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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Apple Remote Desktop

    Score7.1 out of 10
    N/AApple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.

    $79.99

    one-time fee

    ScreenConnect

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AConnectWise ScreenConnect is a remote support, access, and meeting solution. With it, users can utilize remote support and access to repair computers, provide updates, and manage machines. Users can also conduct online seminars and presentations using remote meetings.

    $39

    per month

    Pricing
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    One
    $39
    per month
    Standard
    $59
    per month
    Premium
    $69
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Considered Both Products
    Apple
    Chose Apple Remote Desktop
    I think that the one feature that sets ARD apart is the UI when in a remote session. There have been times where I've used Zoom, TeamViewer, etc. and couldn't access a part of the menu bar or accidentally closed a session due to the third-party UI that's been applied on the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apple Remote Desktop
    If you are managing Apple systems, ARD is hands down the number one way to manage these systems. It beats every other product out there with its deep macOS integration. No other product has as much focus on Apple as this one. We are primarily a Mac environment so it makes total …
    Incentivized
    Chose Apple Remote Desktop
    I actually use ConnectWise and ARD, if within my LAN. If I have VPN access I use ARD, if it's a new client and I haven't worked on their network or it's too small to warrant a VPN setup then I'll use ConnectWise
    Incentivized
    ConnectWise
    Chose ScreenConnect
    In terms of overall ease of use ConnectWise Control (formerly ScreenConnect), is so much easier to setup and use. Create and download the installer, and then run it once. I've never had any issues with remote machines being behind a firewall or having to be on the AD. There are …
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    ConnectWise Control (formerly ScreenConnect) is system agnostic and allows us to control windows and Macs. Other software kept us limited to one or the other.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    We selected CWC for price and it's feature set.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    Too expensive
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    ScreenConnect is by far a superior product, it has better tools, it is more secure, and by far it is easier for non-technical users to get up and running with remote support. The simple, intuitive UI allows us to focus more on support rather than ports and configurations for …
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    Screenconnect has a monthly payment option, but I actually preffer the model TeamViewer uses to connect with clients (ID and password). Although Zoom has remote control, the operation and options it has is very weak compared to ScreenConnect.
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    Well, I simply bumped from one "OK" remote solution to another by subscribing, using it for a few months to a year, and then shopping for a new product that did not have deficiencies of the old product (UltraVNC, Shrew VNC, RDP, RDP/RemoteGateway, GoToMyPC, LogMeIn, Chrome …
    Incentivized
    Chose ScreenConnect
    ScreenConnect's speed of connection is the overriding factor for [our] choice of software. Also, the ability to easily see which machines are online at any one time is a great help, along with being able to see connectivity history and run commands, without having to start a …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    82%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    89%
    Would buy again
    25 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    27 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    64%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    96%
    Happy with the feature set
    27 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    14 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    22 Answers
    Features
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Apple Remote Desktop and ScreenConnect
    Feature
    Apple Remote Desktop
    6.9
    28 Ratings
    13% below category average
    ScreenConnect
    8.4
    626 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Screen sharing7.828 Ratings9.8596 Ratings
    File transfer7.827 Ratings8.6569 Ratings
    Instant message7.123 Ratings8.3501 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication5.04 Ratings7.074 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.921 Ratings6.9311 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session7.122 Ratings10.0602 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile4.07 Ratings7.1389 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations8.523 Ratings8.8517 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.08 Ratings9.2172 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard6.718 Ratings7.7479 Ratings
    Session record7.811 Ratings8.1316 Ratings
    Annotations3.57 Ratings7.8266 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts6.714 Ratings9.1188 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control9.08 Ratings8.6399 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Small Businesses
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    6.0
    (28 ratings)
    8.7
    (626 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    10.0
    (40 ratings)
    Usability
    7.6
    (7 ratings)
    8.9
    (55 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (9 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    8.2
    (63 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.5
    (24 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    10.0
    (20 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (16 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (4 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apple Remote DesktopScreenConnect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apple
    I would rate this higher if I was confident that Apple is continuing to develop this utility. It has only received minor updates for quite a long time, and is not featured much in any of Apple's online material. It really is a useful utility, but it is starting to show its age and is fraying a bit around the edges in some respects. It could be very useful when integrated with the various MDM solutions (in our case, Jamf Pro) especially when an engineer needs to force something immediately and can't wait for a check-in, and also can't depend on the end user being able to (for instance) do a sudo jamf policy or sudo jamf recon.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    We often need to create an ad-hoc session with a device that is not under our management. We find ourselves doing this more than ever in the COVID world. Many people are working from home on personal machines with their employer, our client's permission and we are facilitating more support for these personal machines. Connectwise Control [(formerly ScreenConnect)] gives us a robust resource to control the device, navigate anywhere we need, execute various commands, and engage in an on-screen chat with the client. The session is very simple to create and very user-friendly to initiate. We do not recommend it for Android, Apple, or Chromebook applications. There is little to no support for these platforms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Apple
    • Automator Actions: This is a very cool feature and cost saving as it reduces human effort by automating the workflow of tasks.
    • Curtain Mode: This lets you block your local user's view of the desktop while performing administrative tasks.
    • Spotlight Search: It can perform lightning fast searches on machines using the spotlight search feature of OS X and thus saves a lot of time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    • The interface is easy to use and makes sense. It's easy to understand how to organize a large number of machines involving multiple clients. But, it's also applicable for smaller set of machines too.
    • The connection speed is very quick. I've used solutions in the past that take a variable amount of time to connect, or they just take a long time every time. Control is quick every time. It doesn't get in the way of being able to support the machines on the other end.
    • The connections are reliable. I haven't experienced random disconnects throughout hundreds of instances. It was a breath of fresh air coming from the previous solution we used. I consider Control a gold standard for what a great remote connection solution can be.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Apple
    • I would like to see more included Unix scrips that can be pushed to clients.
    • Inclusion of a way to remote control or screen share with Windows machines would be useful, as I manage a handful of Windows machines. While this would be possible using VNC on the Windows machines, including the ability to connect using Windows terminal connections would be awesome, for me.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    • I'd like to see the ability to selectively log off the remote machine via a button on the toolbar. Currently it's a setting to always lock on disconnect, or never lock on disconnect, requiring the tech to manually lock the machine if called for at the end of a session. Its a small time save that would add up!
    • The chat feature could be expanded to be a lot more useful. Allowing clients to start conversations, and have conversations ping an email address if no one is monitoring the dashboard would be extremely valuable.
    • Some clarity on licensing when providing host-passes to guest technicians would be a boon, especially for one-off support sessions with vendors.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Apple
    It is a fairly unique tool in the level of integration it has with Apple Desktop products. It definitely needs some engineering attention, and it should be expanded to the iOS arena. It is not perfect, but it is very useful and fills an otherwise fairly empty niche in the support toolkit realm. The built-in screen sharing app in macOS handles the direct screen control or viewing function fairly well, but it does not have all of the other mass control features that Apple Remote Desktop supplies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    I would recommend this product for both internal remote control of end user workstations and remote access to other clients over the internet. It provides a secure and feature rich product that allows me to complete any necessary tasks without ever leaving the office. I will continue to renew as I'm eager to see what they do next. I would however wish the cloud service had a better API to work in conjunction with team collaboration or chat services to make it easier to connect with end users who use multiple workstations. (Slack or Stride provide this functionality)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Apple
    It can be more usable, and if you are not in the Apple ecosystem, most likely you haven't even heard of it. Does it need improvements? Absolutely. Will it get improved? Most likely not. I believe this app is just part of the system app, which is nice to have, but any user will most likely choose some other option from the available apps.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    On the whole SC is a very powerful tool that is a vital part of the IT service arsenal. On-site visits are an "emergency" only type of scenario. Just "showing your face" is not winning any browny points for me. If my client sees my face, it's usually just to upgrade hardware or to deal other aspects of business. SC provides me and my client the bulk of the info I need to get projects done.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    ConnectWise
    In my 5 years of using the product, I am only aware of one time when the service was down and is was due to a backbone outage upstream.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    ConnectWise
    It performs well. It also has full control over windows security and does not get hung up like GoToMeeting when trying to install remote software at the prompt to install as admin / override. I have used TeamViewer, WebEx, LogMeIn and GoToMeeting. This is by far the best at spontaneous, remote control. It is also very easy to get a novice user connected to the session.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Apple
    When i have needed support it was for Hardware not the software itself
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    There have been two times when something has went wrong and I needed immediate assistance in order to be able to use Screenconnect to be able to help clients and response has not been immediate. The response time has been within 24 hours. Both times if there had been easier to navigate self help I would have been able to help myself. With better self help and a speedier response it would definitely be a 10 as they always respond and help. Just a little more difficult or slow than it should be at times
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    ConnectWise
    I find ScreenConnect to be very simple and effective overall, with the main problem being that a number of my clients can't download the app due to existing firewalls and so on. Otherwise it does its job well, and I'm happy with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Apple
    Very quick and easy install with no real issues
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    ConnectWise has done everything they could to help us in any situation. Great support team and their new updates are always providing features that we need. Its a simple solution that works the way we need it to. Their legacy pricing model is still much better than their subscription based model however it is still fair pricing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Apple
    I would feel much more comfortable having one of these alternative solutions as our Remote Desktop management tools. Each has their drawbacks and expenses associated with them, but we simply have too large of a deployment to not be considering alternatives. If it is the only solution you can afford, it is OK to start here. I could see where this would have a return on investment, but it is really only suitable for a very small and localized scale. If employees are at all mobile, the duct taping of products necessary (VPN, distribution points, script repositories) would be very cumbersome.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    I have worked with Citrix, AnyDesk, LogMeIn, VNC Connect, and many others. I ultimately installed ConnectWise as a self-hosted solution, based on the incredible list of features and capabilities, and the pricing at the time. I continue to use the product as it is still one of the best solutions out there and is certainly capable of growing and expanding to meet the needs of my business.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    ConnectWise
    I have used multiple remote desktop support software in the past (Bomgar, Team Viewer, Logmein and Join.me) and this is far the easiest of the bunch to use. It is very easy to create a session and easy to maintain remote desktops from their access view (where you install the software and can get in at any time) I highly recommend this product from ConnectWise!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Apple
    • Apple Remote Desktop has a positive return on investment because for the expense to the school, the value it brings to teachers is important. The return on improved student performance is very difficult to measure financially, but there is a definite return.
    • The overall objective of education is to increase student learning, ARD does that phenomenally. Parents see the tool used and are impressed at what the capabilities of the tool can do and how it impacts how active their students are as well as how well they can learn.
    • One negative impact is that teachers rely too much on this tool rather than on actually teaching sometimes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ConnectWise
    • Instead of waiting 30+ seconds to initiate sessions, they initiate and display a desktop in two or three seconds. The amount of frustration this avoids is immeasurable.
    • Once installed it doesn't need more handholding, i.e., having the remote enter a username/password. It is always just there.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    ScreenConnect Screenshots

    Screenshot of the guest page, where end-users enter a code to join a session with a technicianScreenshot of connecting from a Windows machine to a macOS machineScreenshot of the Extension Marketplace, where administrators can install and configure new features and integrationsScreenshot of the Access view of the Host page, where a technician can connect to unattended machinesScreenshot of the toolbox menu, which allows technicians to store and run executables, scripts, and other frequently-used filesScreenshot of the Host page, where a command can be run directly without connecting to the machine