RustDesk vs AnyDesk: Remote Support Comparison (2026)

This comparison is for help-desk technicians, small MSPs and IT generalists choosing between RustDesk and AnyDesk for ID-based remote support. The short answer: RustDesk is free and open source (AGPL-3.0), allowed for business use and can run entirely on your own server. AnyDesk is proprietary shareware (conditionally free): no licence is needed for private, non-commercial use, and any work use requires a paid plan. Pick RustDesk if you want control and no licence checks and can run a small server. Pick AnyDesk if you want a vendor-run service with vendor support and are willing to license it. We have not benchmarked either tool: anything about speed, latency or image quality below is marked “Not tested yet”.

RustDesk vs AnyDesk at a glance

Licensing: the deciding factor for most teams

RustDesk’s client is free under AGPL-3.0, including for business use. Only the optional Server Pro edition is commercial; the open-source server has no licence fee. That removes the question most support teams actually hit with AnyDesk: whether a given connection counts as work.

AnyDesk is shareware (conditionally free). Its own documentation separates private use from commercial use, and supporting colleagues or customers, or reaching an office PC from home, falls on the commercial side. AnyDesk can restrict clients it identifies as commercial, and a whitelist request form exists for users who were wrongly flagged. For more on free tiers across the whole category, see our hub Best Free Remote Desktop Software.

Where the traffic goes

With AnyDesk, sessions are brokered by AnyDesk’s network. Its firewall documentation asks for at least one outbound TCP port out of 6568, 443 and 80, plus an allow-list entry for *.net.anydesk.com. Keep that domain out of TLS inspection, as HTTPS scanning breaks sessions. UDP 50001–50003 is used only for LAN Discovery.

RustDesk can use the project’s public servers, which need only outbound access, or your own. A self-hosted setup needs these ports on your server:

• TCP 21115 for the NAT type test
• TCP and UDP 21116 for registration and hole punching
• TCP 21117 for the relay
• TCP 21118 and 21119 for WebSocket, which can stay closed if you do not use the web client

TCP 21115–21117 and UDP 21116 are the minimum. Step-by-step deployment is on our RustDesk Server page and in the self-hosted remote access hub.

AnyDesk also has a self-hosted option, but it is a separate product: AnyDesk On-Premises is an appliance server on physical or virtual hardware and requires the Ultimate licence. Only custom clients created in your my.anydesk portal can connect to it; standard clients cannot. So “self-hosted” is a free default with RustDesk and a licensed tier with AnyDesk.

Security: what each vendor documents

AnyDesk’s support documentation says sessions are secured with TLS 1.2 with AEAD encryption, and its security pages describe an RSA 2048 key exchange. Vendor marketing pages are not fully consistent about cipher details, so check the encryption mode and fingerprint in the in-session connection info instead of relying on brochure text. AnyDesk supports two-factor authentication for unattended access and an allow list. In February 2024 AnyDesk reported a compromise of its production systems and revoked its old code-signing certificate, so replace installers saved before then.

RustDesk states that ID-based sessions are end-to-end encrypted, and that this applies when clients are configured with your server’s public key (id_ed25519.pub). Direct IP access is a separate mode that is not encrypted: keep it behind a VPN or an admin subnet. The public source code can be audited, but we have not reviewed it. In both products use long unique permanent passwords and keep clients updated; our remote access security checklist covers the rest.

One practical point on both sides: remote tools are popular with tech-support scammers. Tell users never to give an ID and password to an unsolicited caller.

Setting up unattended access

Both tools install a background service for unattended access, the login screen and UAC prompts. Running the executable without installing is fine for one-off attended sessions only.

RustDesk on Windows

rustdesk.exe --silent-install
rustdesk.exe --password "Long-Unique-Passphrase"
rustdesk.exe --get-id | more

Run these from an elevated prompt in the install folder. To point a client at your own server, fill in ID Server and Key under Settings > Network, or push the settings with rustdesk.exe --config <config-string>.

AnyDesk on Windows

AnyDesk.exe --install "C:Program Files (x86)AnyDesk" --start-with-win --silent
echo Str0ng-Unique-Pass | "C:Program Files (x86)AnyDeskAnyDesk.exe" --set-password

The --get-id output does not print to the console, so capture it in a batch file. Remember that unattended access to a work machine is commercial use and needs a licence. Store IDs and passwords in a password manager, never in the script that runs on endpoints.

Platform differences that matter

• iOS: both apps control other devices. A RustDesk iPhone or iPad cannot be controlled remotely; AnyDesk supports screen sharing from iOS rather than full control.
• Linux: X11 sessions are the most predictable. RustDesk on Wayland goes through the desktop portal and is more limited; AnyDesk needs Xorg for incoming sessions.
• macOS: grant Screen Recording and Accessibility (and Input Monitoring for RustDesk on newer releases) in System Settings, otherwise you get a black screen or no mouse control.
• ChromeOS and Raspberry Pi: AnyDesk lists ChromeOS and Raspberry Pi; RustDesk has no ChromeOS client.

Limitations

• RustDesk: the public servers are shared and can be busy; for business use run your own server, and then you patch and back it up yourself. User management, address-book sharing, access control and audit logs need the separate Server Pro product.
• AnyDesk: the free tier is private use only, and many corporate security policies block it by default because scammers abuse it. Central management, mass deployment and custom clients depend on paid plans. Version numbers differ between platforms, which complicates patch tracking.
• Performance: frame rate, latency, bandwidth and CPU use of each tool on your network are Not tested yet. Check on your own links before standardising.

How to choose

1. Is any of the traffic work-related? If yes and you do not want to license AnyDesk, use RustDesk.
2. Do you need sessions to stay inside your network? RustDesk Server is free; AnyDesk needs On-Premises with the Ultimate licence.
3. Can you run and back up a small Linux server? If not, the vendor-run AnyDesk service (licensed) is less work. See TeamViewer if you also want a broader management stack.
4. Need agent-based fleet management with device groups rather than quick ID sessions? Look at MeshCentral.
5. Run a pilot with five machines on your real network and measure the lag yourself.

FAQ

Is RustDesk better than AnyDesk?

It depends on what you value. RustDesk wins on licence terms, source code access and self-hosting at no cost. AnyDesk offers a vendor-managed service, wider platform coverage (ChromeOS, Raspberry Pi) and vendor support under a paid licence.

Is RustDesk free for commercial use?

Yes. The client and the open-source server are AGPL-3.0 and free to use for business. Only Server Pro is a paid product.

RustDesk vs AnyDesk speed and latency: which is faster?

We have not measured it, so we will not guess. Not tested yet. Results depend on route, relay location and settings such as codec and quality, so try both on the same pair of machines.

RustDesk vs AnyDesk security: which is safer?

Both document encrypted sessions. RustDesk’s end-to-end encryption relies on you configuring your server’s public key, and it can be audited in source. AnyDesk documents TLS 1.2 with AEAD and offers two-factor authentication for unattended access. Passwords, patching and who can reach the machine matter more than the product choice.

RustDesk vs AnyDesk vs TeamViewer?

TeamViewer is also proprietary shareware with a personal-use-only free tier, and it adds deployment and management features. RustDesk is the only one of the three that is open source and free for business.

Is AnyDesk free?

Only for private, non-commercial use. Any work-related use needs a paid plan.

Last updated: 19 October 2026 · CtrlRemote editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation.