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Apple Remote Desktop has proven to be an invaluable tool for a wide range of users and organizations. IT departments, in particular, rely …
Overview
What is Apple Remote Desktop?
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.
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Popular Features
- Instant message (20)9.393%
- File transfer (24)9.090%
- Screen sharing (25)8.989%
- Remote management of servers & workstations (21)8.484%
Pricing
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What is Apple Remote Desktop?
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.
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- No setup fee
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos
Apple Remote Desktop 3 Demo -Copy from remote to local-
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What is Apple Remote Desktop?
Apple Remote Desktop Video
Installation and the basic how-to of Remote Desktop in macOS 10.5.
Apple Remote Desktop Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.
Reviewers rate Instant message highest, with a score of 9.3.
The most common users of Apple Remote Desktop are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Business Problems Solved
- Pros
- Cons
Apple Remote Desktop has proven to be an invaluable tool for a wide range of users and organizations. IT departments, in particular, rely on this software for remote access, support, and maintenance tasks. Users appreciate the ability to remotely view and command multiple machines at once, which improves efficiency and saves time. The software is particularly helpful for silently pushing updates or gathering information about computer usage behind the scenes. It also offers encrypted connections and compressed data traffic, ensuring secure and efficient remote support. This makes it a popular choice for organizations that prioritize data security.
Educators have also found value in Apple Remote Desktop, using it to enhance student engagement through screen sharing and remote control. It allows educators to observe multiple devices simultaneously and organize them according to grade levels. In an educational setting, the software supports content and use management, facilitating screen sharing and file sharing among students. Additionally, Apple Remote Desktop streamlines logins for young students by pushing login information for various software programs.
Developers utilize Apple Remote Desktop to remotely work on Mac devices for iOS and macOS application builds. The software enables seamless collaboration by providing remote access to Mac Mini devices, allowing developers to work on their projects without being physically present at the machine. Support teams also find great value in this tool as they can connect to end users' macOS devices for troubleshooting desktop support issues and performing software updates without needing physical access to the machines.
Overall, Apple Remote Desktop offers a wide range of features that cater to diverse user needs. Whether it's IT administrators managing a large number of computers or educators improving student engagement, this software provides the necessary tools to save time, improve efficiency, and enhance productivity in various professional settings.
User-Friendly Interface: Many users have praised the user interface of Apple Remote Desktop, noting that it is simple, intuitive, and easy to navigate. They appreciate the top navigation bar that provides quick access to all necessary tools and elements in the software, making tasks effortless to perform.
Reliable Remote Access: Several reviewers have highlighted the reliability of Apple Remote Desktop's remote access capabilities. They mention that the software can remotely access Apple computers even if they are not logged in or at the login screen. This feature has proven particularly useful for performing updates or managing machines without interrupting the user's workflow.
Comprehensive Feature Set: Users value the wide range of functionality provided by Apple Remote Desktop at a low cost. They mention features such as remote searching on devices, screen capture sharing, file copy transfer, application installation, and automator actions that automate workflow tasks and save time. This comprehensive set of features makes Apple Remote Desktop a valuable tool for various tasks.
Cross-platform limitations: Some users have expressed disappointment that Apple Remote Desktop is only compatible with Mac computers, and they would like to see more support for iOS and mobile devices.
Performance issues: Several users have mentioned that the performance of Apple Remote Desktop can be slow, especially when running operations on multiple machines simultaneously.
Outdated user interface: Many users have found the user interface of Apple Remote Desktop to be outdated and in need of improvement. They feel that the interface can be confusing and requires specific configurations on endpoints.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
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December 09, 2022
Remote Desktop with ease with the Apple Remote Desktop
Apple Remote Desktop helps me connect with my clients with ease. If there are problems or discussions that need to be conducted via Remote Desktop, this program is the most suitable. I have used it, especially during the pandemic, but also during times when traveling may not be as feasible, as well as when there is an urgent meeting that is taking place.
- Connectivity with ease
- No lag/time differential
- Sleek design
- Sending requests for Remote Desktop
- Availability across entire Apple ecosystem
- Availability on other operating systems
36.15384615384615%
3.6
- Time efficiency
- Unable to connect to multiple platforms/operating systems
- Simple design
Apple Remote Desktop is far simpler than TeamViewer, especially for MacOSX. With Apple Remote Desktop native within OSX, it is simple and easy to use, and can be used with other Mac users with ease. I selected it because it has a much simpler design and is already integrated into the MacOSX software.
December 08, 2022
Using Apple Remote Desktop to access headless build machines
We use Apple Remote Desktop to remotely work on Mac Mini devices that we use for builds of iOS and MacOS applications we develop.
- Detection of computers on remote network
- Authentication
- File manager integration
- Connection quality
- Keyboard mapping
29.285714285714285%
2.9
- It allowed us to save money and space buy not having to buy separate displays and input peripherals for machines that are mostly used as headless servers.
Microsoft Remote desktop tends to perform better, especially over the internet and has multiple implementations, including open source.
AnyDesk is multi platform (both server and client) and more suitable for ad-hoc remote sessions.
AnyDesk is multi platform (both server and client) and more suitable for ad-hoc remote sessions.
February 04, 2019
Powerful and Sophisticated Remote Administration for Mac Computers
We are using Apple Remote Desktop for managing Mac computers on our network. The product is being used to perform administrative tasks such as on-demand remote assistance, remote software installations and perform AutoInstall using Task Server to minimize human intervention on scheduled tasks.
Automator Actions is another cool feature we use often. You can create a workflow of tasks you want to perform and then schedule them to execute automatically on client machines.
One of the coolest features which I haven't used elsewhere is "Curtain Mode" while performing an administrative task on a client machine. You can block the local user's view of his own screen while performing administrative tasks.
Automator Actions is another cool feature we use often. You can create a workflow of tasks you want to perform and then schedule them to execute automatically on client machines.
One of the coolest features which I haven't used elsewhere is "Curtain Mode" while performing an administrative task on a client machine. You can block the local user's view of his own screen while performing administrative tasks.
- Automator Actions: This is a very cool feature and cost saving as it reduces human effort by automating the workflow of tasks.
- Curtain Mode: This lets you block your local user's view of the desktop while performing administrative tasks.
- Spotlight Search: It can perform lightning fast searches on machines using the spotlight search feature of OS X and thus saves a lot of time.
- As apple usually does, this is only for Mac computers. This is not a cross-platform utility.
- There is no mobile device interface to this software, it is only available on Mac App Store.
60.83333333333333%
6.1
- It has reduced human efforts and thus human resource cost for our organization. It allows you to automate repetitive tasks and thus improves overall productivity.
- Quality of service is great using this product. Our end users have been very satisfied.
Chrome Remote Desktop is cross-platform but lacks the cool features especially automation related features like Apple Remote Desktop does. For supporting Mac computers, Apple Remote Desktop was a clear choice.
No
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
Product features was the single most important factor for us when we chose this product. This has powerful features not available in other products we evaluated.
We stressed going through product features and the ease with which our support team can learn the product. We would not like to change anything in our evaluation process.
- Automator Actions are a great set of actions that you can use to create a workflow of tasks to be automated.
- Screen Sharing is seamless with no lag. Curtain mode is a great feature while sharing a screen.
- Spotlight search makes reduces time and lets you provide quicker remote assistance.
- I can't really think of any such tasks. Apple has done a great job with the product.
No
April 17, 2017
ARD: Apple screenshare.app on steroids
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is our primary remote desktop sharing tool on our HQ LAN, which consists of mostly Macs. Secondarily, we use it to deploy software packages to our local Mac users.
- Screen sharing with Macs
- Remote Control of Macs
- I would like to see more included Unix scrips that can be pushed to clients.
- Inclusion of a way to remote control or screen share with Windows machines would be useful, as I manage a handful of Windows machines. While this would be possible using VNC on the Windows machines, including the ability to connect using Windows terminal connections would be awesome, for me.
53.75%
5.4
- Since we were a mostly Mac environment, ARD made a lot of sense and it still does for our core HQ users. However moving forward a cross/multi platform tools would be more valuable.
- ARD is relatively cost effective, no subscription fee, easy to purchase via the AppStore and with Macs, just works.
For multi-site remote support we utilize TeamViewer and for enterprise-wide device management we are using Cisco Meraki System Manager. ARD is a great Mac tool, but there are many options out there, that are cloud-based, that don't require you to have network tunnels into your multiple sites. TeamViewer has great session compression and seems well optimized for multisite, global device management, but TeamViewer leans a bit more toward Windows, with regards to management. Both TV and Cisco Meraki System Manager are quite a bit more expensive than ARD, which should be a consideration as well.
October 30, 2015
Apple Remote Desktop Used In K-12 World
We use Apple Remote Desktop across the board in IT to manage, update and provide remote support for our end users on the Mac platform.
- Push and manage updates.
- Provide remote management and support.
- One easy tool to gather information regarding machines in the field.
- User friendly.
- More support for iOS and mobile devices.
- More support with pushing updates to mobile devices
- Remote lock a device or wipe a device that has been stolen.
92.85714285714286%
9.3
- We have had 110% success with Apple Remove Desktop.
- We can provide much better customer service.
- End users are very happy with results.
- Microsoft Remote Desktop, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and TeamViewer
Apple Remote Desktop provides a different level of support than programs listed above. Its a nice support tool built in the OS.
60
All IT Support and IT Field Service.
60
Provide Remote Break Fix For Apple Users
- Remote Support
- System Updates
- Security Patches
- Quick Response To Service Orders
- After Hours Acesss
- Less Downtime For Users
- iOS Devices
- Security Lock Down
- Remote Wiping Devices
Yes
Microsoft Remote Desktop For Mac.
- Price
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Prior Experience with the Product
- Vendor Reputation
- Existing Relationship with the Vendor
- Positive Sales Experience with the Vendor
- Analyst Reports
Ease of use.
Would have not changed a thing.
- Implemented in-house
No
Change management was a big part of the implementation and was well-handled
- None
Yes
More help is always nice.
No
When I was pushing a OS update to a lab of machines and running into issues Apple support stayed on the phone until the lab was fully updated and back up and running.
- Remote Support
- Screen Sharing
- Pushing Updates and Patches
- Remotely Setting Up A Machine.
- OS upgrades Have been a issue
- Ensuring The End Users Machine was running latest version.
- Having user restart machine when i couldn't remotely
No