TeamViewer Alternatives for IT and MSPs, Sorted by Why You're Leaving

Updated: November 2026. Prices, free-plan terms and platform support checked against vendor pricing pages, license terms and support docs on 11 November 2026.

TeamViewer's free version flags business use, and its paid plans charge by the number of technicians who can be in sessions at once. Either one sends IT teams shopping, at renewal time or the moment a free install gets flagged mid-call. This guide sorts each TeamViewer alternative by why you're leaving, whether its free option allows business use, what it costs and which devices it controls.

TL;DR

• Free for business. Quick Assist, RustDesk, MeshCentral and Action1 allow business use, Zoho says its free plan does, and Google's terms don't restrict Chrome Remote Desktop.
• Paid swaps. AnyDesk, Splashtop and ScreenConnect license by connection, user or technician instead of channels.
• Already paid for. Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 gained Remote Help in a rollout due by 1 August 2026.
• Platforms. Check Wayland before Linux, plan a Screen Recording approval per Mac, and expect only screen sharing on iPhones.
• Flags. Uninstalling TeamViewer doesn't clear a commercial-use flag on your IDs.

TeamViewer Alternatives Compared

Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page on 11 November 2026, except AnyDesk, whose EUR list prices come from our November 2026 TeamViewer review.

Why Admins Move Off TeamViewer

Three things push teams out: the license model, the renewal terms and a free version that polices business use.

TeamViewer licenses named users plus concurrent connections, which its own pricing FAQ calls channels. Each plan also caps unattended devices: 3 on Remote Access, 200 on Business, 300 on Premium and 500 on Corporate. Our TeamViewer channel pricing breakdown shows what that does to the bill.

Renewal is automatic every 12 months. To cancel, TeamViewer wants a support ticket or written notice at least 28 days before the term ends. Miss that date and you've bought another year.

Then there's security. In June 2024, attackers got into TeamViewer's corporate IT network through a standard employee account, and TeamViewer attributed it to APT29. Its Trust Center says employee directory data and encrypted passwords were copied, but no product or customer data was affected.

Each reason for leaving points to a different kind of alternative. This map pairs them, and the sections below follow the same order.

What TeamViewer Counts as Commercial Use

TeamViewer's knowledge base defines commercial use as anything "either directly or indirectly paid for", and its examples are broad. Supporting customers or colleagues counts. So do a quick home-office check of work email, monitoring a device that runs a server OS, and use at a non-profit where anyone draws a salary.

Personal use is narrow: helping family and friends, or reaching your own non-server devices that aren't used for work.

When TeamViewer suspects commercial use, it flags the account, the ID or both, and users hit connection timeouts and blocked IDs. The knowledge base describes no session-length cap. Uninstalling doesn't clear the flag. Only a reset request through TeamViewer's form does, in English, with up to 10 IDs per form. One part of the page promises a review within 72 hours, and another aims for seven business days.

A reset covers the submitted ID, not the account, and connections to devices still flagged as commercial stay blocked. If a software license audit turns up free installs on work machines, license or replace them before TeamViewer flags them.

Free TeamViewer Alternatives That Allow Business Use

Free here means a business may use it under the vendor's own terms. Each tool has a catch: a server you run, an attended-only session or an endpoint cap.

Chrome Remote Desktop

Chrome Remote Desktop is free, and Google's terms don't restrict business use, though no license says so outright. It hosts on Windows, Mac and Linux, with a PIN for your own computers. For support, the user shares a one-time code, and Chrome asks every 30 minutes whether to keep sharing. Phones can control a computer but can't be controlled. Workspace admins can switch it on or off per org unit or group.

Microsoft Quick Assist

Quick Assist ships with Windows. The helper signs in with a Microsoft account or Entra ID, and the person sharing approves the screen share, then control, so there's no unattended mode. On a Mac it only runs in sessions with Microsoft Support. Microsoft's own docs steer single-tenant organizations to Remote Help, which adds Conditional Access, role-based access and session logging.

RustDesk

RustDesk's client and server are both AGPL-3.0, with the code on GitHub, and client 1.5.3 shipped on 9 November 2026. You run the relay and ID server, so the cost moves from licenses to your time. Server Pro adds login users and managed devices, billed yearly with no auto-renewal. Individual is $11.88 per month for 1 user and 20 devices, and Basic is $23.88 for 10 users, 100 devices and OIDC or LDAP. Our RustDesk review covers its 2026 CVEs.

TechHut's July 2026 video builds a self-hosted RustDesk relay and ID server on Proxmox, then connects Linux and Windows clients to it.

MeshCentral

MeshCentral is free under Apache-2.0 and installs on Windows, Linux and macOS, with release 1.3.1 out on 23 October 2026. The server is yours to host and patch, and that's the price. Its Android agent streams the screen but can't tap, swipe or type. Our MeshCentral review works through the real self-hosting cost.

Zoho Assist

Zoho Assist's free plan covers 1 technician, 1 concurrent session and 5 unattended computers, with no session time limit on Windows, Mac or Linux. Mobile sessions stop at 5, at 15 minutes each. Zoho says its free plan may be used commercially, in a marketing FAQ rather than a license. Paid plans run $10, $15 or $24 per technician per month, billed yearly.

Action1

Action1 is free for the first 200 endpoints with no feature limits, per its own docs, and quotes above that. The catch is platform: Action1 documents remote desktop for Windows endpoints only, and Macs and Linux machines get patching. It suits a Windows fleet that wants patching and remote access in one free tool.

Free for Personal Use Only

TeamViewer, AnyDesk and Splashtop all give away a version you can't use at work. AnyDesk's terms, last updated 10 October 2025, limit the free version to personal, non-commercial use, and AnyDesk may suspend it on reasonable suspicion of commercial activity. Splashtop Personal is free for non-commercial use on your home network, for up to two computers, and Splashtop counts working from home as commercial. NoMachine dropped its free edition with version 10, and its Personal Edition now starts at $24.50 a year per computer you access.

Paid TeamViewer Alternatives for Support Desks

These three keep the hosted relay and the per-seat bill, but each counts seats differently. Our commercial remote access roundup, linked at the end of this guide, also profiles LogMeIn Rescue, BeyondTrust and RemotePC.

AnyDesk

AnyDesk is the closest match to TeamViewer's model, because it licenses by concurrent connection. Solo has 1 connection, Standard scales from 1 to 20, and Advanced from 2 to 50. Unattended devices run from 100 to 2,000 by plan. Our TeamViewer review read Standard at EUR 49.90 and Advanced at EUR 111.90 per month, billed yearly, in November 2026. On Linux, incoming sessions need Xorg, and Android control needs a plugin.

Splashtop

Splashtop prices per user for remote access and per concurrent technician for support. Remote Access Solo is $6 per month for one user, billed $72 a year, and Pro is $8.25 and Performance $13 per user per month. Remote Support SOS costs $259 or $399 per concurrent technician per year, and the second option includes 300 managed computers per license, up to 1,200. On phones, iOS is view-only and Android control depends on the maker. The rest is in our Splashtop review.

ConnectWise ScreenConnect

ScreenConnect has no free plan, only a free trial. Standard costs $47 per concurrent technician per month billed yearly, or $62 monthly, with unlimited unattended agents and up to 3 sessions per technician. Premium is $57 or $72 for up to 10 sessions, and the $30 One plan caps out at 10 unattended agents and 1 session. You can self-host it. On Linux it needs x86_64, and ConnectWise staff have said on its feature-request forum that it won't support Wayland. Our ScreenConnect review covers its security fixes since 2024.

Remote Access Already in Your Stack

Before you buy, check what you already pay for.

Intune Remote Help

Microsoft added Remote Help to Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 in a packaging rollout that started in June 2026 and was scheduled to finish by 1 August 2026. EMS E3 and E5 got it too. Office 365 E3 and Business Premium didn't. Everyone else pays $3.50 per user per month for the add-on, which needs Intune Plan 1.

Both the helper and the user being helped need a license, except on Android dedicated devices. Remote Help is off by default and stays inside one tenant. Unattended access covers physical, corporate-owned x64 Windows PCs and Samsung Knox or Zebra devices in dedicated mode. Macs on macOS 13 or later get attended sessions only, Linux isn't supported, iOS isn't listed and no session recordings are stored. Our Intune Remote Help guide covers setup.

Windows Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop comes with Windows, but the PC you connect to must run Windows Pro. It signs you in to the machine instead of sharing the user's screen, so it suits admin work more than walking someone through a fix. CISA's June 2025 SimpleHelp advisory lists keeping RDP off the internet among its mitigations. Our guide to Network Level Authentication covers the credential check in front of it.

Remote Control Inside Your RMM

If you run an RMM, you may already have remote control. NinjaOne prices per device, from $1.50 per month at 10,000 endpoints to $3.75 at 50 or fewer. Its pricing page doesn't say whether its remote tool is included, so ask before you budget for a second product. Our NinjaOne review lines it up against 12 alternatives.

Datto RMM has a built-in Splashtop integration for Windows and macOS. Sessions launched from Datto get fewer features than Splashtop on its own, and Datto's help page says nothing about cost. If you're weighing a full platform against a standalone tool, start with what an RMM does.

Flamingo builds OpenFrame, a competitor to the paid remote access tools in this post. It includes remote access in its open, AI-native infrastructure for IT and security, at $1 per device per month with a 14-day free trial.

TeamViewer Alternatives by Platform

Every tool in this guide controls Windows. The other platforms are where lists stop matching.

TeamViewer Alternative for Windows

On Windows, start with what's built in: Quick Assist for attended help, Remote Desktop for Windows Pro machines, and Remote Help if your tenant is on E3 or E5. A third-party tool fills the gap on PCs that sit outside Intune and don't run Windows Pro.

TeamViewer Alternative for Mac

For a Mac, any cross-platform tool in the table works, but plan one Screen Recording approval per Mac. Apple's schema says a profile can only deny screen capture. What MDM can do is let a standard, non-admin user approve it, through the AllowStandardUserToSetSystemService value.

Two tools ask for more. Datto's Splashtop integration needs Screen Recording, Accessibility and Full Disk Access, and AnyDesk needs system permissions for remote control on macOS 11 and later. Our Apple MDM guide compares the tools that push those profiles.

TeamViewer Alternative for Linux

For Linux desktops, RustDesk, MeshCentral, AnyDesk, Chrome Remote Desktop, Splashtop and ScreenConnect all run, and the deciding question is X11 or Wayland. TeamViewer and RustDesk call their Wayland support experimental, and RustDesk's login screen needs X11. AnyDesk takes incoming sessions only on Xorg, and ScreenConnect doesn't support Wayland.

MeshCentral merged Wayland code in September 2026, but no release has confirmed it yet. Splashtop added an XWayland mode in Linux Streamer 3.8.2.0, released on 27 August 2026, and Chrome Remote Desktop starts its own X session. Remote Help and Quick Assist skip Linux. For self-hosted options side by side, see our RustDesk security comparison.

TeamViewer Alternative for Android and iOS

On Android, control depends on the tool and the device maker. On iPhone, no tool in this list can take control, and a shared screen is the ceiling.

TeamViewer needs Android 8 or later and a supported maker. AnyDesk needs a control plugin, RustDesk controls attended sessions through an accessibility service, and Splashtop varies by maker. Remote Help fully controls Samsung Knox and Zebra devices in dedicated mode, while Samsung devices without Knox can only share the screen. MeshCentral's Android agent is view only, and Chrome Remote Desktop treats phones as controllers. Our Android MDM guide explains dedicated mode.

On iOS, TeamViewer shares the screen through QuickSupport and the iOS broadcast feature. AnyDesk doesn't support remote control, Splashtop is view-only, RustDesk's iOS app only controls other devices, and Remote Help doesn't list iOS.

In r/Intune, an admin asked for one tool that handles both PCs and phones, to get off TeamViewer over its business practices. Replies name Splashtop, ScreenConnect, RustDesk, Zoho Assist and Remote Help, and repeat that iPhones can be viewed but not controlled.

Security Checks Before You Switch

A remote tool is a door into every machine it reaches. In a June 2023 guide, CISA, the NSA, the FBI, MS-ISAC and Israel's INCD warned that attackers use legitimate remote access software for initial access, persistence and lateral movement. Security tools often miss it. The table below lists four tools from this guide, plus SimpleHelp, a remote tool CISA flagged in 2025.

Before you sign, check the new tool against the controls CISA's guide recommends, plus one of our own:

• Two-factor or just-in-time access on every technician account.
• Audit logs that show who connected to which machine, and when.
• Application control that allowlists your approved tool and blocks the rest, including portable versions that CISA notes run without admin rights.
• A patch cadence for the tool itself, since attackers exploited unpatched ScreenConnect and SimpleHelp servers.
• A named owner for any self-hosted server, because RustDesk and MeshCentral move patching to you.

After Storm-1811, Microsoft advised removing Quick Assist and other remote tools you don't use. Uninstall it rather than blocking its endpoint, because blocking breaks Remote Help too. Our RMM security practices guide covers the rest of the hardening.

What Admins on Reddit Switched To

In a June 2026 r/sysadmin thread, an admin on a five-person team asked what should replace their old Dameware install. The fleet is mostly Windows, plus Macs and Linux desktops. Replies split three ways. RustDesk and MeshCentral get the self-hosting votes, including from admins who left TeamViewer for RustDesk. ScreenConnect, BeyondTrust and Splashtop are the paid picks, and Action1 is the free option under 200 endpoints.

Across this thread and the r/Intune one above, the same names repeat: ScreenConnect, Splashtop, BeyondTrust, RustDesk, NinjaOne, AnyDesk, Quick Assist, ManageEngine and LogMeIn. TeamViewer shows up as the ex.

How to Move Off TeamViewer

The switch is paperwork first, then overlap. Work through it in this order.

1. Find the renewal date, and send TeamViewer a support ticket or written notice at least 28 days before the term ends.
2. Inventory every TeamViewer install and ID, including free personal ones that count as shadow IT, because flags stick to IDs and flagged devices stay blocked.
3. Pick from the table by the reason you're leaving.
4. Deploy the new tool through Intune or your RMM.
5. Run both for two weeks, so a missed device turns up while TeamViewer still works.
6. Uninstall TeamViewer, allowlist the new tool in application control, and uninstall Quick Assist wherever nobody uses it.

Pick by Why You're Leaving

A flagged free install points to the free tools that allow business use. The channel bill points to AnyDesk, Splashtop or ScreenConnect, and an E3 or E5 tenant to Remote Help. Check the platform rows before you commit, because Wayland, Mac approvals and iPhones are where these tools part ways. Next, read our commercial remote access roundup for LogMeIn Rescue, BeyondTrust, RemotePC and the exit terms in each contract.