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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Remote Desktop Services

    Score7.7 out of 10
    N/ARemote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.N/A

    RealVNC Connect

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ARealVNC® Connect is a secure remote access solution from RealVNC. It can be used to connect to a remote device anywhere in the world to view its desktop in real-time and take control as though sitting in front of it.

    $99

    per year (one concurrent session)

    Pricing
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Essentials
    $8.25
    per month (billed annually) per concurrent session
    Plus
    $16.50
    per month (billed annually) per concurrent session (add up to 3)
    Premium
    $29.75
    per month (billed annually) per concurrent session (add up to 5)
    Enterprise
    Custom Pricing
    per year
    Enterprise
    Custom Pricing
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Plans work on a Per Concurrent Session basis. Each plan gives access to a bundled number of devices, but limits apply to the amount of devices that can be connected at any given time. The Premium plan includes On-Demand Assist, a useful tool for providing just-in-time remote support to end-users without them needing RealVNC Connect installed on their device.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    Chose Remote Desktop Services
    Remote Desktop is great for onsite or point-to-point connections without having to have a mediator type server.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Chose Remote Desktop Services
    RDS is built into Windows and does not require as much extra setup and licensing fees.
    Incentivized
    RealVNC
    Chose RealVNC Connect
    The best part is that [the] VNC Connect application supports multi-platform compatibility with Windows and Linux systems. In addition, it is simple, and the session is approved or unapproved, which enables us to provide quick support in the business process. The running service …
    Incentivized
    Chose RealVNC Connect
    VNC Connect stacks up very well to other competitors. With this simple program, you can remotely connect and access other computers with the same VNC Connect agent installed. The only reason we're moving away from using this is that our current Ninja RMM Tools computer …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    11 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    6 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    88%
    Implementation went as expected
    7 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    Features
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Remote Desktop Services and RealVNC Connect
    Feature
    Remote Desktop Services
    4.8
    5 Ratings
    49% below category average
    RealVNC Connect
    7.3
    32 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Screen sharing8.55 Ratings9.028 Ratings
    File transfer4.85 Ratings8.015 Ratings
    Instant message1.01 Ratings6.119 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication6.02 Ratings7.05 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers1.12 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session7.25 Ratings9.030 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile3.84 Ratings9.019 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations8.54 Ratings4.76 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management8.84 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard2.13 Ratings7.116 Ratings
    Session record2.23 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts3.13 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Annotations00 Ratings5.36 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings9.011 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Small Businesses
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.8
    (20 ratings)
    9.8
    (38 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (8 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (5 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Performance
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    3.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    This is well-suited if you need to log in to a remote machine on occasion to make updates or change configurations. It is also good for a production environment or for environments where people need to log in to use common applications, so you don't need to install the application on each individual client.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    It is very easy to use if the remote device is already set up to receive connections, so if you are setting up devices before deploying them, it is a great tool to have. It is well-suited to use when shadowing users or using it as a teaching tool. There are other products that are better if you are trying to help someone on a one-use basis.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    • VNC Connect does an excellent job in remotely connecting to a computer through either your local area network or even another computer on the internet. As long as the VNC Connect services is installed and the client is running in the background.
    • VNC Connect provides password protection to prevent unauthorized users from attempting to remotely access your computer. There's an option to have a separate password to remotely view vs view & access a computer. You can even add an additional level of security by turning on the feature to require Windows login credentials.
    • VNC Connect provides an additional set of controls after a remote connection has been established with another computer. You can have special keystrokes like Ctrl+Alt+Del sent as a command sequence to the other computer as well as access more than a single screen when in use at the remote computer location.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    • Its a pretty straight forward product - I would like to see more tools with a "wow" factor.
    • Panel colors are blah - I would like more eye-catching colors.
    • A more consistent look with all platforms - like Mac & PC.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    RealVNC
    VNC is a solid product for the price. It simply works and its reliable across different platforms. Some products state they work well in the Mac environment but don't deliver. This one does what it says. Connections are reliable, but of course, this depends on internet connections. The product works well over wireless connections as well. It delivers on what a remote tool should deliver on. My technicians are happy with the product and customers appreciate the ease of use when letting us connect to their systems. Some also appreciate the remote support while they are multi-task.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    It's a niche product and in that niche they try to cater to as many use cases as they can. Other as a TCO aspect i don't see many use cases where you can't use this product as the one tool for all remote session use cases in your company
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Microsoft
    There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    VNC Connect is a reliable product that has been around for a long time. It is reasonably priced and works well in the Mac & PC environment. When you have a small team that supports many users we need tools that we can rely upon and that will get the job done on the first try. Many customers appreciate the quick assistance and can multi-task while our team works on their computer issues remotely. From a customer service point of view, this tool gives us transparency and efficient effectiveness.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    RealVNC
    The training is very informative, quick and to the point. All of the details one would need are present so the user doesn't have to go searching for additional information just to use the application. The layout of the training was also neat and concise, some of the other training sessions for other companies I've done in the past were confusing and not well thought out, this one is much more superior
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    RealVNC
    No problem at all, love the product.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    VNC is light and sleek with the quick setup, was impressed with the quick setup despite poor Internet connection outdoor. TeamViewer is good, but the pricing is not as good as VNC. Both do the basic job, but VNC still outperform TeamViewer in terms of performance and ease of use.
    Incentivized
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    RealVNC
    • I have just used the software for about 1 month and so far so god. I am saving time whenever I can access my client's computers from my desk as opposed to having to leave my office to go to their offices. Saves me time and the client money.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    RealVNC Connect Screenshots

    Screenshot of the Device List in the Connect v8 desktop appScreenshot of On-Demand Assist, which can be used to start a remote support session using a single-use code.