AnyDesk Review 2026: The Best TeamViewer Alternative?

AnyDesk launched in 2014 explicitly to take on TeamViewer, and it’s largely succeeded. The connection quality is excellent, the pricing is reasonable, and the free tier for personal use is unrestricted. For businesses that have been paying TeamViewer’s eye-watering renewal prices, AnyDesk is worth a close look.

What AnyDesk Does Well

Connection Performance

AnyDesk’s DeskRT codec is genuinely good. Remote sessions feel responsive even on moderate broadband, with smooth frame rates and low perceived latency. For IT support work where you’re connecting to clients on variable home broadband, this makes a real difference to the experience.

The codec is optimised for screen content rather than general video — sharp text, minimal compression artefacts, and fast response to mouse clicks. Day-to-day remote support work feels fluid.

Price vs TeamViewer

TeamViewer’s business pricing runs to hundreds of pounds per year. AnyDesk’s equivalent plans are substantially cheaper:

Billed annually. Free trial available.

For a sole trader or small IT business, Solo covers most use cases at a fraction of TeamViewer’s cost.

Free for Personal Use

The free tier has no time limits and no session caps — you can use it as much as you like for non-commercial purposes. Helping a family member, accessing your home PC from elsewhere, or evaluating the product before buying are all covered.

This makes AnyDesk easy to trial properly before committing.

Cross-Platform

Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, ChromeOS — all supported and all free to install. Cross-platform connections (Mac to Windows and vice versa) work without any special configuration. The Android and iOS apps are solid — genuinely useful for quick support calls when you’re away from your desk.

Unattended Access

Set up an unattended access password on remote machines and connect to them without someone needing to accept the connection. Essential for IT support work where you need to access machines outside business hours or without user interaction.

Lightweight Install

AnyDesk’s installer is under 4MB — the client can even run without installation (portable mode). For IT professionals deploying to client machines, this simplifies setup significantly. There’s an MSI package for mass deployment via group policy.

Where AnyDesk Falls Short

No Built-In Device Management Console

TeamViewer’s management console lets you organise devices into groups, tag them, and get an overview of your entire client base. AnyDesk’s equivalent is more basic — you can save address book entries, but the fleet management tools aren’t at TeamViewer’s level.

For IT professionals managing dozens of clients, this gap matters. For individuals and small businesses with a handful of machines, it doesn’t.

Support Quality

AnyDesk’s support is email-based. Response times are acceptable but not fast. TeamViewer offers phone support on higher-tier plans. For businesses where remote access is business-critical infrastructure, the support tier difference is worth factoring in.

Reporting and Audit Logs

AnyDesk’s session recording and audit logging features are more limited than enterprise tools. For businesses in regulated industries that need detailed access records, TeamViewer or ConnectWise Control are stronger options.

AnyDesk vs TeamViewer vs Splashtop

Splashtop is the better choice for remote workers accessing a single office machine. AnyDesk and TeamViewer are better for IT support work where you connect to many different machines. Between those two, AnyDesk wins on price for most use cases.

Verdict

AnyDesk is the most compelling TeamViewer alternative for small businesses and independent IT professionals. You get comparable connection quality, a better price, and enough features for most real-world use cases. Step up to TeamViewer only if you genuinely need enterprise-scale device management or premium support.

→ Read our full Splashtop review