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Apple Remote Desktop vs. SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)

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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

    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)

    Score8 out of 10
    N/ADameWare Remote Support from Austin IT company SolarWinds is remote administration software for the remote control of desktops, laptops, and servers behind or outside the firewall, allowing registry editing, restart services, logging activity, account and password management, and more. The mobile app also provides access from a phone or tablet. DameWare Remote Support licensing is per technician, the number of end-user remote machines is irrelevant; one technician may receive a license for…

    $520

    one-time fee

    Pricing
    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Dameware Mini Remote Control
    $370
    one-time fee
    Dameware Remote Support
    $520
    one-time fee
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsDameWare Remote Support and Mini Remote Control are licensed based on the number of technician users that use the software for remote administration. There are no limits or restrictions for the number of end-users supported or the number of remote endpoints/computers supported. As you buy higher counts of licenses, the per-seat pricing goes down giving you a reduced total price.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    Considered Both Products
    Apple
    No answer on this topic
    SolarWinds
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    82%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    9 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    64%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    91%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    86%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    78%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    90%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Features
    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Apple Remote Desktop and SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    Feature
    Apple Remote Desktop
    6.9
    28 Ratings
    13% below category average
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    8.6
    65 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Screen sharing7.828 Ratings10.053 Ratings
    File transfer7.827 Ratings10.050 Ratings
    Instant message7.123 Ratings8.347 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication5.04 Ratings8.716 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.921 Ratings9.035 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session7.122 Ratings8.548 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile4.07 Ratings9.025 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations8.523 Ratings9.158 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.08 Ratings7.239 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard6.718 Ratings8.238 Ratings
    Session record7.811 Ratings8.55 Ratings
    Annotations3.57 Ratings7.94 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts6.714 Ratings8.75 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control9.08 Ratings7.131 Ratings
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    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
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    N-able Take Control
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    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
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    User Ratings
    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    6.0
    (28 ratings)
    8.3
    (66 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    9.0
    (13 ratings)
    Usability
    7.6
    (7 ratings)
    9.0
    (10 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    5.0
    (9 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    5.0
    (8 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apple Remote DesktopSolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS)
    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
    SolarWinds
    I feel like this is a very robust solution that I would recommend to anyone who relies heavily on remote support. Most of the colleagues I work with already use SolarWinds products to one extent or the other. I feel the price for the solution is very fair and a good value for the product.
    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
    SolarWinds
    • Troubleshooting computers remotely without the need for the user to even be around.
    • Install software that needs to be installed manually without having to travel.
    • Viewing what the user is doing specifically that triggers the issue, making replicating issues way simpler.
    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
    SolarWinds
    • It would be nice if the installed agent would be able to check in with the server so that I can connect to laptops, etc that have the agent pre-installed for when they are off network.
    • DameWare could do better with the mobile app. I cannot connect in from the outside with the mobile app to provide quick support if needed. This kind of defeats the purpose of a mobile app. If I am on the network, I probably have access to my workstation.
    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
    SolarWinds
    This application is one of my most used tools when it comes to supporting end users and the network as well. I don't have to run all over the place to get things done when I can access multiple computers on the network at the same time to accomplish multiple tasks in a minimal amount of time.
    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
    SolarWinds
    Because it has enhanced my ability to trouble shoot more issues during the day. Instead of having to go to each machine and spend time at the machine, I can remote in from my desktop and assist the person 90 per cent of the time. I also use it from home to remote in which saves me the time from having to return back to the workplace.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    SolarWinds
    Yes, always available.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    SolarWinds
    The application always seems responsive to me
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Apple
    When i have needed support it was for Hardware not the software itself
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SolarWinds
    I use a Samsung mobile device; DameWare Mobile was working and then after an Android update it started crashing. I reported the issue to DameWare and worked with the technicians and developers to gather data for them to correct the issue. They quickly published a beta release for me to test (which corrected the crashes) and then published an update to the Google Play Store.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    SolarWinds
    It was excellent
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    SolarWinds
    The videos were more than sufficient to learn the product
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Apple
    Very quick and easy install with no real issues
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SolarWinds
    It helps greatly if you know someone already using DameWare Remote Support. I was fortunate as my tech support guys were using it at their hospital and assisted me through the purchase, download and implementation of remote support. As well as, knowing how many licenses to purchase at the time. You have to make sure that anyone assisting in IT can have access to the program with their own license.
    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
    SolarWinds
    We previously utilized LogMeIn. They increased the pricing of their solution which made us reconsider it. I inherited LogMeIn. I am not a big fan of hosted solutions for some vital IT processes. There was convenience in LogMeIn, but there were also risks about the solution that I was never completely comfortable with. I had utilized DameWare at a previous company, so I knew what I was getting with it. It was an easy decision for me to make. DameWare is an exceptional product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Apple
    No answers on this topic
    SolarWinds
    You get an 8 because of the constant initial freeze on most connections. Takes a reconnect to have it work.
    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
    SolarWinds
    • DameWare has allowed us to maintain our non-traditional approach to IT support. It allows our administrators to work from anywhere and has extended their reach to clients domestic and abroad.
    • Return on investment was realized as soon as we purchased the licenses. We don't have to maintain a large office space or overhead costs due to the flexibility it allows our administrators.
    • First call resolution has increased drastically since implementing DameWare company-wide. The user no longer has to wait to reproduce an error. We can screen share and view it as it happens and mitigate the issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support (DRS) Screenshots

    Screenshot of DameWare Remote Support Management ConsoleScreenshot of Remotely Connect to Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X ComputersScreenshot of Over-the-Internet Remote Session via Secure Proxy ServerScreenshot of Connect to Remote Computers from iOS and Android Mobile Devices