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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Apple Remote Desktop

    Score6.4 out of 10
    N/AApple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.

    $79.99

    one-time fee

    RemotePC

    Score8.8 out of 10
    N/ARemotePC is a remote access solution that allows consumers, businesses and IT professionals to access and control their PCs & Macs remotely from any device including iOS/Android. Connect to remote computers to work from home or anywhere. RemotePC lets the user access remote computers directly via the web, with no software installation required. Includes plans for consumers, small businesses, and large enterprises. IT Technicians can take advantage of RemotePC HelpDesk to connect…

    $29.50

    per year

    Pricing
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Consumer
    $29.50
    per year 1 computer
    SOHO
    $99.50
    per year 10 computers
    HelpDesk
    $99.50
    per year unlimited computers
    Team
    $299.50
    per year 50 computers
    Enterprise
    $599.50
    per year 100 computers
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—RemotePC offers regular first year discounts for all plans.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Considered Both Products
    Apple
    No answer on this topic
    IDrive
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    89%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    94%
    Would buy again
    30 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    29 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    67%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    30 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    93%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    26 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    30 Answers
    Features
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Apple Remote Desktop and RemotePC
    Feature
    Apple Remote Desktop
    8.0
    25 Ratings
    1% below category average
    RemotePC
    9.8
    30 Ratings
    19% above category average
    Screen sharing8.925 Ratings9.930 Ratings
    File transfer9.024 Ratings9.925 Ratings
    Instant message9.320 Ratings9.917 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.53 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers7.219 Ratings00 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session9.019 Ratings9.930 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile7.06 Ratings9.620 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations8.421 Ratings9.821 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.08 Ratings9.910 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard8.516 Ratings9.714 Ratings
    Session record7.39 Ratings9.916 Ratings
    Annotations7.05 Ratings9.99 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts8.312 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control6.37 Ratings9.821 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Small Businesses
    N-able Take Control
    Score8.6 out of 10
    N-able Take Control
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9 out of 10
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score8.9 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score8.9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.4
    (25 ratings)
    9.9
    (31 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    7.4
    (11 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Apple Remote DesktopRemotePC
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Apple
    I would rate this higher if I was confident that Apple is continuing to develop this utility. It has only received minor updates for quite a long time, and is not featured much in any of Apple's online material. It really is a useful utility, but it is starting to show its age and is fraying a bit around the edges in some respects. It could be very useful when integrated with the various MDM solutions (in our case, Jamf Pro) especially when an engineer needs to force something immediately and can't wait for a check-in, and also can't depend on the end user being able to (for instance) do a sudo jamf policy or sudo jamf recon.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    While at the office, I needed documents from my home PC. I was able to use the browser at the office to access my home PC, grab the document and download it. You can also browse the web from work via your home PC, if you know what I mean. Framerates are great, so it felt natural the whole time. Also the app works on Android without any issues
    Read full review
    Pros
    Apple
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    • Easy setup, Within minutes of Installation I was up and running
    • Security - OTP 2-Factor authentication, passed security testing.
    • Performance - Though I have not fully pushed the boundary it performs as if I was sitting at my desk at home from an Android tablet in the parking lot of work.
    • Value - We all have taken a gamble when buying a product. This is one of the purchases that I am actually happy with. It is a great value for what you get.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Apple
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    • long waiting time to initiate connection compare to competitors
    • total lack of keyboard translation between macOS - Windows. No keyboard configuration options at all. I don't recommend macOS users, and non-english keyboard layout users.
    • Key combination transfer doesn't work or behaves strange
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Apple
    It is a fairly unique tool in the level of integration it has with Apple Desktop products. It definitely needs some engineering attention, and it should be expanded to the iOS arena. It is not perfect, but it is very useful and fills an otherwise fairly empty niche in the support toolkit realm. The built-in screen sharing app in macOS handles the direct screen control or viewing function fairly well, but it does not have all of the other mass control features that Apple Remote Desktop supplies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    I still find value in this tool. If I needed to increase computers supported, I would need to revaluate pricing concerns.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Apple
    Once it is set up, it is quite straightforward to use. However, currently, it requires both a script to run to set up permissions and controls, AND a command from the MDM to authorize it to be active. The MDM management command is manual. This is not conducive to an automated workflow, and sometimes gets forgotten. Then, the endpoint is not contactable until someone realizes that the MDM command was not sent or was not successful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    At this point I have no issue with RemotePC's overall usability. It continues to meet my needs for what is required for me to run my business. I would like to see continued improvements with RemotePC's allowing me to continue to work remotely. Waking or starting the computer would be a plus.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Apple
    When i have needed support it was for Hardware not the software itself
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Apple
    Very quick and easy install with no real issues
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Apple
    I would feel much more comfortable having one of these alternative solutions as our Remote Desktop management tools. Each has their drawbacks and expenses associated with them, but we simply have too large of a deployment to not be considering alternatives. If it is the only solution you can afford, it is OK to start here. I could see where this would have a return on investment, but it is really only suitable for a very small and localized scale. If employees are at all mobile, the duct taping of products necessary (VPN, distribution points, script repositories) would be very cumbersome.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    Although TeamViewer stands as the top product for remote support, the same goes for its pricing. A small business like ours wouldn't be able to afford software like TeamViewer and we would never be using most of its features. On the other end, Splashtop is an affordable option, but its deployment is a little too complicated. RemotePC was our choice, with an easy deployment process and a pricing program that's easy to understand and within our budget.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Apple
    • Apple Remote Desktop has a positive return on investment because for the expense to the school, the value it brings to teachers is important. The return on improved student performance is very difficult to measure financially, but there is a definite return.
    • The overall objective of education is to increase student learning, ARD does that phenomenally. Parents see the tool used and are impressed at what the capabilities of the tool can do and how it impacts how active their students are as well as how well they can learn.
    • One negative impact is that teachers rely too much on this tool rather than on actually teaching sometimes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    IDrive
    • Zero friction remote access on demand
    • Very competitive priced
    • Saving 2 hours travel time per session
    • Saving 30 min reporting per session
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    RemotePC Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshot