Al­tern­at­ives to Team­View­er

As the first al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er, we introduce Ammyy Admin as a tool for remote desktop con­nec­tion and remote man­age­ment. The multi-func­tion­al remote control software is well suited to large companies. You can easily manage networks and servers via remote access. Ammyy Admin wins points for its simple operation and the fact that no software in­stall­a­tion is required since users only have to download a small ex­ecut­able file. The security features are easy to un­der­stand and the programme doesn’t use com­plic­ated firewall or router con­fig­ur­a­tions. A unique ID is created for each user that can then be used to access the external computer meaning that the computer is protected from unwanted entry. You can also change the settings to make it even more secure. Ammyy Admin enables direct data transfer. It’s be­ne­fi­cial to have constant access to the file system, par­tic­u­larly with large amounts of data. The free programme is also suitable for distance learning and present­a­tions since you can share materials and com­mu­nic­ate with each other via chat.

If you use Team­View­er for online meetings you will find Mikogo a good, but not free al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er. No download or in­stall­a­tion is necessary to use this programme since it’s directly ac­cess­ible in the browser, via Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. The browser-based HTML viewer allows up to 25 users to have access to a computer at the same time. Roles can easily be switched and as long as access has been granted you can remotely control other computers. The in­teg­rated data transfer function enables data transfer between the par­ti­cipant and whoever is present­ing the meeting. In addition, Mikogo has all the standard features and functions of an online meeting software: a chat feature, the ability to record sessions, and an in­ter­act­ive white­board. For single users (maximum one par­ti­cipant per session), a demo version is available free of charge. After a 14 day trial, you will then have to pay for the pro­fes­sion­al version if you want to continue using the software.

The software ThinVNC offers screen sharing, remote desktop features, as well as file sharing. With ThinVNC you get a beginner-friendly remote programme with simple in­stall­a­tion as well as a fast and un­com­plic­ated setup. It can be used without having to install client software since remote control of Windows desktops is possible from any web browser with HTML5 support. ThinVNC also uses AJAX and JSON and therefore manages without ad­di­tion­al software or browser plugins. Trans­fer­ring data is also quite simple. Prac­tic­ally, you can also access a local computer from mobile devices such as tablets and smart­phones. For private users, ThinVNC is a good al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er. If you want to reach the PC not only from your own network, but from anywhere in the world via the browser, you need to know a bit about router settings and dynamic DNS providers. Until recently, the tool was free to download, but now only the ThinVNC code remains a free open source solution, however the product is no longer regularly main­tained so it has prac­tic­ally been dis­con­tin­ued. Thin­fin­ity Remote Desktop Work­sta­tion only offers fee-based tariffs.

Some members of the AnyDesk de­vel­op­ment team also co-developed Team­View­er. The aim was to develop an improved transfer method. The remote con­nec­tion via AnyDesk should be faster and sharper than Team­View­er, as well as being less likely to lag. The specially developed process is called DeskRT and aims to reduce data volume during trans­mis­sion. According to the man­u­fac­turer, it’s possible to double the frame-rate, meaning that the data delay should only be a quarter of what its 'big brother', Team­View­er ex­per­i­ences. The man­u­fac­turer claims that AnyDesk is the 'fastest Team­View­er al­tern­at­ive in the world' – in our overview it also scores well when it comes to image quality. In practice, this means that even complex pro­grammes such as graphics and image pro­cessing tools can be operated remotely without having to put up with reduced quality images. Despite the soph­ist­ic­ated technical back­ground the programme is actually quite user friendly. The free version is only available to private users; pro­fes­sion­al users and companies have to pay.

The open source software, UltraVNC is an excellent al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er for Windows users. It was developed and dis­trib­uted under the free GPLv2 licence. The software bundle from viewer (client) and server (remote PC) helps you to set up and manage remote con­nec­tions. It uses the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) principle based on the RFB (Remote Framebuffer) protocol. Remote con­nec­tions that have been built using these two com­pon­ents allow, among other things, files to be trans­mit­ted in an un­com­plic­ated way, as well as allowing text-based messages and various au­then­tic­a­tion methods (eight-digit DES password, MS login I and II) to be exchanged. Both the client as well as the server com­pon­ents of the free remote software offer extensive con­fig­ur­a­tion pos­sib­il­it­ies. These give experts a huge amount of leeway. However, in return, they make it harder for less ex­per­i­enced users to get to grips with UltraVNC, which is also partially due to the old-fashioned menu interface. Since the signals from the server ap­plic­a­tion can be received and displayed by a high number of viewers, the Team­View­er al­tern­at­ive is also suitable for workshops and present­a­tions. Via the toolbar or the server module it is possible to set the programme up so that only in­di­vidu­al desktop windows are trans­ferred, meaning that par­ti­cipants are directed to the essential in­form­a­tion.

If you want to find an al­tern­at­ive to the Team­View­er remote function you do not have to resort to complex pro­grammes. A quick and easy-to-use Google Chrome extension will help. If the web browser is installed on the computers involved and you have a Google account, you can use Chrome Remote Desktop to access remote computers over the internet and remotely control them. And you can use the service on all platforms on the browser that the search engine giant runs on. In addition, as with Team­View­er, there are special apps for Android and iOS devices. In order for a computer to be remotely managed you first need to allow access.

As soon as access is allowed, the Chrome Remote Desktop Host software is auto­mat­ic­ally down­loaded as part of the sharing process. Only after you have installed it, is the system ready for remote control. Use the host programme to generate a specific code, which will be needed for later access. The Chrome extension doesn’t offer any further features such as screen sharing, chats, or video con­fer­en­cing.

In 2007, the tele­com­mu­nic­a­tions company, Cisco, took over the company, WebEx Com­mu­nic­a­tions, which then continued as a sub­si­di­ary and has since developed and dis­trib­uted various software solutions for col­lab­or­a­tions in companies. With WebEx meetings, the company also offers an excellent al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er, which focuses on web con­fer­en­cing. Like all WebEx products, the meeting ap­plic­a­tion is available via the Cisco WebEx Cloud, dis­trib­uted across data centres (including back-up and caching concepts) worldwide in order to provide maximum bandwidth and avail­ab­il­ity for each user. With WebEx Meetings Free, you have the pos­sib­il­ity of holding free online meetings with up to two other par­ti­cipants. If you require ad­di­tion­al ca­pa­cit­ies and features, we recommend pur­chas­ing a premium package. With this, you can organise web con­fer­ences with up to 100 par­ti­cipants, access various screen sharing options (full screen, in­di­vidu­al ap­plic­a­tions, etc.) and create specific user profiles e.g. to designate mod­er­at­ors. The premium package also allows you to access systems remotely, protect meetings using a password, and set up online meetings in Microsoft Outlook.

The basic concept of the cost-effective remote access tool, LogMeIn Pro, is to optimise the sharing of resources and make them available from anywhere without neg­lect­ing the aspect of safety. To do this, you will get up to 1TB of Cloud space to store all relevant files, ap­plic­a­tions, and projects in one central location. On the other hand, LogMeIn provides various ap­plic­a­tions for Windows, MacOS, the mobile systems; iOS and Android, as well as a cross-platform browser ap­plic­a­tion that allows you to establish remote con­nec­tions in local networks and over the internet. All sessions with LogMeIn Pro are secured via SSL/TLS. In addition, the identity of the server is verified using PKI (Public Key Infra­struc­ture) and the identity of the host is verified using a matching secret key. Depending on the package (annual licences), you can access up to ten computers, op­tion­ally display multiple monitors and access local printers remotely. An unlimited number of users can be allowed access to the files stored in the LogMeIn Cloud. However, this al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er does not provide a feature for team meetings.

The company LogMeIn has another Team­View­er al­tern­at­ive, the web tool Join.me to add to the mix. This al­tern­at­ive makes or­gan­ising and im­ple­ment­ing online meetings child’s play. For this purpose, the service offers access to an admin area where you can easily schedule and hold meetings. All past meetings are auto­mat­ic­ally archived so that you can keep tabs on what invited users are up to. In the free version of the web ap­plic­a­tion, it is possible to organise ordinary con­fer­ences for up to ten par­ti­cipants and video trans­mis­sions for up to five people – the only pre­requis­ites are that you need to download the Join.me app and register. In addition to chat, VoIP, and video features, Join.me also enables data sharing and screen sharing. In addition to the free version of the com­mu­nic­a­tion software there are also two fee-based sub­scrip­tion modules that are ad-free. They contain pro­ductiv­ity-in­creas­ing features (PRO) and ad­di­tion­al ad­min­is­tra­tion cap­ab­il­it­ies (BUSINESS). The former allows up to 50 users to par­ti­cip­ate in meetings (ten in the video con­fer­ence), and the latter even allows up to 250 par­ti­cipants in meetings. Ad­di­tion­al functions include, among other things, a feature to share views of in­di­vidu­al windows, the pos­sib­il­ity to create white­boards and allow other users access to them (iOS only) and plugins for Outlook and Google calendars. In addition, 5GB (PRO) and 5TB (BUSINESS) Cloud storages are available for recording Join.me meetings and being able to play them back at a later point in time.

With its remote ap­plic­a­tions, Splashtop is primarily designed for users to enjoy maximum comfort when accessing their apps, projects, or files – re­gard­less of the device they’re using. The company attaches great important to the mobile sector in par­tic­u­lar. Depending on which Splashtop product you choose, there’s a wide variety of features on offer with greatly varying costs. This makes the fun­da­ment­ally free Splashtop Personal an excellent al­tern­at­ive to Team­View­er if you need a solution for remote access for up to five devices within a local network. However, this version is only for non-com­mer­cial use. In addition, remote access via the internet is fee-based, as is the case with some client apps for certain devices. Splashtop Business enables pro­fes­sion­al remote man­age­ment of devices in company networks. With this paid remote package you can not only transfer files, but also access local printers and com­mu­nic­ate via chat with the user of the remote computer. The built in TLS-encrypted (256 bit) con­nec­tions are char­ac­ter­ised by high stability and per­form­ance. With Splashtop Classroom and Mirroring360 there are ad­di­tion­al screen sharing solutions that allow you to easily present your content, ideas, or ap­plic­a­tions to an audience without having to rely on special hardware and cables.

For more than 15 years, the Cambridge-based software company, RealVNC, has provided powerful remote pro­grammes. Among other things, the award-winning company with VNC Connect is one of the best Team­View­er al­tern­at­ives for personal and com­mer­cial use. Con­sist­ing of a server app for the computer you wish to control and a viewer ap­plic­a­tion that is installed and started on the work device, this pro­fes­sion­al tool provides you with all the functions you need to remotely control other systems. They are auto­mat­ic­ally dis­covered on the internet without the need for special firewall or router con­fig­ur­a­tions. In order to provide a high level of security, sessions are not only encrypted, but are also password-protected. While the free HOME edition has a limit of five remote computers and cannot be used com­mer­cially, the paid annual sub­scrip­tions PRO­FES­SION­AL and EN­TER­PRISE allow remote control of an unlimited number of target devices. This equi­val­ent also extends to important features such as data transfer, remote printing, or chat. The en­ter­prise solution also encrypts sessions with 256 bit AES (HOME and PRO­FES­SION­AL: 128 bit AES), and also enables direct remote con­nec­tions to be es­tab­lished that do not require internet con­nec­tions. However, none of these VNC Connect editions offer features for web con­fer­en­cing.