Apple 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
Splashtop
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Splashtop is a software solution for both remote access and remote support. Boasting 30+ million customers worldwide and users among both large and small organizations across the globe, Splashtop presents their solution as secure, high-performing, and fit to specific use-cases. Splashtop is ISO certified, SOC 2 and GDPR compliant. Splashtop Remote Access provides remote desktop connections for business professionals and teams to work from anywhere, using any device.…
$99
per year per user
Pricing
Apple Remote Desktop
Splashtop
Editions & Modules
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Splashtop Remote Access Solo
$6.00
per month per user, billed annually
Splashtop Remote Access Pro
$8.25
per month per user, billed annually
Splashtop Remote Access Performance
$13.00
per month per user, billed annually
Splashtop Remote Support Enterprise
Contact Sales
per month per concurrent technician, billed annually
Splashtop Remote Access Enterprise
Contact Sales
per month per user, billed annually
Splashtop On-Prem
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Splashtop Autonomous Endpoint Management (AEM)
Contact Sales
per month per endpoint, billed annually
Splashtop Remote Support SOS
Starting at $22.00
per month per concurrent technician, billed annually
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 …
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.
Based on the price of their basic plan, Splashtop is easily the best solution available for small installations like mine. I am confident with their security implementation and reconnection to devices after a remote restart have never failed me. They feature many higher-level tools and solutions but I've just never needed to use them.
Seamless RMM Integration - Splashtop’s integration into Syncro is functionally invisible, but in a good way. I don't have to manage a separate contact list or worry about syncing credentials between my RMM and my remote tool. I click "Remote Desktop" in Syncro, and Splashtop launches instantly.
High Performance Graphics & Low Latency - The frame rate and refresh speed are consistently superior to competitors I’ve used in the past. Even when connecting to a client with a dual monitor setup or a slower upload speed, the lag is minimal. The picture quality is crisp enough that I can read fine print on error logs without squinting.
"SOS" Ad-Hoc Workflow - r clients who aren't on a managed contract (my "break/fix" customers), the SOS feature is a lifesaver. I don't have to walk a non-technical user through a complex installation. I just tell them to go to the site, give me the 9-digit code, and I'm in!
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.
Compared to our prior solution, Splashtop does not "organize" devices nearly as well. They need some some sort of tagging solution so that you can, say, pull up a list of "all machines at this campus" or "All Macs at this site"
The Business App that runs locally feels clunky, and is presented in a weirdly-sized window
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.
I believe that I will renew Splashtop without any problems in the coming years as eating stable costs without increases even in critical periods such as the Covid virus, Splashtop allows access to 25 unattended stations and has continuous updates and new features. It also allows resale to users with sub-accounts
Once it is set up, it is quite straightforward to use. However, currently, it requires both a script to run to set up permissions and controls, AND a command from the MDM to authorize it to be active. The MDM management command is manual. This is not conducive to an automated workflow, and sometimes gets forgotten. Then, the endpoint is not contactable until someone realizes that the MDM command was not sent or was not successful.
It's hard to find any significant faults with Splashtop. It offers a very responsive remote access experience with clear and simple interface. There's very little learning curve as it's toolbar mimics other popular remote access solutions graphical user interface. It's gives you access to your remote computer quickly and stays out of your way
I recall one outage, and it wasn't very long. We use QuickAssist when someone's having a problem connecting with Splashtop on a Windows machine. Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often. QuickAssist is for the QUICK Assist. Splashtop is far better for addressing more complex support needs.
I've found occasional speed bumps and disconnects that are annoying. I don't know who or what to blame. If there was a way for Splashtop to survive through dropped packets, that might help. A tool like Microsoft Remote Desktop disconnects far more easily than Splashtop does, but Splashtop sometimes requires three to four sessions, or at least shows 3-4 sessions in the logs/reports for a given support call.
The phone number is in the top right of each page of the website and app and when called, the person who picks up (before any automation delays the call) is ready to assist or immediately recognize the appropriate place for a transfer. If transferred to a different department, that department picks up immediately and each person is fully trained to help resolve a (typically user error) call.
It couldn't have been any easier to setup and I have had no issues with it since it was implemented. It's a great product and makes remotely connecting to another device so simple and quick. I can't recommend it enough
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.
I have not looked at TeamViewer in quite some time but I found Splashtop SOS for me to be at least a 1 to 1 feature switch. And right now connecting to mobile devices to see a customers screen is included with Splashtop SOS and it is a real value add. I hope it says that way. TeamViewer is just too expensive in comparison.
A colleague got a significantly better deal that did not allow him to use Groups. His savings/pricing was far more attractive than mine was. I tried to get that from sales, and they told me it was not an option. That was disappointing.
I bought service for 250 unattended machines. I anticipate the next level will be very expensive, so I may stop at 250. It works very well for our needs. Only recently have I needed to add a second team to add a group of computers, but it's all been great.
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.
Remote support makes my business possible, period.
Switching from TeamViewer to Splashtop has made a huge difference to my operation: the cost is both lower and more predictable, and getting from "answering the phone from a client in trouble" to "satisfied client" is much faster and easier.
I apologize that I don't actually have hard numbers, but I can sincerely recommend Splashtop and Splashtop SOS. It will make your life and business better!
