Remote Desktop Services vs. TeamViewer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.N/A
TeamViewer
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
TeamViewer provides software for both remote management and online collaborations. With TeamViewer, users have access to fully integrated online conference solutions for audio and video communication, including interactive screen sharing and remote access features.
$24.90
per month (billed annually)
Pricing
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Remote Access
$24.90
per month (billed annually) 1 Licensed User
Business
$50.90
per month (billed annually) 1 Licensed User
Premium
$102.90
per month (billed annually) 15 Licensed Users
Corporate
$206.90
per month (billed annually) 30 Licensed Users
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
Considered Both Products
Remote Desktop Services
Chose Remote Desktop Services
Since Remote Desktop Services comes with the Windows OS, there's no need to install any additional software or agent for it to function. Even on the Mac, there's a client that can be installed for this to run properly. Unfortunately, unlike TeamViewer or Ultra VNC, Remote …
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
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.
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.
TeamViewer
Chose TeamViewer
Overall TeamViewer is superior to other remote solutions that I've used. It is faster and more reliable, with a better overall interface and management console. AnyDesk is generally slower and the interface is not as intuitive or easy to use. Endpoint Central is also slower …
Chose TeamViewer
Easier access faster than some of the others. We love the mobile feature where you can use the app to connect when on the road. Also it has the ability to access cell phones as well, which many times helps us help a client with their iphones. Great feature. There have been …
Chose TeamViewer
Remote collaborative capability is much better in TeamViewer as oppose to competition and fast connection makes TeamViewer as better choice
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer is significantly easier to set up at a small scale than Microsoft RDP, plus it's cross-platform unlike RDP and provides a better UI and many more capabilities than just remote control, like file transfer and some management controls like reboot.
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer is a one click solution that doesn’t require the client to be a networking tech savvy to set it up. With TeamViewer, no need to worry about private and public IPs nor firewalls and reverse proxies as the connection can be established through the TeamViewer servers …
Chose TeamViewer
I've tried a few different ways to provide remote help over the many years I've been providing technical help (since 1987) and Teamviewer consistetly comes out the best. I've also tried numerous ways to access my own computer and data remotely and Teamviewer is the only one I …
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer's main advantage is its cross-platform compatibility, meaning that you can use it on other operating systems other than Windows. The main features are present in both tools, like file transfer and taking control of the endpoint machine. Teamviewer is a third-party …
Chose TeamViewer
Teamviewer does everything the others do, if not more, but the cost was much better at the time of our purchase. I don't know what the price difference is currently.
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer is a well-known brand. It doesn't limit us to specific hardware or operating systems. It offers various other services along with screen sharing.
Chose TeamViewer
Mac users prefer TeamViewer over both of these hands down, and it is only slightly better on windows. TeamViewer is still far easier to use and more robust. Also, Kaseya suffered a significant breach. Splashtop is more difficult to establish connections with, especially on …
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer is better than RDS because of the way it handles the video. At the core, they are both remote control applications. However the method for implementation is quite different. RDS gives you 90% experience of physically being at the terminal but TeamViewer gives you …
Chose TeamViewer
Since I access several customers and environments, I wanted an easy-to-install/use solution. Team Viewer provides desktop sharing, remote access, and file transfer in a single solution and most of my customers have already used it either personally or in a previous business, so …
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer has a very simple operation and has been in the market for a long time. These were the factors that led us to choose this tool.
Chose TeamViewer
The basic functionality makes it at the top of the list. Without even purchasing an enterprise license this is an out of the box Technology tool!
Chose TeamViewer
Chrome Remote Desktop is great for personal and/or casual use but requires use of the same Google account for access, which won't work for many enterprise situations. Microsoft Remote Desktop is truly ideal (for Windows), but requires the use of a VPN or for machines to be on …
Chose TeamViewer
Remote Desktop doesn't work like Teamviewer. Easier file transfer, cross-platform, mobile.
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer's mobile app is powerful and consistently makes the connection to my remote desktop. In the past I found other solutions to be inconsistent in availability leaving me with an unexpected "surprise" when I was unable to connect. I find TeamViewer is able to provide …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Remote Desktop Services
8.9
3 Ratings
7% above category average
TeamViewer
8.2
433 Ratings
1% below category average
Screen sharing9.33 Ratings9.2420 Ratings
File transfer9.33 Ratings8.5403 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.01 Ratings7.9136 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.01 Ratings7.1273 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session8.73 Ratings8.9414 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile10.02 Ratings8.0331 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations9.02 Ratings8.7361 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management9.02 Ratings9.879 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard9.02 Ratings7.9280 Ratings
Session record9.52 Ratings8.2275 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.02 Ratings7.7205 Ratings
Instant message00 Ratings8.0370 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings6.888 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings8.4330 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
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
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
Score 9.1 out of 10
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(17 ratings)
8.4
(484 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.0
(1 ratings)
9.6
(62 ratings)
Usability
6.6
(2 ratings)
9.2
(56 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
3.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(50 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(43 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.7
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
Remote Desktop ServicesTeamViewer
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
Read full review
TeamViewer
It is well suited if the team members work remotely and need constant collaboration and communication throughout the development cycle. It is so helpful for Systems Engineers in the Software industry to resolve laptop and computer issues. It is also helpful for troubleshooting hardware issues like printers, scanners, server racks, and more. It is less suited if the teams are small and no remote access or group calls are needed, they could very well use telephones and mobile phones.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
TeamViewer
  • Allows remote login on to systems where the user doesn’t have to have their email established to open a link.
  • It uses the full monitor instead of a browser
  • File transfers are a breeze
  • Chat functionality works well too
  • Multiple sessions at once and viewing multiple monitors easily
Read full review
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.
Read full review
TeamViewer
  • We are very happy about the TeamViewer functionality and recognize a lot of advanced functionality in comparison with Anydesk for example.
  • It's fast and very reliable.
  • We think that TeamViewer is a very secure platform.
  • We like to use new feature and functions when they get available.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
We will definitely renew our TeamViewer software license when the time comes. This service works and does not matter on what device you are trying to control (it depends on the license), and it is very responsive and does not seem to use up a lot of data.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
TeamViewer
Compared to other products I've used (ConnectWise Control), TeamViewer is harder to set up and get connected. It is especially difficult to set up "permanent" unattended remote access, where you want to be able to connect to and control a remote computer without having to exchange codes and passwords every time you connect.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
Always available if setup correctly.
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
Read full review
TeamViewer
The application is built on VNC which is a very stable technology.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
TeamViewer
the few times i have had to contact teamviewer support, they were very responsive and give me quick answers and seemed to understand my problems quickly and easily. I did not have to sit on the phone for hours on hold or get passed around to multiple phone support techs before finding a solution to my issues, so i would rate their support very highly.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
As expected without any problem! Alternate in-person training is another efficient way to learn how a product works. There are many third party supporters for TeamViewer courses available that can give additional ideas how to use TeamViewer for specific functions and features as we did require in respect of our usage.
Read full review
Online Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
I have never used the online training either. I have watched a few informational videos that were helpful when learning how to do a specific procedure within TeamViewer and get the most out of the software by utilizing one of the many features that are available with the software. Again, 5 if for neutral.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
No nothing that really sticks out. For the most part I have only had to uninstall and reinstall application a couple of times when I hit a glitch. I will say that on a MAC it is a little harder to implement due to Apple's Permissions that need to be set. Sometimes it needs the client to intervene to get those permissions set.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
TeamViewer
Horses for courses they say but all around, TeamViewer is the best software for remote management, period. Pulseway's remote desktop can work well on the phone app but on a desktop, it is often unreliable and drops connections. AnyDesk is not appropriate for our business and is only good on a case-by-case basis.
Read full review
Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
Stay up working. Easy to connect and disconnect. easy way to transfer files to another desktop
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
Read full review
TeamViewer
About 2 - 3 months
  • Average Effective/workable time of a team member has increased because the team member does not to wait for the IT team do the installment of any software and hand the laptop over again.
  • Cost for the alternate laptops have been reduced, since there is less requirement now to handover a backup PC for the employees until the current PC's issue is resolved, if it's software issue.
  • Cost of the transport, electricity and building maintenance, has reduced, since the remote working option for the employees is available with the TeamViewer.
Read full review
ScreenShots

TeamViewer Screenshots

Screenshot of Connect to devices and provide remote support.Screenshot of All devices are a few clicks away.Screenshot of Monitor and manage devices proactively.Screenshot of Screenshot of Gain visibility into IT by tracking assets.