The short answer
Use the browser when you're not on your own Windows PC: on a Mac, a Chromebook, a phone, a tablet or a borrowed computer. Use the Windows app at your own Windows PC, when privacy matters most, and when you're doing more than a quick fix.
Side by side
| Browser | Windows app | |
|---|---|---|
| Install on the device you use | Nothing | One free installer (Windows 10 and 11, no admin rights) |
| Works from | Mac, Chromebook, Linux, phones, tablets, any PC | Windows 10 and 11 |
| Encryption | Encrypted, not end to end | End-to-end encrypted |
| Several PCs side by side | One per tab | Live sessions in a Grid, up to 8 panes on Connections |
| Remote command prompt and Windows tools | No | Yes |
| SSH | Terminal in the browser | Terminal, plus SFTP and FTP |
| Remote Desktop (RDP) and VNC | No | Yes |
| Touch controls for phones | Yes | Not needed |
| Connection health and codec choice | Quality and codec settings | Full connection health panel |
Privacy: the real difference
In the Windows app, sessions are end-to-end encrypted between your console and the PC, so our servers carry the session without being able to see your screen or what you type.
A browser can't do that part itself, so in a browser our website acts as your console: the session is encrypted, and the website decodes the picture in memory so your browser can show it. It never records or stores it. That's fine for most jobs, but when privacy matters most, use the app. More in remote desktop privacy.
What's the same either way
- The PC asks the person there to allow the session, unless unattended access is on and trusts you.
- The Remote session active banner shows on the PC while you're connected.
- The free plan covers up to 5 PCs and 5 saved hosts, with 3 open at once, and no session time limit.
- Clipboard sync and sending files to the PC are free in both with an account; Pro adds every monitor.
- Sessions pick up again by themselves after a short drop.
When to use both
A common pattern: the Windows app at your desk for real work, with several PCs side by side and the command prompt to hand, and the browser on your phone for the "can you just check…" moments when you're out. Your PCs follow your account, so there's nothing to set up twice.
Getting started