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Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) vs. Pulseway

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    RDCMan

    Score7 out of 10
    N/ARDCMan, 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

    Pulseway

    Score7 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Pulseway is an IT monitoring and management solution that enables users to monitor, manage and control all systems and servers from a smartphone, tablet or browser. For system administrators, Pulseway sends a notification, so they can see an issue and sort it in seconds. Pulseway features: Automation: Auto-remediation workflows, so that IT issues are fixed before users even notice them. Mobile Access: Customers can monitor, manage, connect with…

    $0.80

    per month per installation

    Pricing
    RDCManPulseway
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprise
    $0.80
    per month per installation
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    RDCManPulseway
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—No hidden fees or contracts. Term-based discounts.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    RDCManPulseway
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Kaseya
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    60%
    Would buy again
    3 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    5 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    80%
    Happy with the feature set
    4 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    Features
    RDCManPulseway
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) and Pulseway
    Feature
    Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
    6.4
    6 Ratings
    21% below category average
    Pulseway
    -
    Ratings
    Screen sharing7.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    File transfer5.36 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instant message1.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication5.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session7.55 Ratings00 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile5.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations9.36 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.34 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Session record4.93 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annotations4.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts7.74 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control8.04 Ratings00 Ratings
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    RDCManPulseway
    Small Businesses
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Panda Systems Management
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    N-able N-sight RMM
    Score7.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
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    User Ratings
    RDCManPulseway
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    6.4
    (13 ratings)
    Usability
    7.7
    (3 ratings)
    7.8
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    9.6
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    RDCManPulseway
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kaseya
    If you have to manage a large number of computers, especially spread over multiple clients or a large physical area. This is one of the main products that allows us to act as a Managed Service Provider (MSP) and actually manage our clients devices and not just react to issues as clients call them in. Clients really love the proactive approach it allows us to take. Sadly as we became more familiar with options out there we found this area lacking and what was actually holding us back.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Kaseya
    • It monitors computers and notifies us of any issues with any computer.
    • It allows remote control of computers, such as requesting a computer to reboot itself.
    • It is very highly configurable to monitor exactly what we need to monitor. For example, on server, we can have it notify us any time the server is shutdown or rebooted. On the other hand, for a desktop computer, we don't have to be bothered with notifications when a user decides to reboot his computer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kaseya
    • It would be nice if they increased their scope of supported third-party apps.
    • It would be great if they would create an ios app for their ticket system.
    • If they could possibly build in a location service for tracking devices, that would be helpful.
    • If they had two-factor authentication, it would be nice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kaseya
    The tool is easy to use however it is can be daunting with the amount of features available in it. Last I checked, their knowledge base was not very expansive and they relied a lot on the changelog for how to do some stuff. This can make it hard to learn how to do some more advanced things like the automation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kaseya
    I have never had to use the support for Pulseway. However, when initially starting out, we would receive emails every so often asking how we are doing and if there is any support that they can provide. I would imagine that any request would be supplied with the same great support!
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Kaseya
    Pulseway has the most features, the best looking app with the best design and better usability than any others we evaluated. We liked the uniformity of the app design across all platforms (Windows, Android, Apple) and the notifications displayed on each platform. The price was a major contributor to our selection of Pulseway compared to the competition.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • its less time consuming for IT engineers because they have everything on one please
    • less FTE for the tasks
    • Lack of MFA option
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Kaseya
    • Problems can be dealt with more rapidly because I have access to systems from anywhere. I don't have to carry a computer with me nor do I have to find a location with potentially non-secure wifi to gain access to my systems.
    • I can handle 99% of my system admin tasks using Pulseway and never have to touch a system or connect to the console.
    • Pulseway gives so much control over a system that I don't need to spend extra money on other software to perform management tasks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    RDCMan Screenshots

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

    Pulseway Screenshots

    Screenshot of Cross-device functionalityScreenshot of Auto-Remediate IT IssuesScreenshot of Visibility Across the Entire NetworkScreenshot of Remote Control to Any SystemScreenshot of Systems and Application patchingScreenshot of Detailed Custom Report