Remote Desktop Manager vs. Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.5 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) from Canadian software company Devolutions is a remote administration and credential management tool for securely centralizing multiple remote connections and sensitive data.
$20
per month per user
RDCMan
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
RDCMan, or Remote Desktop Connection Manager from Microsoft, is a utility for managing multiple remote desktop connections. Once shut down due to a vulnerability in version 2.7, RDCMan is now updated and part of the Sysinternals family of tools. The 2.8 release fixes CVE-2020-0765, the XML parsing vulnerability. As of May, 2025, RDCMan is in version 3.1.
$0
Pricing
Remote Desktop ManagerMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Editions & Modules
Team Remote Access Management
$20
per month per user
Starter
$25
per month per user, up to 5 users
Team Remote Connection Management
$30
per month per user
Team Privileged Access Management
$50
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Unlimited Users, Multiple Sites, Worldwide
Platinum
Contact Sales
Unlimited Users, Multiple Sites, Worldwide
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Remote Desktop ManagerRDCMan
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Remote Desktop ManagerMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Considered Both Products
Remote Desktop Manager
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
RDCMan is the only other similar tool I've used (outside of Windows Remote Desktop Connection). Remote Desktop Manager is more stable, easy to use, and has many, many more features than RDCMan. RDSMan feels very outdated compared to Remote Desktop Manager, and I could never …
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
Being a mostly Microsoft shop, RDCMan is the standard method of connecting and managing Windows servers. It knows its job and does it well. It's rare that I experience problems with the app. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Devolutions' product. Devolutions' Remote …
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
From a multi-user perspective, we felt Remote Desktop Manager outperformed mRemoteNG and RDCMan as both of those tools required we copy/share their datafiles to keep everyone up to date.
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
Far superior product than RDCMan.
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
Less functionality and to high a learning curve for those that were used to Remote Desktop Manager in the first place
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
It offers the same features but in one package.
Chose Remote Desktop Manager
  1. The types of sessions. You are not limited to just RDP sessions, you can do SSH, Web Browser, iLO, or really any session you can imagine that you might use to connect to a remote service
  2. The extensions, add-ons, and features of RDM. You simply can do a lot more.
  3. Automation - …
RDCMan

No answer on this topic

Features
Remote Desktop ManagerMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Remote Desktop Manager
9.1
54 Ratings
14% above category average
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
6.4
6 Ratings
21% below category average
Screen sharing10.026 Ratings7.04 Ratings
File transfer9.736 Ratings5.36 Ratings
Instant message9.01 Ratings1.02 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.319 Ratings5.03 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.75 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session9.146 Ratings7.55 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile7.727 Ratings5.04 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations10.051 Ratings9.36 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management8.624 Ratings7.34 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard9.643 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Session record9.023 Ratings5.03 Ratings
Annotations10.026 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.218 Ratings7.74 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control9.843 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Remote Desktop ManagerMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
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Score 9.6 out of 10
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Score 9.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
Score 9.2 out of 10
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
Score 9.2 out of 10
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Remote Desktop ManagerMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
(54 ratings)
8.0
(6 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.8
(12 ratings)
7.7
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(7 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Remote Desktop ManagerMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Likelihood to Recommend
Devolutions
If you have lots of servers to manage, lots of credentials, different protocols, documents, other files, and need a single tool to manage it, this is the tool. Active Directory integrated, user and groups permissions, audit everything, keep data in encrypted files or in a database, customize everything, even the installer,
Read full review
Microsoft
As a IT specialist we have some servers we need acces to. I like to use Remote Desktop Connection Manager because it feel like you are on the computer. Is feel very trusted. Some colleagues use the Azure remote desktop version but I always recommend the windows integrated option. We also have our primary business application running on a server so they use a remote desktop connection too to log on to the server.
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Pros
Devolutions
  • Customer service delivery, whereby you can connect to clients to assist and resolve an incident.
  • Working from home logging onto office based machine.
  • It helps to attend to a problem more quickly, thereby saving the cost of relocation and commuting to distant places.
  • Speed and cost elements are critical here.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • I can see previews of all the machines working at the same time.
  • Having all password in one place.
  • Organization of devices based on purpose, configuration, etc.
Read full review
Cons
Devolutions
  • Occasionally there is a UI bug where the sidebar goes missing and you have to delete some files in %localappdata% to bring it back
  • Would be great if it could also connect to serverless SQL instances like Azure SQL
  • If computer sleeps and wakes with Remote Desktop Manager open it will comtimes ask you to re-login for no reason - as when you close and reopen Remote Desktop Manager it works
Read full review
Microsoft
  • When trying to connect to a server/machine, and it doesn't connect, there is a "Disconnected" message that is displayed in the thumbnail. There is no information beyond this that explains why the server/machine did/could not connect. It would be helpful to the IT Administrator to know this information, even if Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) kept a log somewhere where this information can be analyzed.
  • There doesn't seem to be an option for connecting to a server that is usually only able to be accessed from a jump server. This will not connect if the server is set up as a server/machine within RDCman. This would be a beneficial feature to have within RDCman. Maybe one of the missing options is to be able to set this in the prospects for the jump server (within the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) window).
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Likelihood to Renew
Devolutions
I've been using RDM for about 10 years now. I started with the free version, which I used for a few years, and eventually switched to the Enterprise version. I can never go back now! I use this tool for everything and cannot see doing my job without it! Whenever we have someone new come in or bring in a vendor/contractor, they always ask me what RDP tool I'm using. Once I explain about it's features and all, they're usually instantly sold on it. :)
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Usability
Devolutions
Due to the way our business works, the use of Remote Desktop Manager is limited to the IT staff. For that reason have given it a rating of 8, but only a limited number of employees benefit from this solution as the bulk of our consultants that support customers can not benefit from this solution due to security mandated separation between internal and external systems
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Microsoft
As alluded to in previous responses it is a very functional tool. It allows me to do my job quickly and efficiently every single day. There are little to no issues using the connection on a day to day basis. It handles everything you need from a remote connection perspective.
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Support Rating
Devolutions
I've never had to use support as I've never had an issue. That said, you can open a support ticket right from the UI. The user forums are active, and there are thousands of threads covering many topics. Very easy to get support if needed. This is an easy ten.
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Microsoft
Plenty of information and support online, and with many things it's pretty straight forward for the average tech to navigate and work with. But with most things online you're not the only person that's had the issue before, and using a search engine you should be able to figure it out.
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Implementation Rating
Devolutions
The implementation was completely successful. We had no issues!
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Devolutions
VisionApp is not in the list. This is the application we used before we got introduced to RDM. VisionApp was great but it did not have the same features as RDM did. Perhaps VisionApp has had some updates but we haven't found any reason to switch applications again
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Microsoft
RDCMan outshines TeamViewer in every possible way. It’s fast, more reliable, and easier to use. I have had frequent crashes and issues when using TeamViewer, while none with RDCMan. Screen responsiveness also seems much better with RDCMan versus TeamViewer. I would often experience lag issues when using TeamViewer.
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Return on Investment
Devolutions
  • A common place for storage for all users. Instead of employees using multiple different password management systems, they all use Remote Desktop Manager to store them now.
  • We don't have to buy licenses from multiple vendors when everyone uses Remote Desktop Manager.
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Microsoft
  • its less time consuming for IT engineers because they have everything on one please
  • less FTE for the tasks
  • Lack of MFA option
Read full review
ScreenShots

Remote Desktop Manager Screenshots

Screenshot of the interface to manage remote connections.Screenshot of where entries can be customized.Screenshot of the interface for password analysis and policy enforcement.Screenshot of a user working with multiple connections at the same time.Screenshot of auditable activity, with customizable reports and logs.

RDCMan Screenshots

Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.81