rustdesk
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| 2026-07-06T00:00:00Z | en | rustdesk-vs-anydesk | false | RustDesk vs AnyDesk: Self-Hosted, Open-Source Remote Desktop | A full comparison of RustDesk vs AnyDesk: features, OS support, security, pricing models, and the trade-offs of self-hosting and open source. | ~/assets/images/blog/rustdesk-vs-anydesk-og.png | Comparisons |
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RustDesk Team |
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Buyers commonly compare RustDesk with AnyDesk after reviewing renewal cost, hosting control, and security requirements. This article does not reproduce private sales or support correspondence; product claims should be checked against current vendor documentation and dated public reporting.
Table of contents
- Overview
- Feature comparison at a glance
- OS and platform support
- Security and identity
- Licensing and pricing models
- Where AnyDesk still wins
- Pros and cons
- Why teams switch to RustDesk anyway
- An honest caveat
- Try RustDesk
- Related reading
- Sources
Overview
AnyDesk is a proprietary, commercial remote-desktop product from AnyDesk Software GmbH (legally registered as philandro Software GmbH), founded in 2014 in Stuttgart, Germany. It built its reputation on a lightweight client and a low-latency proprietary codec (DeskRT), and today it is a mature, widely deployed tool used by individual technicians, help desks, and enterprises. AnyDesk is closed source: you connect through AnyDesk's cloud infrastructure by default, and the higher tiers add an on-premises appliance option. It is a polished, managed experience — you rent access to the network AnyDesk runs.
RustDesk is an open-source remote-desktop platform whose core client is licensed under the AGPL. The defining difference is where it runs: with RustDesk Server Pro, the ID/rendezvous server and the relay server run on your machine or VPS, so session brokering and traffic stay on infrastructure you control. Because the client is open source, it can be audited, built from source, and pointed at a free community server that runs indefinitely at no cost. RustDesk Pro adds a self-hosted web console, a custom-branded client generator, device groups, and a shared address book on top. It is aimed at teams that want ownership and data sovereignty and are comfortable running a server — which, as we'll get to, is both its biggest strength and the thing you have to be honest with yourself about.
The rest of this article compares them feature by feature, then covers the parts of the decision that don't fit in a table.
Feature comparison at a glance
Both tools cover the core remote-support workflow. The differences are less about "does it have feature X" and more about how you get it — hosted vs self-hosted, per-seat vs per-user-and-device, gated behind a tier vs available in the open client.
| Capability | RustDesk | AnyDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Remote view and control | Yes | Yes |
| Unattended access | Yes (permanent password / managed devices) | Yes |
| File transfer | Yes (both directions) | Yes (file-browser mode) |
| In-session text chat | Yes | Yes |
| Session recording | Yes (can auto-record incoming/outgoing) | Yes (stored locally; both ends) |
| Remote printing | Yes (remote printer for incoming connections) | Yes (AnyDesk printer) |
| Mobile clients | Android and iOS | Android; iOS/iPadOS outgoing-only |
| Self-hosted server | Yes — core to the product (Server Pro) | Appliance available on the top tier only |
| Open source client | Yes (AGPL) | No (proprietary) |
| Custom-branded client | Yes (built-in generator) | Yes (customization / custom namespace on top tier) |
| REST API | Yes | Yes (my.anydesk console) |
| Concurrent connection cap | Unlimited on standard plans; limited on Customized V2 | Tied to plan tier (see pricing) |
The RustDesk feature rows above are confirmed against RustDesk's own documentation; the AnyDesk rows are from AnyDesk's support docs and feature pages. Two rows deserve a callout: self-hosting and the plan-specific concurrency model. RustDesk's Customized V2 must not be described as unlimited.
OS and platform support
Both products are genuinely cross-platform on the desktop. The meaningful gaps are on mobile and on the less-common desktop targets.
| Platform | RustDesk | AnyDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Yes | Yes (XP SP2 and later) |
| macOS | Yes | Yes (11 Big Sur and later) |
| Linux | Yes | Yes (Ubuntu/Debian/RHEL/SUSE/Mint) |
| Android | Yes | Yes (control plugin required) |
| iOS / iPadOS | Yes | Outgoing connections only (control unavailable, per Apple restrictions) |
| Raspberry Pi | Community/ARM builds | Yes (Raspberry Pi OS 12+) |
| Chrome OS | — (Android app via Play Store) | View-only (control not supported) |
| tvOS / Apple TV | Not verified, omitted | Outgoing only (limited file transfer/recording) |
RustDesk officially lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. AnyDesk's supported-OS documentation covers a slightly wider spread of niche targets (Raspberry Pi OS, Chrome OS viewing, tvOS), but with the same Apple-imposed limitation everyone hits: on iOS/iPadOS you can control out to another machine, but you can't be fully controlled from one. If your fleet includes Raspberry Pi appliances or you specifically need a Chrome OS or Apple TV client, verify the current state on each vendor's page before deciding — those targets change.
Security and identity
This is the section where the two products diverge philosophically, not just on a checkbox.
AnyDesk's security model. AnyDesk secures sessions with TLS 1.2 (AEAD), an RSA-2048 asymmetric key exchange, 256-bit AES transport encryption, and Perfect Forward Secrecy via an ephemeral Diffie-Hellman handshake. It offers two-factor authentication (TOTP) for unattended access, an access-control list / allowlist to restrict who can connect, and salted-hash password storage. These are solid, industry-standard protections. The catch is that you are trusting a closed-source vendor and, by default, that vendor's cloud to broker your connections — you cannot audit the code, and you rely on AnyDesk's own operational security.
That last point stopped being abstract in 2024, when AnyDesk publicly disclosed a security incident affecting its production systems. By its own account, the response included rotating its code-signing certificate, pushing a re-signed client build, and resetting web-portal passwords as a precaution; exact dates and scope were reported variously at the time, so confirm the specifics against AnyDesk's own advisories. The episode illustrates vendor-concentration risk when a third party operates remote-access infrastructure.
RustDesk's security model. The client is open source under the AGPL, and Server Pro lets you operate the rendezvous, relay, and console. This removes a vendor-operated service from those roles, but it does not eliminate endpoint, credential, configuration, or software-vulnerability risk. Review the latest RustDesk releases and public vulnerability records as part of deployment hardening.
Identity and directory integration. For teams that live in Active Directory or an OIDC identity provider, LDAP and SSO matter. RustDesk offers LDAP and SSO (OIDC) from the Basic plan and up. AnyDesk's official pricing page, checked July 7, 2026, lists SSO on Ultimate; confirm directory requirements in a written quote. If single sign-on is mandatory, note which tier each vendor requires rather than treating identity as a generic checkbox. RustDesk's LDAP and Active Directory setup guide walks through its configuration.
For teams whose whole reason for looking is keeping session data inside their own borders, remote desktop and data sovereignty under GDPR and the case for open-source remote access go deeper than we can here.
Licensing and pricing models
Prices change constantly, so this section compares models, not exact dollar amounts. The plan limits below come from AnyDesk's official pricing page, checked July 7, 2026; do not treat them as permanent.
AnyDesk licenses on a plan-tier model and states that all listed plans are billed annually:
- Solo — one licensed user, one non-scalable concurrent connection, three registered outgoing devices, and 100 managed devices.
- Standard — up to 20 users, one included concurrent connection, connection add-ons up to 20, and 500 managed devices.
- Advanced — up to 100 users, two included concurrent connections, connection add-ons up to 50, and 1,000 managed devices.
- Ultimate — custom-quoted cloud or on-premises hosting, starting at five licensed users and 2,000 managed devices, with user and concurrency capacity defined in the quote.
The two things to internalize about this model are annual billing and plan-specific concurrent-connection capacity. Scaling simultaneous connections can require add-ons or a different tier. Verify the current page and a dated written quote before budgeting because public packaging can change after this article's check date.
RustDesk licenses by login users plus managed devices, with prorated upgrades. Standard plans include unlimited concurrent connections, while Customized V2 limits and prices them separately. Self-hosting is not guaranteed to be cheaper in every configuration; compare current quotes for the same user, device, feature, and concurrency requirements. See RustDesk Pro pricing and the concurrency FAQ.
Because RustDesk pricing itself shifts, this article deliberately doesn't quote a RustDesk dollar figure — the current numbers live at rustdesk.com/pricing.
Where AnyDesk still wins
A comparison that only lists the other product's weaknesses isn't worth reading, so here is the honest other side.
- Maturity and polish. AnyDesk has been shipping since 2014 with a full-time company behind it. The client is refined, the connection experience is consistent, and edge cases that a decade of scale surfaces have largely been handled. That track record has real value.
- Zero-infrastructure setup for non-technical users. With AnyDesk you install a client and you're connected — there's no server to stand up, secure, or patch. Third-party reviewers consistently position AnyDesk (and tools like it) as the simpler choice for non-technical users, while framing RustDesk as better suited to technical teams and self-hosters. That perception gap is real, and if the person setting this up doesn't want to touch a VPS, it matters.
- Managed cloud as a feature, not a bug. For a small shop with no interest in running infrastructure, "someone else operates it" is a legitimate benefit. Self-hosting is not free — it costs attention.
- Breadth of niche platform targets. AnyDesk's documented support for Raspberry Pi OS, Chrome OS viewing, and tvOS is broader on paper than RustDesk's official five-platform list, which can matter for unusual fleets.
- Established RMM/ITSM integration ecosystem. AnyDesk has existing partnerships and documented integrations with RMM and help-desk tools, plus a REST API on the management console.
If your priority is "install it and forget it" and you're happy renting access to a vendor-run network, AnyDesk is a perfectly reasonable choice, and you don't need the rest of this article.
Pros and cons
RustDesk
Pros:
- Open-source client (AGPL) — auditable, buildable, no black box
- Self-hosted server keeps session brokering and traffic on your own infrastructure
- Unlimited concurrent connections on standard plans; Customized V2 is limited
- Per-user + per-device licensing with prorated upgrades
- LDAP/SSO from the Basic plan and up (not top-tier-only)
- Custom-branded client generator, self-hosted web console, device groups, shared address book
- Free community server runs indefinitely
Cons:
- You run, patch, and secure the server yourself — it is not managed SaaS
- Smaller/younger ecosystem than AnyDesk; more technical audience
- No fully free trial of Server Pro (email sales@rustdesk.com for a test license)
- Fewer niche platform targets on the official list
AnyDesk
Pros:
- Mature, polished, low-latency client with a long track record
- Near-zero setup for non-technical users; nothing to self-host on lower tiers
- Broad niche-platform coverage (Raspberry Pi, Chrome OS viewing, tvOS)
- Established RMM/ITSM integrations and a REST API
- Standard, well-documented encryption and 2FA
Cons:
- Closed source — you cannot audit the client
- Default reliance on AnyDesk's cloud; on-premises appliance only on the top tier
- Suffered a production-system compromise in 2024 (certificate revoked, passwords reset)
- Concurrent sessions bounded by plan tier; annual up-front billing
- SSO listed on Ultimate as of the July 7, 2026 pricing-page check
Why teams switch to RustDesk anyway
Everything above is the neutral comparison. This section is the part where RustDesk's case is made plainly — read it as such.
The teams that move to RustDesk after evaluating AnyDesk tend to cite the same handful of reasons: self-hosting, customization, and a focus on security and privacy.
Data sovereignty is the headline. When the rendezvous and relay servers are yours, session metadata and relayed traffic don't have to leave your control, and there's no third-party portal holding a master credential list to be breached. For regulated environments and anyone doing business under GDPR, that's not a nice-to-have — it's frequently the whole requirement. See why self-host your remote desktop software and self-hosted vs cloud for the full argument.
Open source is auditable trust. You don't have to believe the vendor about what the client does — you can read it, build it, and verify it. After a year like 2024 in the remote-access category, "we can inspect the code ourselves" resonates.
The concurrency model changes the math at scale. Standard RustDesk plans include unlimited concurrent connections; Customized V2 has a defined allowance and prices additional concurrency. All plans must also fit login-user and managed-device limits. RustDesk publishes large-fleet planning guidance, but capacity still needs validation against the actual rollout.
It's built for the people who'd be doing the switching. MSPs get one self-hosted, brandable tool (RustDesk for MSPs); enterprises get a self-hosted, AD-ready platform (RustDesk for Enterprise). If you arrived here specifically because AnyDesk's pricing changed, AnyDesk price increase: alternatives for teams and the best AnyDesk alternative in 2026 are written for exactly that moment.
An honest caveat
Self-hosting is a trade, not a free win, and pretending otherwise would be doing you a disservice. When you run RustDesk Server Pro, you run, patch, and secure that server. There's no vendor NOC watching it for you, no managed uptime SLA unless you build one, and the responsibility for hardening it is yours. That's the price of the sovereignty and the uncapped concurrency — real ownership comes with real operational work.
If your team has no one who wants to own a VPS and keep it patched, be honest about that up front; a managed product may genuinely serve you better, and that's a legitimate outcome. RustDesk is the right answer when control, cost-at-scale, and auditability outweigh the convenience of letting someone else operate the infrastructure. It is not a zero-maintenance managed SaaS, and we'd rather you know that before you commit than after.
Try RustDesk
Self-host the free community server today. Want to try the Pro features? Email sales@rustdesk.com to ask about current evaluation terms, or check rustdesk.com/pricing for standard plan rates. Prefer to watch first? There's a full video walkthrough on the RustDesk YouTube channel — no booking required.
If you'd like to see it running before you touch a server, see RustDesk in action walks through a demo, the free server, and the Pro trial.
Sources
- AnyDesk pricing — official plan limits, annual billing, concurrent connections, managed devices, and cloud/on-premises availability; checked July 7, 2026.
- AnyDesk client settings — direct connections, public-network relay fallback, unattended access, and access controls.
- AnyDesk public statement — vendor disclosure of the 2024 production-system incident and response.