Chrome Remote Desktop vs. Remote Desktop Services

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Chrome Remote Desktop
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
Chrome Remote Desktop from Google is a cross-platform remote administration and remote desktop tool that requires the Chrome browser and an extension.N/A
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.N/A
Pricing
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Considered Both Products
Chrome Remote Desktop
Chose Chrome Remote Desktop
Most of the other software solutions come at a cost for the licensing, and it is usually not cheap, given that you need to have commercial licensing for a business/organization. Also, with the other remote desktop solutions, there is more of a learning curve in order to use, …
Chose Chrome Remote Desktop
It's a free client-less solution that is simple to use. It does require Chrome installed and the agent installed to make it work.
Remote Desktop Services
Chose Remote Desktop Services
We used RDS on-site primarily because of how easy it is for users to transition from their own desktop to a remote desktop. However, from off-site, there are VPN and other security considerations to take into account, and the process gets a little more complex. In this …
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Solutions can be expensive and often offer more options than you need/want. Paying those extra dollars is tough when you have a budget. RDS in many cases works well and is cost effective.
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services is an initiation from Microsoft in my view. The rest all are adapters for this and have a considerably inovated feature base.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Chrome Remote Desktop
7.3
18 Ratings
12% below category average
Remote Desktop Services
8.9
3 Ratings
8% above category average
Screen sharing8.917 Ratings9.33 Ratings
File transfer7.110 Ratings9.33 Ratings
Instant message7.66 Ratings00 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.04 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers5.18 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session10.018 Ratings8.73 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile10.016 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations7.116 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management7.15 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard5.19 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Session record5.16 Ratings9.52 Ratings
Annotations8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.05 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control5.713 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Small Businesses
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.8 out of 10
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG
Score 9.7 out of 10
mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.1 out of 10
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(18 ratings)
9.3
(17 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.0
(2 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(3 ratings)
6.6
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
3.8
(7 ratings)
3.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Chrome Remote DesktopRemote Desktop Services
Likelihood to Recommend
Google
It is well suited in cases where your company/organization is looking for a low/no cost remote desktop solution, or is looking for something that can be used by most anyone right away. Most organizations don't want things to be too complex, especially with a remote desktop solution, which is generally not very complex software to begin with. It would be less appropriate in cases where the company/organization has already purchased licensing for a commercial product, and/or has been heavily using a commercial product for some time.
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Microsoft
Remote Desktop services are well suited for people looking to connect to Local computers/Servers after connecting to VPN or Local Area Network. It is easy to use and performs superbly without any issues. However, it does not have support for connecting to Non-Windows-based Devices and Applications like Teamviewer beat RDP when it comes to connecting to machines outside one's network.
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Pros
Google
  • Unlike Microsoft's Remote Desktop, this program is the same across platforms, which is helpful for users.
  • This program also allows direct control over the desktop (like TeamViewer) and doesn't give you a simulated log on (like Remote Desktop). This is advantageous for seeing exactly what's on the screen but can make it a little laggy.
  • The interface is very nice and clear once it's set up. It's obvious which computer is which and it's just a couple of clicks from opening the program to a connection.
  • The mobile app is also really really well done.
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Microsoft
  • When you connect with RDS, everything looks and feels (and is) exactly like you're sitting at that desktop. This is great for us and for users.
  • You can sign in with RDS and the desktop will be the same as when you left it (if you choose to set it up that way).
  • Although they take some setup, RemoteApps are a very handy way to let users access a program without requiring them to actually connect to a remote desktop on the server.
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Cons
Google
  • The session can be seen on the screen of the workstation. Could be a privacy issue. It DOESN'T work like traditional RDP, much closer to a screen sharing support session.
  • There is no built in File Transfer. Its not a deal breaker, but definitely an annoyance.
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Microsoft
  • Remote Desktop Services currently does not support multiple monitors on the terminal server. Unlike other applications such as Teamviewer, there's no feature to toggle between multiple screens even if they were connected to the terminal server.
  • Remote Desktop Services should provide an option to scale up or down the screen size after a connection is established. Currently you can only adjust the screen size prior to a connection is established. So you'll have to take a best guess at what display screen resolution will fit best on your screen.
  • Remote Desktop Services should offer some kind of menu to send special key strokes like Ctrl+Alt+Del to the terminal server. Currently the substitute for that particular combination is Ctrl+Alt+End. But I have yet to discover a replacement for other combination keystrokes such as Alt+PrintScrn.
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Likelihood to Renew
Google
A very easy lightweight tool that is completely scalable and deployed via google admin platform. The tool is free to use and works extremely well with the chrome devices we currently have deployed. Any organization using chrome or google suites should look into this tool as it's much easier to use then other remote software in the market
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Usability
Google
I would rarely give a 10 for usability to any tool, but Chrome Remote Desktop doesn't deserves 9 either :) I find all options easy to understand. I don't have to work my brain to understand how things work when using Chrome Remote Desktop.
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Microsoft
The initial setup for Remote Desktop Services is complex, and licensing is costly. Each user connects to their virtual desktop hosted by a single server or group of servers, so a change or issue with servers quickly impacts every single user at the same time. Aside from that, users appreciate seeing their same personal desktop from any device or geographical location.
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Performance
Google
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
Read full review
Support Rating
Google
The only support I ever accessed were help files and web tutorials. I never tried to access personal support, mostly because I don't believe much of it is available. As a free service, my expectations for support are pretty low; that said, Chrome Remote Desktop is easy enough to configure and troubleshoot even with limited technical knowledge.
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Microsoft
As with any Microsoft Server product, support for Remote Desktop Services requires a paid support package. These are license-based and very costly, on top of the already costly product licensing. Microsoft's licensing is complicated to begin with, so setting up licensing alone essentially requires a licensing expert's counsel. There is community documentation and support available on Microsoft websites, as well as community websites.
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Implementation Rating
Google
None, its quick and easy
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Google
Chrome Remote Desktop seems to be a an easy to use and efficient program. Such as TeamViewer, however TeamViewer offers more program features such as able to control a device's function (shutting down, restarting, audio input, cmd etc). With those added program features I believe Chrome Remote Desktop can almost be up to par with TeamViewer.
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Microsoft
We selected Remote Desktop Services based upon price alone. Other solutions on the market are significantly more expensive, but if your company can foot the bill you should seriously consider products that have been on the market for longer. The lack of an ability to easily upgrade farm servers has been a challenge for us - although it is still faster than updating an application on 2000+ machines. The lack of a centralized management console in 2008 R2 is also challenging, but you get by with the tools available to you. If you don't have the money to spend on Citrix or VMWare Horizon, Remote Desktop Services is a decent replacement.
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Return on Investment
Google
  • Using Chrome Remote Desktop, we've saved money on remote desktop software.
  • Using Chrome Remote Desktop, we've saved money by not needing to purchase additional hardware (monitors).
  • Using Chrome Remote Desktop has improved the productivity of my organization by allowing employees to work from anywhere.
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Microsoft
  • Allowed remote users access from home
  • Shared file access for multipolar users from a centralized location
  • Cost to add additional users when maxed out
  • Purchase multiple licenses for programs to run in virtual machines. Or unable to run on a virtual machine
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ScreenShots