Best Remote Access Software For Mac And Pc



Apple Remote Desktop is the best way to manage the Mac computers on your network. Distribute software, provide real-time online help to end users, create detailed software and hardware reports, and automate routine management tasks—all without leaving your desk. Featuring Automator actions and Remote Spotlight search, Apple Remote Desktop makes your job easier than ever.

  1. Best Remote Access Software For Mac
  2. Remote Access For Mac
  3. Software For Mac Free

Apple Remote Desktop is the award-winning OS X desktop management system for software distribution, asset management, and remote assistance. Apple Remote Desktop offers a wide range of high-performance features, including lightning-fast Spotlight searches across multiple systems; more than 40 Automator actions for easy automation of repetitive tasks; and AutoInstall for automatically updating software on mobile systems once they return to the network.

First-class upgrades

Installing software or updates to your network has never been this easy. Take an existing package, from either Apple or a third party, and simply use the Install Package to copy and install on your client computers. And it works with custom install packages as well. Apple Remote Desktop will alert your system’s users to upgrades and even restart machines remotely.

  • The free version of this software which supports Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, Windows App and Blackberry. Allow users to transfer files, video and voice calls, and chat. Both users must have the software installed on their computer or devices.
  • We tested remote access software by installing each app or service on four machines: desktops running Windows 10 and Windows 7, a laptop running Windows 7, and a Mac laptop running macOS.

Either it is a Mac or PC you can access all the installed apps and all types of browsers in your remote system. It is the most used application across various platforms. It supports for iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Windows, Mac and WebOS Tablets and Smartphones.

AutoInstall allows you to stage software on a Task Server, which then takes care of distributing the packages for installation on client computers. You can even set a schedule for installation to occur at a time that is most convenient for your organization. And if a computer is not on the network, the Task Server will keep track and automatically install the package once the system is online.

Automation for your Mac computers

Those time-consuming administrative tasks will become a thing of the past, thanks to Automator actions in Apple Remote Desktop. To use Automator actions, all you need to do is drag and drop the actions to construct a workflow.

More than 40 Automator actions are included with Apple Remote Desktop, which you can apply to set desktop pictures, Finder preferences, Energy Saver preferences, default time zones, and more.

No need to make house calls

The screen-sharing features of Apple Remote Desktop allow you to provide immediate help to remote users, saving time for both of you. Don’t want your admin tasks to be seen? No problem. Turn on Curtain Mode to block the local user’s view of their desktop. This is perfect when you’re updating a public display. You’ll have full control of the system, but your work will be hidden from view.

If you need to move files or folders to a single computer, the easy-to-use Remote Drag and Drop copy function makes the job a snap. You can also copy and paste between local and remote systems — no extra steps necessary.

Reporting for duty

Remote Spotlight search takes advantage of one of the most powerful features of OS X. Now you can perform lightning-fast, user-specified searches on remote client systems. Files from the results can be copied to the administrator system for reporting.

Apple Remote Desktop also makes it easy to compile reports on application usage, history, inventory, and more. Hardware reports gather more than 200 attributes about networked Mac systems, while software reports collect information on 16 file system attributes. Inventory reports can be gathered even from mobile systems not connected to the network, and results are stored in the included SQL database for fast access.

Who Needs Remote Access Software?

Ever been in a meeting in another company's office and realized that the PowerPoint presentation you were planning to dazzle them with is back at home on your computer? Or tried to help your parents, who live halfway across the country, figure out why their computer just won't open a file? These are exactly the scenarios that remote access utilities are made to handle.

Remote access apps let you either access your home or office computer from another location, or allow others to have access to some or all of your files, as if they were actually sitting in front of your PC instead of somewhere else entirely. Some are tailor-made for personal use, while others, with their complex security protocols and granular menus, are better suited for a more corporate environment. Many even let you access a remote PC from your phone or handheld device. Here, we break down exactly what a remote access app does, and why one may make a lot of sense for your increasingly mobile life.

What Is Remote Access Software?

Remote access software lets one computer view or control another computer, not merely across a network, but from anywhere in the world. You might use it to log into your customers' computers and show them how to run a program, or sort out their technical troubles. Or you can even use it to invite friends or clients to view your desktop while you run a demo for them. You can use the screen as a temporary whiteboard, drawing lines and circles that help friends or clients understand what you're doing on your machine or theirs.

Remote access apps also let you transfer files between two machines without using email or file-sharing services. You can use remote access to print a file stored on someone else's machine on a printer connected to your own machine. Your tech-challenged relatives can use remote access software to give you access to their machine so you can repair their mistakes or clear out malware. It's far, far easier to grab the wheel yourself than it is to try and talk someone through the process of troubleshooting their PC. And your high-tech colleagues can use it to collaborate on complex projects in real-time, complete with chat via text or, with some apps, voice.

Not Just for Help Desks

Corporate help desks are major users of remote access software, but these apps can be useful for anyone. I personally use it for three reasons: First, I can give tech support to friends by logging in to their machine, without going out to make a house call. Second, while on the road, I can connect to my home or office machine and find and view an ancient file that I haven't stored on a file-sharing service like Dropbox or Google Drive. Third, I can invite friends or colleagues to join me in editing documents in a more straightforward way, with easier communication than other online collaboration methods, such as the real-time editing features in Office 365 or Google Docs. You may have very different reasons for wanting a remote access than I do, but there's no doubt that they are quite handy.

Best Remote Access Software For Mac

I looked at five remote access apps that work easily between any machines running either Windows or macOS anywhere in the world. In addition to these third-party apps, Microsoft provides its free Microsoft Remote Desktop software that lets you access Windows PCs from other Windows machines, mobile devices, or a Mac, but not from Windows to a Mac. Microsoft's app lets you access any Windows version going back to Windows 7, except for 'Starter' and 'Home' versions, for which you'll need a third-party app. Apple offers its $79.99 Apple Remote Desktop app for accessing other Macs only—but that only connects to Macs running OS X versions 10.8 Mountain Lion or later.

I use Microsoft Remote Desktop from my Mac laptop when I want to run a program on a Windows desktop in another room in the same house, but only a full-fledged third-party remote access app lets me take full control of any machine anywhere—if the machine's owner wants to let me in.

Security Concerns

One of the first questions you may ask yourself when considering using remote access software is whether or not this is secure. If you've been using a PC for a while, you may remember pcAnywhere, which used to be the remote access software that was almost everyone's first choice. Symantec bought pcAnywhere from its original developer and eventually, after some major security breaches, stopped supporting it in 2014 and recommended that customers stop using it.

Some other remote access vendors have reported security breaches, but these seem to have been triggered by users who chose the same passwords for their remote access software that they used at hack websites—always a bad idea. Some remote access apps let you use relatively weak security if you choose, but they all encourage you to choose strong security, and our Editors' Choice products, GoToMyPC and TeamViewer, won't let you make an end-run around their security precautions.

What Remote Access Software Offers

Mac

We tested remote access software by installing each app or service on four machines: desktops running Windows 10 and Windows 7, a laptop running Windows 7, and a Mac laptop running macOS. We also installed each vendor's iOS-based mobile-access app for connecting to a Windows or Mac machine, though I wouldn't want to try running my desktop machine from a phone or small-screen tablet unless I were desperate.

All the remote access apps we tested provide the same basic features. They offer remote access to another machine that has the app's server software already installed; remote access can take the form of full control over the other system or mere passive viewing. All feature a shared clipboard (in some cases optional), so that text or images that you copy to the clipboard on one machine can be pasted into the other. All have a text-based chat feature. Each app provides file-transfer features via a standard two-pane file manager interface.

GoToMyPC and LogMeIn add the ability to drag and drop files between the local desktop and the viewer window that displays the desktop of the remote machine, but this feature works only when connecting to and from Windows computers. TeamViewer has a FileBox window into which you can drag files that will be accessible to both machines. LogMeIn, TeamViewer, and VNC Connect include whiteboard features for drawing lines in the viewer. For more on each remote access apps individual features, see the individual reviews, which are linked to below.

Which Remote Access App Fits You Best?

We focused on remote access software designed mostly for one-to-one connections, though it's possible with all these apps for more than one user to log in to a remote machine. If you're looking for advanced conferencing features like a whiteboard, you should probably look elsewhere, though LogMeIn includes a whiteboard feature that makes it work well as a basic collaboration app.

The vendors of some of the remote access apps we tested also offer a specialized video conferencing app that uses an interface similar to the remote access versions. For example, GoToMeeting is a conferencing version of GoToMyPC; Splashtop Business Access offers Splashtop Classroom; and TeamViewer offers Blizz.

Security features differ markedly among these apps. Some make it possible to provide access in a straightforward way if you choose to do so. Others require you type in passwords more than once and provide email verification before you can do anything useful. All let you customize security to varying degrees, and you should take a close look at the options that you'll feel comfortable using.

Remote Access For Mac

If you're a complete hermit who never leaves the room, you don't need remote access software. But if you often find yourself as the de facto IT tech for family and colleagues, or if you need to connect to other computers for your business, or if you need to connect to your own computers while you're on the road, then you'll need remote access software. Check out our reviews to find the one that best suits your needs.

Software For Mac Free

Best Remote Access Software Featured in This Roundup:

  • RemotePC Review


    MSRP: $6.95

    Pros: Effortless, simple interface with a flat learning curve. Fast performance. Easy file transfers between local and remote desktops. Inexpensive.

    Cons: Can't display more than one remote monitor in the same window.

    Bottom Line: RemotePC is one of the best low-frills remote-access apps, offering identical features on PCs and Macs, fast performance, and a minimal, but intuitive, interface.

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  • TeamViewer Review


    MSRP: $50.00

    Pros: Comprehensive feature set. Multi-level security. Elegantly designed viewing window. Multi-monitor support. Combines remote access and online meetings in one app. Free version for non-commercial use.

    Cons: Expensive. Some options are difficult to find. Security features can be annoying.

    Bottom Line: TeamViewer combines remote access and shared meeting features in a single secure app, and it hides most of its complexity under an elegant interface. It's our top pick for remote access software for enterprise and corporate use.

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  • LogMeIn Review


    MSRP: $249.99

    Pros: Clear, simple interface. Easy access to most features through a web browser. Comes with 1TB of cloud storage for file-sharing or simple storage.

    Cons: Mac version lacks some features. Interface could be more intuitive.

    Bottom Line: LogMeIn is a solid, straightforward remote access and file-sharing software that's suitable for personal or corporate use.

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  • GoToMyPC Review


    MSRP: $12.00

    Pros: Straightforward interface. Runs mostly from the browser. Drag-and-drop file transfers. Desktop icons for remote computers. Smooth multi-monitor support. Option for direct connections within a network or across the internet.

    Cons: Distracting testing-server message during computer bootup. Slightly reduced features when using a Mac system.

    Bottom Line: GoToMyPC is a mature, easy-to-use remote access software with the best available balance between features and ease of use. Unless you need support for Linux or enterprise-level operating systems, this is the app you want.

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  • VNC Connect Review


    MSRP: $40.00

    Pros: Multi-platform support. Relatively simple interface. Fairly inexpensive subscription plans, including a free plan for personal use.

    Cons: Separate server and viewer apps make setup confusing. No drag-and-drop file transfer between viewer app and desktop. No sending one-time invitation emails from the remote machine.

    Bottom Line: VNC Connect is solid, secure, and simple to use, once you get the hang of it. It has fewer features than other corporate-level remote access software, but it's also a lot less expensive.

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  • Splashtop Business Access Review


    MSRP: $60.00

    Pros: Low cost. Easy-to-understand security options. No-password access to a remote session.

    Cons: Minimal feature set. Clunky visual design.

    Bottom Line: Splashtop Business Access is a low-cost alternative to better-designed and more feature-rich remote-access apps.

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