Apple Remote Desktop vs. ISL Light

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Apple Remote Desktop
Score 7.1 out of 10
N/A
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.N/A
ISL Light
Score 8.9 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
ISL Light is remote support and remote access software that enables SMBs and large enterprises to offer fast and efficient support and maintenance for Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as mobile device support for Android and iOS.
$16.90
per month
Pricing
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Starter
$16.90
per month
Standard
$34.90
per month
Self-Hosted
$44.90
per month
Premium
$54.90
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsISL Online's pricing model considers the number of licenses purchased, which determines the maximum number of concurrent users within the organization. A concurrent user is defined as anyone running one or more sessions simultaneously from any device. There are no restrictions on the number of ISL Light users within a company or the remote devices managed. For example, with three licenses, an unlimited number of people in a company can use ISL Light and can access an unlimited number of remote devices, but only three users can use it concurrently. When one of these three users ends their session, a fourth user can begin their session, and so on.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Considered Both Products
Apple Remote Desktop
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop is very Apple specific, which as both good and bad aspects. We actually use both Bomgar/BeyondTrust and Apple Remote Desktop because each is good at certain aspects and bad at certain aspects. For instance, BeyondTrust is very good at ad hoc sessions with …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop is far simpler than TeamViewer, especially for MacOSX. With Apple Remote Desktop native within OSX, it is simple and easy to use, and can be used with other Mac users with ease. I selected it because it has a much simpler design and is already integrated …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop is Apple specific. There is no other software suite that controls the Mac like ARD. Apple built it specifically for Apple products and it has abilities that are definitely MacOS ONLY. If you administer Macs it is a must-have over the other solutions …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop still requires more work on its functionality, but the other market giants are way ahead of it when it comes to utilities and services. Teamviewer was the first software that we used and it was so good, we wanted to try something else so we switched to …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Microsoft Remote desktop tends to perform better, especially over the internet and has multiple implementations, including open source.
AnyDesk is multi platform (both server and client) and more suitable for ad-hoc remote sessions.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop is a good product when you have a need to manage Apple computers on-site and don't want a cloud solution with a recurring cost. We prefer it as an alternative or secondary solution in case your primary software has issues. I wouldn't use it as my only …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
The Apple Remote Desktop application has a much faster connection once the computer has been properly configured.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
For apple/mac products - hands down has the upper advantage when it comes to remote administration. It lacks in some areas that Datto and Kasyea have the upper hand on like some system monitoring. Overall, if I had multiple macs I needed to monitor and service, I would use …
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 …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
ARD does not have competition when it comes to working with Apple Devices in a 1:1 scenario.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop is cross-platform but lacks the cool features especially automation related features like Apple Remote Desktop does. For supporting Mac computers, Apple Remote Desktop was a clear choice.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
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 …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop is unique in some of the abilities it has. I feel like there is not much in direct competition for much of what it can do.
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 …
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
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
I have used the above two remote desktop services and have found it to be much harder than using the Apple Remote Desktop. They are slow to login with a lot of errors, time outs constantly, and interface its self moves incredibly slow. I felt a sense of relief when I started …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop is the best device we were able to use for education that served the function. Being a school with all Apple products and Mac labs, using Apple Remote Desktop was the most logical choice. The only other alternative was to use the Adobe screen share software …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
For multi-site remote support we utilize TeamViewer and for enterprise-wide device management we are using Cisco Meraki System Manager. ARD is a great Mac tool, but there are many options out there, that are cloud-based, that don't require you to have network tunnels into your …
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop allows me access and control that Casper doesn't always have. I love the use of the Remote sessions to be able to get on and see what exactly is going on and then to be able to fix it without having to run across campus to that classroom.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
I use Teamviewer with users who are having trouble connecting to the VPN. I think TeamViewer is a good alternative when ARD isn't working. However supporting the number of users we support, Teamviewer can come with a pretty hefty price tag.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
We use both of these products and both are great in their own way.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
No other product does remote desktop management of multiple Macs as good as ARD does, some come close, some have less features.
Chose Apple Remote Desktop
I have not used other applications--perfectly happy with Apple Remote Desktop.
ISL Light
Chose ISL Light
I've used AnyDesk at the company before, but ISL Light offers superior value for money. All the features delivered are better in ISL.

Já utilizei o Any Desk na empresa, mas o custo beneficio do ISL Light é superior. Todas as funcionalidades entregadas são melhores no ISL.
Chose ISL Light
ISL Light Online, unlike other solutions, is much more impactful in terms of security, and for other more compelling reasons.

ISL Light Online a diferencia de otras soluciones es mucho mas impactante en cuanto a seguridad a diferencia de otras soluciones y por otras razones …
Chose ISL Light
TeamViewer: ISL Light is cheaper.
Microsoft Quick Support: ISL Light is much more comprehensive.
AnyDesk: I have doubts about the product's security.
Chose ISL Light
This is our first remote access program utilized as a company.
Chose ISL Light
much faster operation and very affordable price

veliko hitrejše delovanje in zelo ugodna cena
Chose ISL Light
In our case, we can say that it is faster, more efficient and cheaper than other tools.
Chose ISL Light
The main reason was price initially, after TeamViewer jacked up the price 3 fold come covid in start of 2020, told them to get stuffed and went elsewhere, back then they had a good reliable product, then after I switched to another provider, the came crawling back and offer me …
Chose ISL Light
Logmein got way too expensive for me.
Chose ISL Light
Better positioned in terms of cost and/or more efficient

Mieux positionné en termes de coût ou/et plus efficace
Chose ISL Light
We chose ISL mainly because we think locally and because the provider is from Slovenia.

ISL smo vzeli predvsem, ker razmišljamo lokalno in, ker je ponudnik iz Slovenije.
Chose ISL Light
I've preferred it from the very beginning.
Chose ISL Light
AnyDesk, TeamViewer and UltraVNC
Chose ISL Light
ISL is considerably more cost effective for us, partly because we've opted to self-host it. Not many other providers offer this approach.
Chose ISL Light
Good feature support, on premise installation
Chose ISL Light
it is easy to use for IT support and users
Chose ISL Light
In our specific case user console simplicity in ISL light is a major positive for ISL light. ISL always on agent for unattended access is vastly superior to teamviewer's solution. Teamviewer has become bloated in recent years, changing things for the sake of changing them, …
Features
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Apple Remote Desktop
6.8
Ratings
15% below category average
ISL Light
8.1
Ratings
3% above category average
Screen sharing7.90 Ratings8.60 Ratings
File transfer7.90 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Instant message7.10 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication5.00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.80 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session7.10 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile4.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations8.40 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management7.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard6.30 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Session record7.50 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Annotations3.40 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts6.30 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control9.00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Small Businesses
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.7 out of 10
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.6 out of 10
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.6 out of 10
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.6
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Apple Remote DesktopISL Light
Likelihood to Recommend
ARD for me is based on a LAN, but can be used over WAN via VPN, but the latency makes ARD a less ideal tool. There are other cross platform tools that can do what ARD does which to me add value when managing a mixed environment
Read full review
ISL light is suitable for anyone who plans to provide remote assistance services on a medium to large scale. Due to the high entry price, it is less suitable for consultants with a smaller number of clients or remote stations that need management. Their smallest package in which minutes are rented does not seem suitable for most cases.
Read full review
Pros
  • 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.
Read full review
  • Prikaz strani na kateri se nahaja uporabnik
  • Prikaz kontaktov uporabnikov
  • Zgodovina pogovorov s strankami
  • Možnost spreminjanja statusa dosegljivosti
  • Nalaganje datotek, zajemov slik,..
  • Klepetalnik, ki je enostaven za uporabo
  • Nas obvesti, da smo dobili sporočilo, tudi če smo izven klepetalnika
  • Display the page the user is on
  • Displaying user contacts
  • Customer conversation history
  • Ability to change availability status
  • Uploading files, capturing images, etc.
  • An easy-to-use chatbot
  • Notifies us that we have received a message, even if we are outside the chat room
Read full review
Cons
  • It's onsite only without setting up a VPN or some other form of remote network access.
  • It can be a little slow sometimes when compared to local access.
  • It seems to be a neglected product by Apple and not continually developed.
Read full review
  • Need a control toggle at least on AlwaysOn. User moves the mouse and you lose all control instantly.
  • Clipboard features are a bit wonky still, and your clipboard seems to get emptied a lot. So if you're trying to copy and paste you might lose something
  • Passwords for the systems are saved per machine, so if you work from multiple devices it can be tricky if you have complex passwords
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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We are renew the license for 10 years now and we do not see why would change that. It just gets better with every new version.
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Usability
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.
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It is very easy to use. You hardly need any computer knowledge to learn how to use it, as everything is displayed in easily recognizable icons. Although its appearance does not look cutting-edge, it could have a more modern look, but it must be said that everything is understandable, and with just a couple of taps on each icon that appears, you already know what each thing is for, and it allows you to use it skillfully and fluidly. Everything is perfect in this regard.
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
During the entere time of use, I have never come across any availability issues.
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Performance
No answers on this topic
High performance!
Read full review
Support Rating
I've never had to get support for ARD, so I can't give a real opinion.
Read full review
We had issues with mouse skipping on mobile devices. Support is immediatly availabe, they examined our case and in one of the new versions of the app this problem was gone.
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Implementation Rating
None, very easy to setup and install.
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It was so easy!
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Alternatives Considered
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.
Read full review
The main reason was price initially, after TeamViewer jacked up the price 3 fold come covid in start of 2020, told them to get stuffed and went elsewhere, back then they had a good reliable product, then after I switched to another provider, the came crawling back and offer me the same price I was paying before the COVID tax (3 times increase in price) like I said, told them to get stuffed, ISL on the other hand didn’t increase their price when covid started, so have been with them ever since.
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
Easy to deploy onto new devices. Ability to group devices so they can managed remotely efficiently.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • 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.
Read full review
  • We can now help our customers within minutes. Sending a technician could take hours or even days.
  • We can immediately help customers who are stuck and unable to refuel so that they can continue their journey.
  • We can now quickly resolve warranty cases, so that it hardly costs us any money.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ISL Light Screenshots

Screenshot of remote access control in ISL Light.Screenshot of unattended access setup. Access can be allowed to as many computers as desired.Screenshot of a connection with a remote client, which can be set up by sending an email or sharing a link.Screenshot of interactions with the Windows UAC on a remote device.Screenshot of the dual panel File Manager, used to transfer files.Screenshot of the web console where remote desktop sessions can be managed from a web browser.