The short answer. Start with who is connecting to whom. If you are helping someone else once and cannot install anything permanent, TeamViewer is the case it is built for. If you want unattended access to your own machines through a small client, AnyDesk. If the session must not pass through a vendor’s relay at all, RustDesk is the only one here that can be self-hosted — and it is also the only one where that requires you to run servers. If you want an open-source client without operating any infrastructure, HopToDesk. And if interactive latency matters more than unattended access — remote work on a machine you can see, or streaming a game — Parsec is aimed at that instead.
This guide covers 5 remote desktop apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment. Last verified 2026-10-05.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnyDesk | remote desktop client | not published | not published | 9.8.0 |
| HopToDesk | networking tool | Open source | not published | 1.46.55 |
| Parsec | networking tool | not published | not published | 150-104a |
| RustDesk | remote desktop client | Open source | AGPL-3.0 | 1.5.0 |
| TeamViewer | networking tool | Free | not published | 15.82.6 |
What actually decides this
- Who connects to whom. Temporary support and permanent access to your own machines are different products. Support tools optimise for “connect to a stranger without preparation”; access tools optimise for “this machine is always reachable”.
- Whose servers the session passes through. Most of these relay through the vendor, which is what makes them work through a firewall without configuration. A self-hosted relay removes the third party and adds the operational work of running it. Both are legitimate; only one is a decision people remember making.
- What you have to run. A client-only tool works the moment you install it. A self-hosted one needs a server, a domain and a maintenance habit. The capability is not free even when the software is.
- Latency and input quality. The relevant question is not resolution but whether the pointer feels attached. It depends on the codec and the route, and it is the property that decides whether the tool is usable for interactive work or only for looking.
- Licence, and what it requires of a network service. AGPL-3.0 and similar copyleft licences carry an obligation that triggers when users interact with a modified version over a network. That is worth reading before you build a service on top of one.
Our picks
- RustDesk — It is the only app here whose record describes self-hosted rendezvous and relay servers, custom client branding and no dependency on a third-party service. Its own record also states the trade-off: the benefit depends on running your own server, which is real operational work. Choose it when the session must not pass through a vendor relay, and you are willing to run the server yourself.
- HopToDesk — It is open source and its record describes end-to-end encrypted sessions without asking you to host anything. Choose it when you want an open-source client without operating any infrastructure.
- Parsec — Its record describes it as low-latency and aimed at remote work and game streaming rather than support. Choose it when interactive latency matters more than unattended access.
- TeamViewer — Its stated purpose is remote support and screen sharing, which is the ad-hoc case rather than the always-on one. Choose it when you are helping someone else once and cannot install anything permanent.
- AnyDesk — Its record describes remote access across multiple machines, which is the access case rather than the support case. Choose it when you want a small client and unattended access to your own machines.
The apps
AnyDesk
AnyDesk is a remote desktop client for macOS. Provides remote access across multiple machines. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Discover AnyDesk, the secure and intuitive remote desktop app with innovative features, perfect for seamless remote desktop application across devices.
AnyDesk is listed with current version 9.8.0.
Full profile and verified facts for AnyDesk →
HopToDesk
HopToDesk is a networking tool for macOS. Open-source remote desktop and remote support tool with end-to-end encrypted sessions. It is open source.
What it does. Free and secure remote desktop software for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS for remote support, control, monitoring, screen share, file transfer and live chat.
HopToDesk is listed with current version 1.46.55.
Full profile and verified facts for HopToDesk →
Parsec
Parsec is a networking tool for macOS. Low-latency remote desktop and game streaming tool. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Parsec is a remote desktop you’ll actually love. Connect to work, games, or projects wherever you are, whenever you want.
Parsec is listed with current version 150-104a.
Full profile and verified facts for Parsec →
RustDesk
RustDesk is a remote desktop client for macOS. Open-source remote desktop software that can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure, with custom-branded clients and no dependency on a third-party service. It is released under AGPL-3.0.
Strengths. According to the developer, can be self-hosted, so sessions and metadata do not pass through a third-party service. Supports custom client branding with your own name, icon and logo. Deploys with a published Docker Compose file, which the vendor describes as a simple installation.
Trade-offs. Getting the benefit means running and maintaining your own server. The AGPL licence restricts embedding the code in a proprietary product. The price of the Pro server offering is not published in the sources Nuanyue tracks. The benefit depends on running your own server, which is real operational work. The AGPL licence requires that users interacting with a modified version over a network be offered the source.
Not for. Anyone who wants remote access that works immediately with no server to run — self-hosting is the point of the product. Users who need to embed the code in a closed-source product, which the AGPL licence restricts.
What it does. Self-hosted rendezvous and relay servers, so no third-party service is involved. Full data control, which the vendor frames as helping with regulatory compliance. Custom client branding with your own name, icon and logo. Web client that can be hosted on your own server and domain.
RustDesk is listed with current version 1.5.0.
Full profile and verified facts for RustDesk →
TeamViewer
TeamViewer is a networking tool for macOS. Remote support and screen sharing tool. It is free.
What it does. Remote desktop access solutions by TeamViewer: connect to remote computers, provide remote support, and collaborate online ➤ Free for personal use!
TeamViewer is listed with current version 15.82.6.
Full profile and verified facts for TeamViewer →
How to choose
- Free of charge. TeamViewer — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. HopToDesk and RustDesk — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. AnyDesk and Parsec — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: HopToDesk and RustDesk (2 of 5).
Common mistakes
- Treating remote support and remote access as one purchase. The tool that gets a stranger connected in two minutes is not the tool you want holding a permanent session into your desktop.
- Never asking whose servers carry the session. Every one of these works through a firewall because something is relaying; the only question is who.
- Testing latency only across the same network. The route that matters is the one your sessions actually take, and it is rarely the one you tested.
- Reading “open source” as “self-hosted”. Several of these are open clients against a vendor service, which is a different arrangement from running the service yourself.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Verified 2026-10-05.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these remote desktop apps?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 5 remote desktop apps: AnyDesk, HopToDesk, Parsec, RustDesk and TeamViewer. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these remote desktop apps free?
Pricing across this group: not published (AnyDesk and Parsec), open source (HopToDesk and RustDesk) and free (TeamViewer). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these remote desktop apps are open source?
HopToDesk (not published) and RustDesk (AGPL-3.0) are open source.
Do these remote desktop apps support Apple Silicon?
Apple Silicon support is explicitly stated for RustDesk. For the others our data does not carry an explicit statement either way, so we do not infer one.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
Who should not use these apps?
RustDesk each list an audience they are explicitly not aimed at. Those notes come from the same verified records as the rest of this guide, and they are worth reading before you install anything.
When was this data last verified?
The facts in this guide were last confirmed on 2026-10-05. Every app page carries its own verification dates and source list, so you can check any individual claim.
