Remote Desktop Services vs. Zoho Assist

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
Zoho Assist
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Zoho Assist from Zoho Corporation is a remote administration tool for SMBs and outsourced IT.
$12
per technician/per month
Pricing
Remote Desktop ServicesZoho Assist
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Remote Support - Standard
$12
per technician/per month
Unattended Access - Standard
$12
25 unattended computers/per month
Remote Support - Professional
$18
per technician/per month
Unattended Access - Professional
$18
25 unattended computers/per month
Remote Support - Enterprise
$28
per technician/per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Remote Desktop ServicesZoho Assist
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Remote Desktop ServicesZoho Assist
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Remote Desktop ServicesZoho Assist
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Remote Desktop Services
8.9
3 Ratings
7% above category average
Zoho Assist
8.3
12 Ratings
1% above category average
Screen sharing9.33 Ratings8.511 Ratings
File transfer9.33 Ratings9.011 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.01 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.01 Ratings3.910 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session8.73 Ratings9.012 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile10.02 Ratings9.17 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations9.02 Ratings8.88 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management9.02 Ratings4.43 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard9.02 Ratings8.98 Ratings
Session record9.52 Ratings9.76 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.02 Ratings7.14 Ratings
Instant message00 Ratings8.312 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings9.06 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Remote Desktop ServicesZoho Assist
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 ServicesZoho Assist
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(17 ratings)
8.4
(12 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
6.6
(2 ratings)
8.7
(2 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
3.0
(1 ratings)
9.3
(5 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Remote Desktop ServicesZoho Assist
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.
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Zoho
Works well for remote users to connect to their onsite computers. The mobile app works great for technicians. I can't really think of anywhere it isn't appropriate because these days everyone works remotely at some point and even if they have no need to connect to an onsite device when they need assistance the tech can connect quickly and easily.
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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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Zoho
  • Zoho Assist has the diagnostic support remotely handled.
  • Surveys are easily done with Zoho Assist.
  • Functioning in all systems and devices.
  • Recording of remote sessions.
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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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Zoho
  • Wake on LAN is very unreliable.
  • Zoho Assist service will stop workstations automatically sleeping (unless overridden) - this was done deliberately by their development team as they aware (and unable to fix) their issues with WOL.
  • Support is terrible - very quick response initially - but it can take weeks to get any actual support or solution. I currently have outstanding tickets over 2 months old with no response.
  • File transfer clunky, slow and inconsistent.
  • Clients often show offline when actually available and online.
  • Copy/paste inconsistent (clipboard).
  • Initially slow to connect to clients.
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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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Zoho
Very easy to use. Tech support is available, but not needed. Our customers are able to download and run the file quickly, an audible tone alerts users as to when the assisted person joins the session. It is functional, aesthetically pleasing, and contains all the capability anyone needs for remote support.
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Performance
Microsoft
There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
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Zoho
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.
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Zoho
As I said earlier, Zoho Assist is a perfect remote access software and very well meets our needs to solve installation, uninstallation and general configuration issues. The interface is beautiful, clean, user-friendly and works very well on Windows 10. All the support and infrastructure staff approve and enjoy using it
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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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Zoho
Cost is one thing that makes Zoho Assist beat the competing software. The security plans from the software ensure files and anything sensitive are well maintained and governed. The interface, the simplicity, and the friendliness of Zoho Assist attracts attention of prospective clients. Zoho Assist successfully make the desktop remote access process effective and at a reduced cost.
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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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Zoho
  • It's the most cost-effective service I've found with device control features, saving money.
  • It's reliable whenever we need it.
  • Without Zoho Assist we would probably not use a screen control program and would waste time trying to find a similar function from a combo of other programs rather than one.
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ScreenShots

Zoho Assist Screenshots

Screenshot of On-demand Remote SupportScreenshot of Browser-based Remote SupportScreenshot of Unattended Access to remote computersScreenshot of Detailed Analytics