This guide is for help desks, small MSPs and IT generalists who have hit the personal-use wall in TeamViewer or AnyDesk and want a tool that is allowed at work. The short answer: RustDesk and HopToDesk are open source and free for business use; Remote Utilities Free and LiteManager Free are free for small fleets with a device cap; MeshCentral is the free choice when you want a self-hosted console with agents. We compare licences, architecture and limits from official documentation; speed and image quality are “Not tested yet”.
Business use at a glance
| Tool | Business use without paying | Licence | Platforms | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | Yes, no device cap | Free, open source (AGPL-3.0) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS (controller only) | Public servers or your own |
| HopToDesk | Yes; free Dashboard covers 3 devices | Free, open source (AGPL v3) | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS, ChromeOS | Vendor network or self-hosted |
| Remote Utilities Free | Yes, up to 10 remote PCs, one free licence per organisation | Free (proprietary) | Windows; macOS and Linux builds; mobile apps | Direct, Internet-ID, or own RU Server |
| LiteManager Free | Yes, up to 30 computers, “small organization or home use” | Free (proprietary) | Windows; macOS, Linux, Android, iOS clients | IP, or ID via vendor NoIP server |
| MeshCentral | Yes, no cap | Free, open source (Apache-2.0) | Server and agents on Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD | Self-hosted only |
| DWService | Yes; free plan capped at 6 Mbps | Free (MPL-2.0 agent) | Windows, macOS, Linux agents; any browser | Vendor cloud |
| Chrome Remote Desktop | No personal-use clause in Google’s help pages; admins can restrict managed accounts | Free (proprietary) | Windows, macOS, Linux hosts; browser, Android, iOS clients | Google cloud |
| UltraVNC / TightVNC | Yes | Free, open source (GPL) | Windows | Direct LAN or VPN; UltraVNC repeater |
| Splashtop | No: business editions are paid | Shareware (conditionally free) | Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, Android | Vendor cloud |
| TeamViewer / AnyDesk | No: free tier is personal use only | Shareware (conditionally free) | Windows, macOS, Linux, mobile, web | Vendor cloud; on-premises is a paid tier |
Why teams leave: the personal-use rules
TeamViewer defines personal use as helping family and friends or connecting to your own non-server devices outside a commercial environment. Checking work e-mail on an office PC from home counts as commercial, and so does monitoring a server. When its systems suspect commercial use, the TeamViewer ID is limited; the vendor’s reset form reviews the case and can unblock the ID. Reinstalling does not clear the flag, because it is tied to the ID, not the account.
AnyDesk’s terms limit the free version to personal, non-commercial use and exclude any use connected with a trade, business or profession. AnyDesk may review usage data and suspend the free client; a form exists to request whitelisting if you were flagged by mistake. Both products are fine under a paid licence; the problem is relying on the free tier at work. How free tiers compare across the category is covered in our best free remote desktop software hub.
Open-source ID connections: RustDesk and HopToDesk
If what you like about TeamViewer is “read me the ID, I connect”, RustDesk is the closest free replacement. The client is AGPL-3.0 with no business-use clause. On 30 September 2026 the project marked 1.5.0 as a stable GitHub release; our catalogue page still lists 1.4.9. It works out of the box through the project’s public servers, and the same client can be pointed at your own ID and relay server (hbbs and hbbr) with TCP 21115–21117 and UDP 21116 open. The RustDesk Server page covers deployment. User management, address-book sharing and audit logs need the paid Server Pro edition, so a free RustDesk fleet is managed by hand or by scripts.
HopToDesk states on its site that it is free for both personal and business use with no time limits, and its source is published under GNU AGPLv3. Clients exist for Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi, Android, iOS and ChromeOS, and the vendor documents self-hosting on your own servers. The free Dashboard covers your first three devices; larger device lists, team reporting and audit trails are paid plans. The changelog showed 1.46.70 on 20 October 2026.
Free licences with a device cap: Remote Utilities and LiteManager
Remote Utilities Free is the same software as the paid product activated with a free licence. The licence page says it allows one person to control up to 10 remote computers, for personal or business use, with one free licence per company or individual. The Host module gives unattended access, the Agent runs without installation for attended sessions, and connections can be direct by IP or through the vendor’s Internet-ID service.
LiteManager Free covers up to 30 computers and is described by the vendor as intended for a small organisation or home use. The free edition includes remote control, file transfer, task manager, power actions and remote installation; RDP integration, screen recording, address books and audio chat are reserved for Pro. One point for Western buyers: the vendor’s technicians’ guide states that ID connections route through its NoIP server in Russia by default. Use direct IP connections or your own NoIP server if that matters to you.
Agents and a console: MeshCentral and DWService
MeshCentral replaces the Host-plus-console part that quick ID tools lack. It is Apache-2.0, runs on Node.js on your own Windows, Linux, macOS or FreeBSD box, and you install an agent on each computer. From a browser you get remote desktop, terminal, files, power control, device groups, user permissions and Intel AMT support. The current release in our catalogue is 1.2.6 (24 September 2026). You own patching, TLS and backups; our self-hosted remote access hub walks through the stack.
DWService is the hosted version of the same idea. Install the open-source agent (MPL-2.0) on Windows, macOS or Linux and reach the desktop, a shell, files and resource monitors from any browser without opening ports. The free account is capped at 6 Mbps of bandwidth; paid plans only raise that cap, and the plan page does not restrict business use.
Simpler cases: Chrome Remote Desktop and VNC
Chrome Remote Desktop covers “I need my office PC from home” with a Google account and a PIN, plus one-time support codes for attended help. We found no personal-use-only clause in Google’s help documentation, but there is no console, no agent deployment and no on-premises option, so treat it as a per-user tool, not a help-desk platform.
Inside one network or over a VPN, UltraVNC (GPL, free for commercial use, with MS-Logon, file transfer and a repeater for PCs behind NAT) and TightVNC (GPL-2.0, runs as a service, silent MSI deployment) still do the job on Windows. VNC traffic is not encrypted by default, so keep it off the public internet. Read the remote access security checklist before exposing anything.
When you want a vendor anyway
Some teams leave TeamViewer or AnyDesk over cost or policy rather than the idea of a vendor. Splashtop is shareware (conditionally free): business editions are paid with a free trial, and Splashtop Personal is free only on a home LAN. ConnectWise ScreenConnect is commercial, cloud or on your own Windows server, with roles, audit logs and unattended agents built for MSPs. Both are legitimate replacements when a licence is the point, not the obstacle.
Limitations
- Open-source tools shift the work to you: RustDesk’s free management is manual, MeshCentral needs a server you patch and back up, and public RustDesk servers are shared.
- Device caps are real limits: 10 PCs for Remote Utilities Free, 30 for LiteManager Free, 3 Dashboard devices for HopToDesk, 6 Mbps for DWService.
- Speed, latency, bandwidth and CPU use of every tool listed here: Not tested yet.
How to choose
- Count the computers. Ten or fewer: Remote Utilities Free. Up to thirty: LiteManager Free or either open-source option.
- Decide who runs the server. No server team: HopToDesk, DWService or RustDesk on public servers. Server team available: RustDesk Server or MeshCentral.
- Need groups, permissions and an audit trail for free? MeshCentral. Need them from a vendor? ScreenConnect or a paid TeamViewer or AnyDesk plan.
- Check the data path: self-hosting keeps sessions in your network; hosted services route through the vendor.
- Pilot two tools on five real machines and measure lag and reconnect behaviour yourself.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to TeamViewer for commercial use?
Yes. RustDesk and HopToDesk are open source and free for business. Remote Utilities Free allows business use for up to 10 remote PCs, LiteManager Free for up to 30. MeshCentral is free without a cap if you host it.
What is the best open-source TeamViewer alternative?
For ID-based sessions, RustDesk (AGPL-3.0) or HopToDesk (AGPLv3). For an agent-based console, MeshCentral (Apache-2.0).
Which AnyDesk alternative works on Linux?
RustDesk, HopToDesk, MeshCentral agents, the DWService agent and Chrome Remote Desktop (Debian package) all support Linux hosts. X11 sessions are the most predictable; Wayland support is more limited in RustDesk.
Is there a TeamViewer alternative for Android?
RustDesk and HopToDesk list Android among supported systems and can connect to Android devices. AnyDesk and TeamViewer also have Android apps, but the personal-use rules apply to them as well.
Which free tool offers unattended access?
All of the free options here, once installed as a service: RustDesk and HopToDesk with a permanent password, Remote Utilities Host, LiteManager Server, MeshCentral and DWService agents, and Chrome Remote Desktop with a PIN.
Last updated: 22 October 2026 · CtrlRemote editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation.