Rust-built remote desktop with servers you can run yourself
RustDesk is an open source remote desktop tool written in Rust, pitched in its repository as a TeamViewer alternative built for self-hosting. The client, available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, goes on the machine you drive from as well as on the one being controlled.
Two server programs broker each session. hbbs keeps the ID registry and tries a direct connection through NAT hole punching; hbbr relays the stream when that fails, which the documentation describes as the exception. Out of the box, clients go through RustDesk's public servers. To run your own, there is a free open source server and a paid Pro server.
MeshCentral works differently, with a permanent agent on every machine managed from a web console. Apache Guacamole installs nothing on the target and opens an RDP, VNC or SSH session from the browser. The self-hosted remote desktop comparison puts these approaches side by side.
Runs on a Raspberry Pi, with keys tied to your server
- A free server that runs on a small box: the documentation says the cheapest cloud server is enough, and a Raspberry Pi will do. A relayed session uses between 30 KB/s and 3 MB/s depending on resolution, around 100 KB/s for office work.
- Docker Compose included: a ready-to-run
oss.yml. The documentation also covers Debian packages, Windows and Synology NAS. - Encryption tied to your server: each client gets the public key that
hbbsgenerates on first start (id_ed25519.pub). - Files and TCP tunnels: the same client transfers files and forwards a TCP port to the remote machine.
- Scripted rollout:
rustdesk.exe --config <string>applies server settings unattended.
Paid, closed-source Pro holds the web console
The free server only brokers connections. RustDesk Server OSS, licensed AGPL-3.0 like the client, is just hbbs and hbbr. The documentation puts the web console, user accounts, address book, connection logs, device management and 2FA in Server Pro. Each client is therefore set up by hand, by pasting a config string copied from another machine, or by script. You need at least TCP ports 21115 to 21117 and UDP 21116 open. The documentation aims this server at individuals and teams willing to handle deployment, networking and upgrades themselves.
Server Pro is billed yearly, and its code is not published. The Individual plan, $11.88 a month billed annually, covers one user and 20 devices with the web console, 2FA, address book, audit log and access control. OIDC, LDAP and the custom client generator start at the Basic plan: $23.88 a month, 10 users, 100 devices. Self-hosting the web client also requires Pro. A license binds to a single hbbs machine and is checked over the internet. The rustdesk-server-pro repository describes itself as "some scripts" and holds no server code. The docs FAQ has an entry asking why Pro is "not free and open source". RustDesk sells no hosted service: every plan runs on your own server.
The free server moves slower than Pro. In 2026, rustdesk-server shipped two releases, 1.1.15 in January and 1.1.16 on July 20. Server Pro shipped fourteen, up to 1.8.7 on October 1. The client is at 1.5.0, released September 30, 2026.
No Google Play on Android. The project FAQ says RustDesk pulled out of Google Play because of scams. The Android client comes as an APK from the GitHub releases, or through F-Droid.