RustDesk
Self-hostable, open-source remote desktop that keeps sessions on your own servers.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, web, mobile
- Licence
- Open source — AGPL-3.0
- Price
- Free; optional paid Pro / self-hosted server
- Category
- Remote access & support
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
What it is
RustDesk is an open-source take on TeamViewer and AnyDesk, and its stand-out trait is full self-hosting: run the relay and rendezvous servers yourself and remote-control traffic never leaves infrastructure you own. It handles remote desktop, file transfer and end-to-end encryption on every desktop and mobile platform.
Problems it removes
- You need remote control without routing session traffic through a vendor cloud.
- Per-seat pricing on the commercial tools has become hard to justify for a small team.
- Compliance says remote-support data has to stay on-premises.
How administrators use it
- Run the relay (hbbr) and rendezvous (hbbs) services on a Linux host and ship clients a baked-in config.
- Set a permanent password on servers for unattended access to data-centre machines.
- Give a user a one-time code for a quick attended session, then rotate the key to revoke it.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- Fully self-hostable — no mandatory vendor cloud.
- Free and open source under AGPL-3.0.
- Clients everywhere, including the browser.
Trade-offs
- You run and secure the relay server yourself.
- Fewer enterprise management features than the paid incumbents.
- NAT-heavy and mobile setups need some tuning.
Common questions
Is RustDesk genuinely free for business?
The clients and the self-hosted server are open source and free. A paid Pro server adds management features, but core remote control costs nothing.
Does it route my sessions through a public server?
By default it uses public rendezvous servers, but you can run your own relay so session traffic stays inside your network.
Guides
Keep remote-control traffic inside your network by hosting the RustDesk rendezvous and relay servers yourself.
Set up unattended access to a server with RustDeskConfigure a permanent password so you can reach an always-on machine without someone accepting the prompt.
Head to head
Pick RustDesk when you want to self-host and avoid per-seat cost; pick TeamViewer when you need a managed service with mature roles and auditing out of the box.
RustDesk vs AnyDeskRustDesk wins on self-hosting and open source; AnyDesk wins on a polished, low-latency client and a custom branded build.