TeamViewer Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
TeamViewer alternatives: RustDesk, MeshCentral, Apache Guacamole, TigerVNC and 2 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•3 min read•Remote Access & File Transfer
Verdict:The common reason people leave TeamViewer is the annual-only subscription: the overview page lists no per-plan prices and larger plans need a quote,. If you want something similar without that, RustDesk is the first one to test. It is open source under AGPL-3.0, has client apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and you can run your own server for free. The cost is setup: you host a relay and handle updates, and support is community-based unless you buy a paid plan. For IT staff managing fleets of machines rather than one-off help sessions, MeshCentral is built for that job, with agents on four operating systems and Intel AMT support, but its interface is plainer. Guacamole, TigerVNC and Remmina are narrower tools. They connect to RDP or VNC services you already run and do not give a support-session workflow where a non-technical person reads out a code, so they replace TeamViewer only for admin access. Splashtop is the paid route with a public $6 Solo price when you want a vendor and no servers. Before switching, test unattended access through your firewall and on a flaky connection, since relay quality is where self-hosted setups differ most.
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 | Direct replacement, self-hosted or hosted | Docs only |
| MeshCentral | Free | Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Self-hosted server | IT admins managing many machines | Docs only |
| Apache Guacamole | Free | Self-hosted, Web browser client | Browser access to internal machines | Docs only |
| TigerVNC | Free | Windows (viewer, unmaintained server), Linux, macOS (viewer) | Linux desktops on a trusted network | Docs only |
| Remmina | Free | Linux | Linux admins connecting out | Docs only |
| Splashtop | Paid from $6 per month, billed annually (Solo, $72/year) | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Paid, transparent per-month pricing | 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 | Remote desktop | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a free, self-hostable look-alike for TeamViewer (RustDesk is the pick)
- You manage many Windows and Linux machines as an IT admin (MeshCentral is the pick)
- You want to reach servers through a web browser (Apache Guacamole is the pick)
- You want a paid tool with public per-month pricing (Splashtop is the pick)
- You are a Linux admin connecting to RDP and VNC hosts (Remmina is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on TeamViewer features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
TeamViewer today: See pricing page (TeamViewer pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for TeamViewer alternatives
TeamViewer sells annual subscriptions only: plans renew automatically every 12 months unless you cancel at least 28 days before the term ends. Its pricing overview gives tiers for single users, teams and enterprise but no prices, and enterprise licensing under TeamViewer Tensor needs a sales conversation. Add-ons are priced by the number of endpoints, users or storage. For a small team, that means committing to a yearly term before you can compare the cost against flat-priced or free remote desktop tools.
RustDesk
Compared with TeamViewer: Open-source remote desktop with a free self-hosted server and apps on every major platform. Closest in feel to TeamViewer; paid Individual is $11.88 a month billed annually. You manage your own relay, and you lose TeamViewer's polish and vendor support.
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: Direct replacement, self-hosted or hosted.
Worth knowing: Free plan has no numeric caps listed.
MeshCentral
Compared with TeamViewer: Apache-2.0 remote management server with agents for Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD, plus Intel AMT. More of an IT management tool than TeamViewer, with a rougher interface, and you must run the server.
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: IT admins managing many machines.
Worth knowing: You run the server; agents install on managed machines. Supports Intel AMT.
Apache Guacamole
Compared with TeamViewer: Apache-2.0 browser-based gateway to RDP, VNC and SSH. Nothing to install on the viewing side, but it needs those services running on targets and does not offer TeamViewer's click-to-connect for remote users.
Price: Free (Apache Guacamole pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted, Web browser client. Apache-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 1.7k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 14, 2026
Best for: Browser access to internal machines.
Worth knowing: Clientless gateway to VNC, RDP and SSH; needs those services already running on the target.
TigerVNC
Compared with TeamViewer: GPL-2.0 VNC client and servers. Free and lightweight, but the Windows server is unmaintained per its README and there is no relay, so remote access over the internet needs your own network setup.
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: Linux desktops on a trusted network.
Worth knowing: Server components are Unix/Linux; the Windows server is unmaintained per the README.
Remmina
Compared with TeamViewer: GPL-2.0-or-later Linux client for RDP, VNC and SSH. Replaces the TeamViewer viewer for Linux users who already have servers to connect to, but it is not a relay or hosting service.
Price: Free (Remmina pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux. GPL-2.0-or-later (open source).
Project activity: 2.6k GitHub stars · latest release v1.2.30 (May 20, 2018) · last commit Feb 8, 2026
Best for: Linux admins connecting out.
Worth knowing: A client for RDP, VNC and SSH, not a hosted relay service.
Splashtop
Compared with TeamViewer: Paid remote access from $6 a month billed annually for Solo, with no free tier, only trials. Priced clearly in public, unlike TeamViewer, whose overview page shows no plan prices, but it lacks an open-source option.
Price: Paid from $6 per month, billed annually (Solo, $72/year) (Splashtop pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Paid, transparent per-month pricing.
Worth knowing: Free trials only for remote access plans.
Other popular options (paid)
AnyDesk
Compared with TeamViewer: Free for personal use with limited features, while professional use needs a licence from $28.90 a month billed yearly for the Solo plan. Standard is $49.90 a month for 1 connection and up to 20 users.
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).
Which one to pick
- You want a free, self-hostable look-alike for TeamViewer: RustDesk
- You manage many Windows and Linux machines as an IT admin: MeshCentral
- You want to reach servers through a web browser: Apache Guacamole
- You want a paid tool with public per-month pricing: Splashtop
- You are a Linux admin connecting to RDP and VNC hosts: Remmina
Limits of this review
Docs-only for RustDesk, MeshCentral, Apache Guacamole, TigerVNC, Remmina, Splashtop: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from TeamViewer. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Sources
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: TeamViewer, RustDesk, MeshCentral, Apache Guacamole, TigerVNC, Remmina, Splashtop, AnyDesk. 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.