Remote access software enables you to access everything on your computer from anywhere. And perhaps more importantly, it lets you take control of someone else's computer. It's extremely useful for helping friends and family remotely troubleshoot their devices and providing IT support to employees at a business. We've been reviewing remote access software for more than 15 years, so we can help you pick the best solution for your needs. Here, we examine software for individuals and small businesses, since large organizations typically require more specialized technical support. Based on our testing and analysis, TeamViewer and RemotePC are our Editors' Choice winners, respectively, for individuals and businesses, but they aren't the only services we recommend. Read on to learn about all of the best remote access software we've tested and everything you need to know to determine what's right for you.
Overview
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![TeamViewer]()
Best for Personal UseTeamViewer
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![RemotePC]()
Best for Small BusinessesRemotePC
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![Splashtop]()
Best for CreatorsSplashtop
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![LogMeIn Pro]()
Best for IT FeaturesLogMeIn Pro
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![Zoho Assist]()
Best for Controlling Mobile DevicesZoho Assist
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![GoToMyPC]()
Best for GoTo UsersGoToMyPC
You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
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Credit: TeamViewer
![TeamViewer]()
Best for Personal UseTeamViewer
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
TeamViewer does everything a remote access solution should. It's easy to use, provides great support, and works well for remotely accessing your devices. File transfer, remote audio, and video chat features make it one of the more complete tools on this list. Best of all, it offers a capable free version for personal use.
Who It's For
Corporate users: TeamViewer offers all the features corporate IT teams need at a price to match. It performs reliably, too, which is a requirement for professional environments.
Family IT providers: If you're the family's informal IT person, use TeamViewer to access their devices. It's free for personal use and doesn't restrict too many features at this level.
Specs & Configurations
Desktop Shortcut for Remote PC Free Version For Personal Use Video Recording Whiteboard Learn More TeamViewer Review -
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Credit: IDrive
![RemotePC]()
Best for Small BusinessesRemotePC
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
RemotePC matches TeamViewer's feature set and performs nearly as well. Its capabilities include audio and video chats, file transfers, and whiteboards. Its paid plans are much more affordable than TeamViewer's, but it offers no free version for personal use. You can access your devices via the web or a mobile app, though performance may suffer with the former.
Who It's For
Collaborators: The app includes videoconferencing, so you can chat via audio or video during a remote session. That saves you the trouble of firing up a separate app.
Cost-conscious businesses: RemotePC hits the sweet spot for small businesses, particularly those that want to access just a few computers without overspending.
Specs & Configurations
Drag-and-Drop File Transfer Whiteboard Learn More RemotePC Review -
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Credit: Splashtop
![Splashtop]()
Best for CreatorsSplashtop
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
Splashtop has excellent performance, seamless drag-and-drop file transfers, and a comprehensive suite of other features, including audio chat. It's very polished, but its plans are a little more expensive than some competitors.
Who It's For
Digital artists: For graphic design work, Splashtop's Performance plan offers an excellent slate of features. You get 4:4:4 color accuracy, pressure-sensitive stylus support, and a Wacom bridge for drawing tablets.
Home users: If you need only to access devices on your local network at home, Splashtop's free plan could suffice. You can connect to two computers before you have to start paying.
Specs & Configurations
Desktop Shortcut for Remote PC Drag-and-Drop File Transfer Free Version For Personal Use Video Recording Whiteboard Learn More Splashtop Review -
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Credit: GoTo
![LogMeIn Pro]()
Best for IT FeaturesLogMeIn Pro
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
LogMeIn Pro stands out for its IT-friendly features: It lets you directly access a host machine's command line and supports several file transfer methods. It performed relatively well in our tests simulating standard remote access sessions and requires minimal setup. Chat, laser pointer, and whiteboard features allow for convenient communication and collaboration with the people whose computers you access. All of these tools are helpful if you need to walk someone through an installation or process.
Who It's For
Corporate workers: Given its somewhat high price and lack of a free version, LogMeIn Pro is best for corporations that can afford it. The software asks owners of a host machine to confirm that they trust the person who is trying to remotely access their PC, too, a good practice for minimizing security risks.
IT support agents: LogMeIn Pro has good tools for resolving client issues. You can easily point out and highlight what end users need to do to solve an issue or install a program.
Specs & Configurations
Desktop Shortcut for Remote PC Drag-and-Drop File Transfer Whiteboard Learn More LogMeIn Pro Review -
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Credit: Zoho Assist
![Zoho Assist]()
Best for Controlling Mobile DevicesZoho Assist
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
Although most remote access software focuses on PCs, Zoho Assist also supports mobile platforms. You can remotely view iOS devices and fully control Android devices. Zoho Assist suffers from some lag because it primarily runs in a browser, but this setup lets you use the software on practically any device. We like that a free version is available, too.
Who It's For
Android users: You can completely control an Android device from afar with Zoho Assist. Just keep in mind that the performance might not be very smooth.
Technical support teams: Zoho Assist primarily targets professional support teams with a no-frills, web-based interface and a diagnostics reporting tool. A hidden Windows-based local client vastly improves the streaming performance.
Specs & Configurations
Drag-and-Drop File Transfer Free Version For Personal Use Video Recording Whiteboard Learn More Zoho Assist Review -
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Credit: GoToMyPC
![GoToMyPC]()
Best for GoTo UsersGoToMyPC
Pros & Cons
Why We Picked It
GoToMyPC lets you access your macOS or Windows PC from a desktop app, mobile app, or web browser. The modern web app is convenient, but it's still in beta and is missing features available in the Classic desktop application. It otherwise works well for people who are already invested in GoTo's software. Just prepare to pay a hefty price for it.
Who It's For
GoTo users: If you already use other GoTo products and appreciate a straightforward experience, GoToMyPC is worth trying. It's likely best for corporate environments, however, given its high price.
Legacy users: GoToMyPC is a reliable remote access tool with a convenient web-based interface. Businesses that have standardized on this software might not want to invest in switching if it meets their needs. The Classic version of GoToMyPC is still available, too, if you prefer one of its exclusive features.
Specs & Configurations
Desktop Shortcut for Remote PC Drag-and-Drop File Transfer Learn More GoToMyPC Review -
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Best For | Best for Personal Use | Best for Small Businesses | Best for Creators | Best for IT Features | Best for Controlling Mobile Devices | Best for GoTo Users | Best for Personal Use | Best for Small Businesses | Best for Creators |
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Buying Guide: The Best Remote Access Software for 2026
What's the Best Free Remote Access Software?
TeamViewer is our top free pick for personal use because it doesn't restrict too many features to commercial customers. Free users mainly miss out on audio and video chat, along with the ability to transfer more than one file at a time. Note that TeamViewer utilizes AI to detect commercial usage. If it ever picks you up illegitimately, a quick email to customer support should get you back up and running.
If you need a free application for a commercial environment, check out Zoho Assist. It offers a limited free version that lets one technician access five computers. However, it doesn't match TeamViewer's features.
Is Remote Access Software Safe to Use?
Because remote access software provides total access to your device, all of your data is potentially at risk. However, you don't need to worry too much because all the applications here use encryption to ensure that bad actors can't intercept your remote activity.
As with most software, a lot of the security is on you. Ensure you're using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to prevent easy account compromise. Most of these applications also require a password for connecting to specific devices after you sign in, so someone would have to go through a lot of trouble to get access to your devices. Be sure to set up a password manager if you struggle to keep track of all your accounts.
You should never install remote access software if someone you don't know tells you to do it. Hackers and scammers frequently use such software to steal sensitive information and gain unauthorized access to financial accounts. A common scam involves someone from "tech support" calling you unprompted to diagnose a problem or something similar. If this happens, hang up—tech support for major companies will never call you out of the blue and ask you to install such software. You can always call the company back if you're worried. Just make sure you look up and reach out via official channels.
What's the Best Remote Access Software for Windows?
Every application on this list works well on Windows, but TeamViewer is the best choice for most people. It's a feature-complete solution with a good free version.
However, TeamViewer's paid plans for businesses start at $50.90 per month (billed annually), which is a lot for small organizations. If that's outside your budget, consider RemotePC instead. It starts at $9.95 per month for remote access to up to 10 computers.
What's the Best Remote Access Software for Mac?
Most applications on this list work about as well on macOS as they do on Windows, but at least one feature is usually missing. RemotePC or Splashtop are the only applications we tested that let you easily drag and drop files between macOS and Windows computers. It's hard to overstate the value of that convenience.
Keep in mind that RemotePC offers no free version, and that Splashtop's free version works only over the local network. TeamViewer is the best option if you're a Mac user who wants free remote access software that works over the internet.
What's the Best Remote Access Software for Mobile Devices?
Every app on this list allows you to access computers from mobile devices. If you want remote access to mobile devices from a computer, though, try Zoho Assist. It lets you fully control Android phones and tablets from a computer and remotely monitor an iPhone or iPad. Zoho is primarily meant for IT staff, so setting it up might require additional effort.
Should You Use VNC?
VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. It's a legacy system for remotely controlling computers. Many older VNC applications don't use encryption, which means someone could eavesdrop on your keystrokes and remote desktop connection. Setting up secure VNC access is complex, especially for remote access over the internet.
VNC's main advantage is that it's an open standard. The Screen Sharing feature in macOS has optional VNC support, and many Linux distributions include VNC clients. On Windows, you can download a variety of VNC applications, such as the open-source TightVNC.
The remote access services we recommend use more modern systems, so you can expect better security, an easier setup process, and faster performance. VNC Connect no longer makes this list because non-VNC alternatives work better, and you can access other VNC-based clients for free.
Can You Use Zoom Instead of Remote Access Software?
Zoom, like other video conferencing software, lets you share your screen and control another person's screen. As such, you might wonder why you need remote access software at all. One major difference is that remote access software allows for unattended access, meaning you can connect to another computer even if no one is sitting at it. A second problem with Zoom in this context is performance. Zoom's screen-sharing feature works well, but it creates more lag than dedicated remote access apps.