Remote Desktop Services vs. Splashtop

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Remote Desktop Services
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.N/A
Splashtop
Score 8.8 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
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
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
Contact Sales
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
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Considered Both Products
Remote Desktop Services
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Because it is a built-in, free solution for a small set of managed computers. No extra licenses required. No budget. Setup and configuration is instanteneous.
Splashtop

No answer on this topic

Features
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Remote Desktop Services
4.4
4 Ratings
57% below category average
Splashtop
7.8
43 Ratings
2% below category average
Screen sharing6.54 Ratings9.337 Ratings
File transfer4.64 Ratings9.039 Ratings
Instant message1.01 Ratings7.930 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication6.32 Ratings00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers2.02 Ratings3.013 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session3.74 Ratings9.342 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile3.33 Ratings7.626 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations6.03 Ratings9.07 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management6.83 Ratings00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard3.83 Ratings7.132 Ratings
Session record3.93 Ratings7.219 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts4.33 Ratings6.05 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings8.733 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Small Businesses
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.6 out of 10
Getscreen.me
Getscreen.me
Score 9.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.4 out of 10
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.4 out of 10
Remote Desktop Manager
Remote Desktop Manager
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(19 ratings)
8.7
(552 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.0
(1 ratings)
9.5
(40 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(4 ratings)
9.1
(28 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(6 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(6 ratings)
Support Rating
3.0
(1 ratings)
8.8
(510 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(18 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(3 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.8
(5 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
Remote Desktop ServicesSplashtop
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Remote Desktop Services provides access to work environments from any device. This allows us to ensure business continuity in case of disaster. It provides admins more control over access and security. Remote Desktop Services simplifies software updates and compliance management by reducing the need to act on end users devices.
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Splashtop
I have used a few different tools in the past and this has been a great tool to assist in my work load. The handy features in security and connections settings have helped set user minds at ease. There are always room for improvement, but it has met my needs so far. The ease of use for new users to the application makes it a time saver without having to spend extra time explaining how to use it.
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Pros
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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Splashtop
  • Remote Access & Support is the best least expensive solution for mid to small businesses not needing to purchase extras and cost effective.
  • Splashtop's endpoint security is one of the best if not the best security solution for small to mid-sized businesses who need support that way but cannot afford it individually. Pricing is great too.
  • Remote Device Management from Splashtop is A+. I am able to manage computers that aren't easily accessible but by internet connection and keep them updated and running as they should be without the hassle of going to the job site and performing those tasks.
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Cons
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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Splashtop
  • Unfortunately, the word "splashtop" is not phonetically easy for our customers to distinguish over the phone, so it can be a real eye-rolling challenge to direct them to the one-time use code
  • The SOS page is pretty easy to understand, but it needs even more simplicity for our clients. A big fat throbbing arrow pointing to where the download can be located would be helpful 8-p
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Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Splashtop
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
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Usability
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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Splashtop
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
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Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Splashtop
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.
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Performance
Microsoft
There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
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Splashtop
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.
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Support Rating
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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Splashtop
I haven't had a problem connecting with Splashtop support, but even though I've contacted them several times about the locked Ctrl key issue they have been unable to resolve it. I haven't found anybody who will take ownership of my issue, and I just gave up on trying to resolve it and live with the nuisance.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Splashtop
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
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Alternatives Considered
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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Splashtop
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.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Splashtop
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.
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Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Splashtop
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.
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Professional Services
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Splashtop
Do not use.
Read full review
Return on Investment
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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Splashtop
  • Splashtop helps us complete 3% more tickets in situations where the normal agent has failed.
  • We have gained two additional clients for the MSP this year since we were already familiar with the setup the client was using.
  • Splashtop is good for us to have in the arsenal when every other method to remote in has failed.
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ScreenShots

Splashtop Screenshots

Screenshot of Splashtop Streamer: Used to connect to and remote into computers.
Splashtop Business App: Used to connect from and remotely access other computers.Screenshot of Splashtop SOS - Accessed with a 9-digit session code, it can be customized with a brand, logo and text.Screenshot of a view of computer sessions.Screenshot of where users can transfer files and folders from local and remote computers during a session.Screenshot of Splashtop Remote Support Enterprise : On-demand support with service desk capabilities.Screenshot of a dashboard - This offers key insights on endpoint status, security metrics, and scheduled tasks.