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What to look for in remote desktop software: a checklist

Remote desktop tools can look alike on their home pages, and the differences only show up later: a session that cuts out, a surprise license bill, or a PC that can be reached without anyone knowing. Use this checklist to compare any remote desktop or remote access software before you rely on it.

  • No brand names
  • Questions to ask
  • What matters most

Updated · Works on Windows 10 and 11

How to use this checklist

  1. Step 1: Write down what you need

    Helping family, reaching your own PCs, supporting customers, managing servers, or all of these.

  2. Step 2: Go through each point below

    Look for the answer in the product's pricing page, documentation and privacy policy, not just the marketing.

  3. Step 3: Try the free plan on a real job

    Install it on two of your own PCs and use it for a week before you depend on it.

The checklist

1. Consent and visibility

The most important question. Someone at a PC should always know when another person can see or control it. Look for a prompt before each session and an on-screen indicator the whole time.

Ask:

  • Does the person at the PC have to allow each connection?
  • Is there a visible indicator for the whole session, and can they end it or make it view-only?

2. Encryption, and who can see your session

"Encrypted" can mean different things. End to end means only the two computers can read the session, not the servers in between. Browser-based access often can't be end to end, which is fine if the vendor says so plainly.

Ask:

  • Is the session encrypted end to end, or only to the vendor's servers?
  • Are sessions recorded or stored anywhere?

3. The free plan's real limits

Free plans vary a lot. Some cut sessions off after a while or stop working if they decide your use looks commercial. A smaller free plan with clear limits can be more useful than a generous one with hidden rules.

Ask:

  • Do free sessions time out after a few minutes?
  • Is work or commercial use allowed on the free plan, or can it be flagged and blocked?
  • How many devices, and how many open at once?

4. Unattended access, done safely

Reaching your own PC when nobody's there is essential, and it's also the riskiest feature. The safest designs require it to be turned on at the PC and let only specific, approved devices in.

Ask:

  • Can unattended access be switched on remotely, or only at the PC?
  • Can you see and remove which devices are allowed to connect without asking?

5. No port forwarding needed

Tools that connect through a relay avoid opening ports on your router, which also keeps your PC off the internet's radar. See remote desktop without port forwarding.

Ask:

  • Does it need router changes, a VPN or a fixed IP address?
  • Does it work behind a provider that shares public addresses?

6. Account security

Your account is the key to every PC in it, so it deserves the strongest protection the tool offers.

Ask:

  • Can you turn on two-factor sign-in?
  • Can you limit sign-ins to trusted networks?
  • Does the vendor ever see your password?

7. Signed updates and installers

A remote access tool runs with a lot of power on your PCs. Its update channel should be locked down just as tightly.

Ask:

  • Are updates digitally signed and checked before installing?
  • Can updates restart the app in the middle of a session?

8. Platforms and installation

Check both ends: the computers you'll control and the devices you'll use to control them.

Ask:

  • Which systems can be controlled, and which can you connect from?
  • Is there browser or phone access?
  • Does installing it need administrator rights?

9. Privacy and data collected

Read the privacy policy. A good one tells you exactly what's stored, why, and how to have it deleted.

Ask:

  • Is there a plain-English summary of what's kept and for how long?
  • Are there ads or third-party trackers?

10. Pricing you can predict

Surprise quotes and long contracts are a common complaint. Look for a published price and a free plan you can fall back to.

Ask:

  • Is the price published?
  • Can you pay monthly and cancel anytime, or is it a year up front?
  • What happens to your devices if you stop paying?

11. When the vendor has an outage

Any cloud service can go down. It's worth knowing whether you'd be locked out of your own PCs when it does.

Ask:

  • Can you still reach PCs on your own network if the vendor's servers are down?
  • Is there a public status page?

12. The extras you'd otherwise need other apps for

If you look after servers as well as PCs, having everything in one place saves a lot of switching. If you're thinking of moving from an app you already use, our comparison pages go through what changes.

Ask:

  • Can you run commands on one PC or many?
  • Does it include SSH, SFTP, RDP or VNC for servers?
  • Chat and file transfer?

How RemoteAccessApp measures up

We make RemoteAccessApp, so take this with that in mind. The story of why we built RemoteAccessApp explains the session cut-offs and outages that got us started. Here's how it answers the checklist, limits included:

  • Consent: the PC asks the person there to allow each session unless unattended access is on, and a banner shows during every session with a chat button and a view-only switch.
  • Encryption: end to end between the Console and the PC; the relay can't read it. In a browser it's encrypted but not end to end. Sessions aren't recorded.
  • Free plan: up to 5 PCs and 5 saved hosts, 3 open at once, for personal and work use, with no session timer.
  • Unattended access: switched on only at the PC, and only consoles on that PC's own trusted list get in without a click.
  • No port forwarding or VPN. PCs set up for local-network access also connect directly.
  • Two-factor sign-in, trusted networks, and an account password our server never receives. Updates are signed and checked.
  • Extras: remote command prompt, commands on many PCs, Windows tools, and an SSH, SFTP, FTP, RDP and VNC client.

Where it falls short today

The apps run on Windows 10 and 11 only; from a Mac, Linux or a phone you use the website in a browser. The free plan covers 5 PCs. Sound, every monitor, password sync, Teams and AI assistant support are part of Pro, a paid plan.

See all features, how it's secured and what data we keep, then try it on your own PCs.

Questions, answered

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