What RustDesk offers
RustDesk works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, with file transfer, clipboard sync, a web client, white-labeling, and Docker-based deployment of your own servers.
Alternatives / Splashtop
1 open-source alternative
1 Best Open Source Splashtop Alternatives in 2026
Looking for an open source Splashtop alternative? Only one project we verified fits: RustDesk, a self-hostable remote desktop with a very large community.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
Best Splashtop alternatives at a glance
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | Self-hosted remote desktop | AGPL-3.0 |
How we chose these Splashtop alternatives
We looked for open-source remote desktop tools. We verified RustDesk's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. See our methodology for the full criteria.
Important: Pro features
User-level access control and device or user groups require the paid Pro version.
License details
RustDesk is AGPL-3.0.
Maintenance status
RustDesk had commits within days of this update and has over 126,000 stars.
Why look for a Splashtop alternative?
Splashtop is a proprietary service priced per user or device, with sessions routed through its infrastructure. A self-hosted relay avoids per-device fees.
rustdesk.com
RustDesk is an AGPL-3.0 remote desktop app that works out of the box and lets you run your own relay servers, so session traffic does not pass through a third party. It supports file transfer, clipboard sync, and a web client. User-level access control and device groups are in the paid Pro version.
126.5K19.9KAGPL-3.0Self-hosted
Pricing: Free self-hosted server; Pro version is paid.
- Self-hosted relay servers
- File transfer and clipboard sync
- Very large community
- User-level access control needs Pro
- AGPL-3.0 license
Compare Splashtop alternatives
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | Remote desktop | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Remote support |
Which one should you choose?
Want to host your own remote desktop relay
RustDesk offers self-hosted servers, file transfer, and a web client.