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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Chrome Remote Desktop

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AChrome Remote Desktop from Google is a cross-platform remote administration and remote desktop tool that requires the Chrome browser and an extension. It is free to use.

    $0

    N-able N-central

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/AMSPs and IT professionals use N-able™ N-central® to monitor and manage devices and complex networks remotely. N-central provides visibility and efficiency as the user's needs scale. N-central can help users: 1. Proactively monitor everything on a customer network—not just servers and workstations—and troubleshoot. 2. Stay on top of threats with features like MFA, antivirus, integrated endpoint detection and response, data backup, disk encryption, email protection,…N/A
    Pricing
    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    N-able
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    73%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    79%
    Delivers good value for the price
    11 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    12 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    60%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    77%
    Implementation went as expected
    10 Answers
    Features
    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Chrome Remote Desktop and N-able N-central
    Feature
    Chrome Remote Desktop
    8.3
    21 Ratings
    5% above category average
    N-able N-central
    -
    Ratings
    Screen sharing6.720 Ratings00 Ratings
    File transfer7.611 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instant message7.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.610 Ratings00 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session9.121 Ratings00 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile8.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations9.219 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard9.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Session record9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annotations9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control7.015 Ratings00 Ratings
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    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
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    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
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    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Action1
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    ManageEngine Endpoint Central
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.5
    (21 ratings)
    8.7
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (7 ratings)
    7.3
    (7 ratings)
    Support Rating
    3.8
    (7 ratings)
    1.0
    (8 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Chrome Remote DesktopN-able N-central
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    N-Able is perfect for an MSP environment. It gives all the standard functionality an IT professional needs out of the box and can be configured to show almost anything required. For example, we have configured a dashboard to show when our backups need attention for each customer. This is achieved by running a small script on repeat via N-Central everyday/evening, and the result gives us information on the dashboard to help us identify exactly what is working and what needs looking into.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    • Remote tasks - entry-level techs can run basic tasks without physically touching a piece of equipment.
    • Remote support - remote controlling user devices is easy and saves a lot of time with having to initiate a remote session.
    • Management of devices, particularly patch management and anti-virus management - you can automatically approve and deploy patches and schedule automatic AV scans.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • More fluid video rendering. Does a good job, but could use a more consistent framerate at times.
    • A way to easier switch between multiple monitors.
    • Adding an ability to zoom for multi-monitor display. Sometimes on a single screen it can get difficult to read if trying to view them all.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    • Customer support just points to online guides and I feel they aren't helpful.
    • During the trial they turn on a lot of features. In my experience, if you play around with the features, they charge you for them. Keep this in mind if you move forward with N-Able - they will charge for "trialed" services.
    • In my experience, some services that you're being charged for can't be disabled or monitored by you or your team. You only see them on the monthly invoice.
    • In my opinion, the "Scripting Automation" doesn't provide value. You're either going to be writing your own batch or Powershell to make scripting work.
    • In my opinion, monitoring software deployments is painful.
    • The default monitoring template can't be duplicated, edited, or referenced. You'll find that the default monitors in an unusual way and will throw needless recurring alerts into your ticketing system. To avoid this, you need to create a template from scratch which takes many hours to set up.
    • In my opinion, they're more concerned about a quick buck than customer service. "Buyer beware" company.
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Overall we have liked our solar winds experience, however, as our company has grown to support larger enterprises, this product does not have the functionality that our teams need in order to fully support them. The lack of granularity with backups and lack of ability to support nutanix environments is slowly drawing us into the use of other tools.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    Just a great product that has saved countless hours of commute to work and given the flexibility to be able to work from anywhere, whether at home or when away on holiday overseas. I love that it is a free product and is just as great as its competitors' products. It has also allowed me to prepare for work for the following day.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    The user interface is fairly straight forward, with logic groupings for objects. I did not deploy this software, but am one of the daily administrators. Once you get the correct agent package (Which can be a challenge) the integration into AD is not bad. The UI could be more customized, but that may have been a design choice.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Every time we have reached out to SolarWinds they are quick to respond, even offering support chat 24/7. Their support team is great and works with you to find solutions to issues. They have taken items we had issues with before and used those to create updates so that the issue is handled better in the future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    None, its quick and easy
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Make sure if you your using a vm you follow the instructions for provisioning to the letter or it will be starting from square one
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    Our version of SolarWinds was old and running on old hardware, but it was way easier to setup and do things with. It did not do everything N-able does such as patch management, or at least we didn't have a module to do so if one existed. However it definitely seemed easier to use and possibly more stable.
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    N-able
    • We have lost hundreds of hours on the phone/emailing support with no resolution for any of our issues
    • We had to move all of our services away which was very painful
    • Staff satisfaction was low having to deal with this company
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Chrome Remote Desktop Screenshots

    Screenshot of the option to share a screen or access another computer in Chrome Remote Desktop.Screenshot of the screen to setup a remote connection.

    N-able N-central Screenshots

    Screenshot of N-able N-central DashboardScreenshot of Remote desktop access with Take Control