Remote access software makes everything on your computer available to you anywhere you go. And perhaps more importantly, it lets you take control of someone else’s computer when they need help. PCMag has been reviewing remote access software for more than 15 years. It’s extremely useful for helping friends and family remotely troubleshoot their computers and providing IT support to employees at a business. Here, we look at remote access software for individuals and very small businesses (large organizations likely have additional tech support needs). Based on our hands-on testing and analysis, TeamViewer is the app we recommend most to individuals, especially for its generous free version, and RemotePC is our top pick for businesses. Read on to learn why these are our Editors’ Choice winners, along with other worthy remote access software that might work well for you.
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Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Best for Personal Use
TeamViewer
- Completely free for non-commercial use
- Easy access
- Works with or without an account (for now)
- Seamless file transfers
- Expensive for business use
- No self-service way to unsubscribe
TeamViewer does everything. It’s easy to use, great for providing support, and it works well for accessing your own devices. Features like file transfer, remote audio, and video chats are all offered, making it one of the more complete tools in this list.
What really makes TeamViewer the first remote access app most people should check out is its personal-use version, which is completely free and offers all features. The only string attached is that you can’t use the free version for any kind of work, which is fair enough.
If you’re the informal IT person for your family, and need access to their devices. TeamViewer is what you’re looking for. The same goes if you just want occasional road access to your home server. TeamViewer is also an excellent tool for work, especially for larger organizations. But small businesses should look into cheaper alternatives first.
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Best for Small Businesses
RemotePC
- Affordable
- Excellent performance while accessing Windows PCs
- Works in the browser
- Convenient drag-and-drop file transfer between computers
- No free version
- No built-in audio or video chat
RemotePC offers every feature offered by TeamViewer and works about as well, especially if you’re connecting Windows devices to each other. It’s also much more affordable than TeamViewer if you only need access to a handful of your own devices.
That’s because RemotePC is affordable without skimping on quality. Every feature you’d expect is offered, from audio chat to file transfers to whiteboarding, all at a price point lower than competitors.
RemotePC hits the sweet spot for small businesses, in particular those who only want access to just a few computers without breaking the bank. It’s a fraction of the price of other applications and works just as well.
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Best for Straightforward Business Use
Splashtop
- Impressive performance
- Click-and-drag file transfer, even across platforms
- Enthusiastic customer service
- Whiteboard only works on mobile
- Complicated pricing
Once it’s set up, Splashtop works wonderfully. Performance is excellent, drag-and-drop file transfers work between different platforms, and there’s even audio chat
The only real downsides are that Splashtop is a little bit complicated to set up, and the pricing plan isn’t straightforward to figure out. Splashtop makes up for it with a very responsive customer service team—one that proactively reaches out to answer questions.
Splashtop is a product built with businesses in mind and it’s businesses that should consider using it, especially businesses who value good customer service. It’s competitively priced, reliable, and works well, all things medium and large businesses will value.
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Best for Controlling Mobile Devices
Zoho Assist
- Affordable remote access
- Generous free version
- Can control mobile devices
- Integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Contacts
- Stuttering performance compared to other apps
- Can’t hear remote audio
- Cluttered user interface that’s occasionally hard to browse
Most remote access software focuses on giving you access to computers. Zoho Assist can also give access to mobile devices, a feature other apps in this list don’t offer. Having access to your phone or tablet is great if you need to troubleshoot such devices, and Android devices can be remotely controlled. Even better, there’s a free version.
Apple devices, because of operating system restrictions, can’t be controlled using Zoho Assist, but you can see everything on the display, which is better than nothing if you’re remotely troubleshooting an issue.
Zoho Assist also runs completely from the browser, which, on the one hand means there’s some lag, yes, but on the other hand it means you can access your devices from anywhere—even computers you can’t install software on.
Zoho Assist is built with technical support teams in mind, and that’s who uses it. Savvy Android users should check it out for the mobile support, too.
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Best for Legacy Users
VNC Connect
- Free version for home use
- Quick and reliable connections
- Mobile support for remote viewing
- Low frame rate compared with other apps
- Confusing to set up
- No built-in audio chat, video chat, or whiteboard
VNC is the original remote access protocol; VNC Connect builds on that legacy to make a reliable cloud product. With this cloud service you can connect to VNC servers outside your network in a couple of clicks, a trick that’s hard to pull off otherwise.
VNC Connect fully supports the VNC protocol but also builds on top of it, adding functionality like chat, session recording, and an (admittedly clumsy) file transfer tool. An instant support feature, ideal for companies, lets a support person easily take control of a customer’s computer because the customer only has to run temporary software (not install and set up a full program).
VNC Connect makes the most sense for small businesses that don’t have to connect to many devices. The pricing is per device, meaning it could work out economically compared to other apps if you’re only connecting to one or two devices.
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Buying Guide: The Best Remote Access Software for 2024
What’s the Best Free Remote Access Software?
TeamViewer is our top pick for best free remote access software. It’s completely free for personal use, and that’s not a gimmick. Free users get access to all the same features that commercial users get. Whether you want to offer remote support for family and friends or just have road access to your own computers, TeamViewer is by far the best free option.
Note that this free version is enforced by an AI designed to detect commercial usage. Some people have run into issues with the AI flagging legitimate personal use as being business related. A quick email to customer support can usually get you back up and running.
If you need a free application in a commercial context, check out Zoho Assist, which offers a limited free version that gives one technician access to five computers. It can’t match TeamViewer in terms of features, but it’s the best free option you can use in a work context.
(Credit: TeamViewer/PCMag)
Is Remote Access Software Safe to Use?
Remote access software, once set up, provides total access to your device, meaning all of your data is at your fingertips. That’s convenient, but not without risks. You don’t need to worry too much, though, because all the applications mentioned in this list use encryption, meaning there’s no chance of your remote activity being intercepted.
As with most software, a lot of the security is on you. Make sure you’re using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, so that it’s not easy to compromise your accounts. Most of these applications also require a password for connecting to specific devices even after you’ve signed in, so someone would have to go through a lot of trouble to get access to your devices. Be sure to set up a password manager if you have trouble keeping track of all those passwords.
The most important thing to keep in mind, however, is never to install remote access software if someone you don’t know tells you to do it. Hackers and scammers routinely use such software to steal information and access financial accounts. For example, a common scam involves someone from “tech support” calling you, unprompted, to “diagnose a problem” or similar. If this happens, hang up—tech support for major companies will never call you out of the blue and ask you to install such software. You can always call the company back if you’re worried. Just make sure you look up and call the actual customer service number, not the number that called you.
What’s the Best Remote Access Software for Windows?
Every application on this list works well on Windows, but I think the best choice for most people is TeamViewer. It’s a very feature complete application with a generous free version, which makes it hard to match for the vast majority of users.
TeamViewer’s paid plans for businesses start at $418.80 per year, however, which is a lot for small organizations. If that’s you I suggest checking out RemotePC as a capable Windows alternative.
(Credit: RemotePC/PCMag)
What’s the Best Remote Access Software for Mac?
Most applications on this list work about as well on macOS as they do in Windows, but there’s usually at least one feature missing. Not the case with Splashtop, which has great feature parity between its Windows and macOS clients.
First, it’s the only application we tested that offers drag-and-drop file support between macOS and Windows computers, meaning you can drag a file from Finder on a Mac directly to File Explorer on a Windows device and watch the files transfer. It’s hard to overstate how useful cross-platform drag and drop is for Mac users that need to connect to Windows devices.
The main downside with Splashtop is the lack of a free version for home use. TeamViewer is the best option for Mac users that want a free tool. Good thing the macOS version of the application is very capable, if not quite as nice as Splashtop.
(Credit: Splashtop/PCMag)
What’s the Best Remote Access Software for Mobile Devices?
Every application in this list allows you to access computers from mobile devices. If you want remote access to mobile devices from a computer, though, Zoho Assist is what you’re looking for.
Recommended by Our Editors
Zoho Assist is the only remote access application we reviewed that can access mobile devices. Android phones and tablets can be fully controlled from a computer, which is useful for diagnosing issues but also means you can do things like send text messages from your computer. You can also remotely monitor (but not control) an iPhone or iPad, which nevertheless could come in handy while trying to troubleshoot a problem over the phone.
Zoho is primarily an application intended for IT staff, so getting it set up is going to be a bit of a learning curve. Once you do that, however, you’ll have a way to access mobile devices from a computer, which is really handy.
Can’t I Just Use Zoom Instead of Remote Access Software?
Zoom has both a screen sharing feature and the ability to control another person’s screen, as do some other video conferencing applications. Given that, you might be wondering whether you need remote access software. And you still may. For one thing, remote access software allows for unattended access, meaning you can connect to another computer even if there’s no one sitting at it. Zoom can’t do that—you need to be on a call to start sharing. A second problem with Zoom in this context is performance. Zoom’s screen sharing feature works well, but they show more lag time than the apps mentioned here.
Stay Connected
If you’re still learning about remote access software and deciding how to use it in a business, you should also read our explanation of why you might need enterprise-grade remote access software.
For more business software advice, see which products and companies have won PCMag’s Business Choice Awards.
