNC Viewer, and RustDesk are built for a computer you personally manage — no administrator involved, no corporate network. Windows App Mobile is the opposite: it assumes an IT department already configured the machine on the other end.
Install the second kind expecting the first kind's simplicity and the app gets blamed for a setup problem that isn't its fault.
Why the ratings actually differ
AnyDesk and Windows App Mobile do close to the same job — connect to a Windows machine — yet sit half a point apart. The gap is network setup, not code: AnyDesk hides the connection behind its own relay servers, so there's nothing to configure. Windows App Mobile speaks RDP directly, which means the target machine has to be reachable — a forwarded port or a VPN that most people never finish setting up at home.
RustDesk sits in between: like AnyDesk it can use a relay, but it also lets you run your own, trading AnyDesk's simplicity for control over where the traffic actually goes.
Not remote access at all
Remote Mouse turns up in searches for this topic constantly, and it solves a real but different problem: a wireless mouse and keyboard for a computer in the same room, with no picture sent back. If the computer you want is somewhere else, this isn't it.
Short answer
A home computer — AnyDesk. Nothing to configure, works on Windows, macOS and Linux alike.
Linux or macOS specifically — RealVNC Viewer. Smallest app here, and treats every OS the same.
Don't want a vendor's servers in the middle — RustDesk. iPhone only for now, and worth the setup time only if that specifically matters to you.
A work machine — Windows App Mobile. Only if an administrator already set up the network side.
Same room, not remote — Remote Mouse. Wrong category, right app for a different question.
Best for: reaching a home computer without touching your router's settings
Pros
- Nine-digit address to connect — no port forwarding, no VPN
- Works with Windows, macOS and Linux from the same app
- Free for personal use, with the largest audience in this category
Cons
- Traffic routes through AnyDesk's own servers, not something you host
- Needs AnyDesk installed on both the phone and the machine being controlled
- A common vector for phone scams — never read the connect code to someone who called you
The easy answer for a home computer. The convenience costs a third party in the connection, a fair trade for personal use and a worse one for anything sensitive.
Best for: connecting to a Linux or macOS machine, not just Windows
Pros
- Nine megabytes — a fraction of the size of the alternatives here
- Treats Windows, macOS and Linux as equals, unlike RDP-based tools
- Highest rating in this category
Cons
- Requires RealVNC Connect running on every machine you control, plus an account
- Free tier caps how many devices you can register
- Slower than RDP over a weak connection — it sends pixels, not drawing instructions
The right pick the moment Linux is involved. For an all-Windows setup, AnyDesk is simpler to arrange.
Best for: keeping the connection off a vendor's servers entirely
Pros
- Open source — the no-logging claim is checkable, not just promised
- Can run on your own relay server instead of a vendor's infrastructure
- Free, with no account required to use the public relay
Cons
- iPhone only — no confirmed Android app, despite similarly named apps from other developers on Google Play
- Thin review base and visible rough edges next to the commercial options
- Self-hosting takes real setup time most people won't spend
A deliberate choice for someone who specifically wants traffic off a vendor's servers, not a default. AnyDesk does the easy version of the same job.
Best for: a work Windows machine set up by an administrator
Pros
- Speaks RDP directly — no third-party relay in the connection
- Official Microsoft client for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop too
- Free, with no account beyond the Windows one you already have
Cons
- Requires the target machine to be reachable — port forwarding or a VPN at home
- RDP server only ships with Windows Pro and above, not Home
- 195 MB, and the lowest rating here — earned by setup friction, not the software
The right tool when an administrator already handled the network setup. Attempting that yourself at home is the reason this app's rating sits below AnyDesk's.
Best for: controlling a computer from the couch in the same room, not reaching one remotely
Pros
- Turns the phone into a wireless mouse, keyboard and media remote
- Free, with a large and satisfied audience for what it actually does
- Works well for a TV hooked to a computer, presentations, or music control
Cons
- No picture — the computer's screen is never shown on the phone
- Phone and computer must share the same wifi network, no connecting from elsewhere
- App Store lists an individual as publisher, and it takes control of keyboard and mouse input
Doesn't belong in this category by function, but by search intent — it answers "control my computer from across the room," not "reach my computer from somewhere else." If it's the second one you need, look at the other four instead.