Chrome Remote Desktop Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Chrome Remote Desktop alternatives: RustDesk, AnyDesk, MeshCentral, TigerVNC and 2 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•3 min read•Remote Access & File Transfer
Verdict:Google's help page describes Chrome Remote Desktop as a way to reach files and applications on another computer, with a web version for computers and a separate app for phones. It is widely described as free, which is why most people use it and why most alternatives must beat zero. People look elsewhere for three reasons: they do not want everything tied to a Google account, they want a self-hosted relay, or they need more than one machine managed. RustDesk is open source under AGPL-3.0, free, and can be self-hosted. MeshCentral is Apache-2.0 and manages a fleet from your own server. TigerVNC is the plain network option when you can reach the machine directly. AnyDesk and Parsec are polished hosted tools, with free personal tiers and paid plans, and Parsec's free tier is limited to Windows and macOS hosts. NoMachine costs from $24.50 per year for its Personal Edition. The trade-off is setup. Chrome Remote Desktop needs only a Google account, while every self-hosted choice asks you to run a server or open a port. Stay if one or two of your own computers is the whole job. Leave when you want your own relay or a managed fleet.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | Free (open source and free; web console, 2FA and LDAP are in paid plans); paid from $11.88 per month, billed annually (Individual) | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted server | Self-hosted remote access | Docs only |
| AnyDesk | Free (Free for personal use only, with limited features and support; professional use needs a paid licence); paid from $28.9 per month, billed yearly (Solo, 1 concurrent connection) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Quick remote support sessions | Docs only |
| MeshCentral | Free | Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Self-hosted server | Managing many machines | Docs only |
| TigerVNC | Free | Windows (viewer, unmaintained server), Linux, macOS (viewer) | Plain VNC on a network you control | Docs only |
| NoMachine | Paid from $24.5 per year (Personal Edition; Enterprise Desktop from $44.50 per year) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Remote desktop across three desktop systems | Docs only |
| Parsec | Free (Personal Use plan, licensed for personal non-commercial use only; 60 FPS single-link sharing; no multi-monitor streaming, 4:4:4 color or privacy mode); paid from $8.33 per user/month, billed annually (Individuals) | Windows, macOS | Streaming a remote desktop | Docs only |
| TeamViewer | See pricing page | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Remote access and support | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want to self-host the relay (RustDesk is the pick)
- You manage many machines from your own server (MeshCentral is the pick)
- You can reach the machine directly and want plain VNC (TigerVNC is the pick)
- You want quick support sessions (AnyDesk is the pick)
- You stream a desktop with low latency (Parsec is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Chrome Remote Desktop features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Chrome Remote Desktop today: Free (Chrome Remote Desktop pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for Chrome Remote Desktop alternatives
Chrome Remote Desktop needs the latest Chrome or Chrome OS to connect, and phones need the separate app. Linux hosts come from a 64-bit Debian package only. A shared access code works once, and during a support session you must confirm every 30 minutes to keep sharing. A desktop environment may not support more than one session at a time, and work or school networks can block sharing.
RustDesk
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: AGPL-3.0 and free on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, with a self-hosted server. You gain control over relays and lose Google's account sign-in; the web console, 2FA and LDAP are in paid plans.
Price: Free (open source and free; web console, 2FA and LDAP are in paid plans); paid from $11.88 per month, billed annually (Individual) (RustDesk pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Self-hosted server. AGPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 127.3k GitHub stars · latest release 1.5.0 (Sep 30, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Self-hosted remote access.
Worth knowing: Free plan has no numeric caps listed.
AnyDesk
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: Free personal-use tier, with paid plans on annual billing; check the official terms for current limits. Apps cover Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
Price: Free (Free for personal use only, with limited features and support; professional use needs a paid licence); paid from $28.9 per month, billed yearly (Solo, 1 concurrent connection) (AnyDesk pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Quick remote support sessions.
Worth knowing: Standard is $49.90 a month (1 connection, up to 20 users); extra connections are $44.90 add-ons. A 20% discount applies to the first year only. Prices exclude taxes.
MeshCentral
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: Apache-2.0 and free, with agents for Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD that you manage from your own server. More work than Chrome Remote Desktop, with much more management.
Price: Free (MeshCentral pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Self-hosted server. Apache-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 7.5k GitHub stars · latest release 1.3.1 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Best for: Managing many machines.
Worth knowing: You run the server; agents install on managed machines. Supports Intel AMT.
TigerVNC
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: GPL-2.0 and free, with a viewer for Windows, Linux and macOS. It is plain VNC with no Google account or relay, so you need direct network access to the machine.
Price: Free (TigerVNC pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows (viewer, unmaintained server), Linux, macOS (viewer). GPL-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 7.7k GitHub stars · latest release v1.16.2 (Mar 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 23, 2026
Best for: Plain VNC on a network you control.
Worth knowing: Server components are Unix/Linux; the Windows server is unmaintained per the README.
NoMachine
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: Free player; the Personal Edition is $24.50 per year with a free trial, and both editions need a NoMachine Network subscription. Windows, macOS and Linux.
Price: Paid from $24.5 per year (Personal Edition; Enterprise Desktop from $44.50 per year) (NoMachine pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. Proprietary.
Best for: Remote desktop across three desktop systems.
Worth knowing: Personal Edition has a free trial; the NoMachine Player used to connect to your installations is free. Both editions require a NoMachine Network subscription.
Parsec
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: Personal Use plan is free for non-commercial use, hosted on Windows and macOS only; Individuals is $8.33 per user per month billed annually. Built for low-latency streaming more than IT support.
Price: Free (Personal Use plan, licensed for personal non-commercial use only; 60 FPS single-link sharing; no multi-monitor streaming, 4:4:4 color or privacy mode); paid from $8.33 per user/month, billed annually (Individuals) (Parsec pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Streaming a remote desktop.
Worth knowing: Teams is $30 per user/month billed annually and Enterprise $45 per user/month billed annually only. Work use requires a Teams or Enterprise license according to the pricing FAQ. Hosting is listed for Windows 10+ and macOS 10.15+ only.
Other popular options (paid)
TeamViewer
Compared with Chrome Remote Desktop: Annual subscriptions only, with no plan prices on the overview and large plans quoted by sales. A paid, broader remote-support suite compared with Chrome Remote Desktop's free browser tool.
Price: See pricing page (TeamViewer pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Which one to pick
- You want to self-host the relay: RustDesk
- You manage many machines from your own server: MeshCentral
- You can reach the machine directly and want plain VNC: TigerVNC
- You want quick support sessions: AnyDesk
- You stream a desktop with low latency: Parsec
Limits of this review
Docs-only for RustDesk, AnyDesk, MeshCentral, TigerVNC, NoMachine, Parsec: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Chrome Remote Desktop. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: Chrome Remote Desktop, RustDesk, AnyDesk, MeshCentral, TigerVNC, NoMachine, Parsec, TeamViewer. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.