Remote Desktop Services vs. RealVNC Connect

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Remote Desktop Services
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Remote Desktop Services from Microsoft is virtual desktop and remote user session technology.N/A
RealVNC Connect
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
RealVNC® 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.
$8.25
per month (billed annually) per 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 DetailsPlans 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
Features
Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Remote Desktop Services
8.9
Ratings
9% above category average
RealVNC Connect
7.3
Ratings
11% below category average
Screen sharing9.30 Ratings9.00 Ratings
File transfer9.30 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session8.60 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile10.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations9.00 Ratings4.70 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard9.00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Session record9.50 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Instant message00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings5.30 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
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Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
6.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
6.6
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
3.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Remote Desktop ServicesRealVNC Connect
Likelihood to Recommend
Remote Desktop Services provides access to work environments from any device. This allows us to ensure business continuity in case of disaster. It provides admins more control over access and security. Remote Desktop Services simplifies software updates and compliance management by reducing the need to act on end users devices.
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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.
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Pros
  • Relative ease of setup: in comparison to some of the other solutions on the market (Citrix, etc.), Remote Desktop Services is rather easy to set up and get configured in your environment.
  • Feature set: Microsoft offers a good deal of the same features many competitors offer in the same space including a mobile app and the ability to have a "native" app feel for a remote application.
  • Inexpensive Licensing: in comparison to other solutions on the market Remote Desktop Services is inexpensive.
  • Move LOB applications closer to their server counterparts: this goes for all remote solutions, but if you have a line of business application that makes a great deal of calls across the network to your data center, your remote office users will likely benefit from the performance and stability side by moving those client side applications into the data center.
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  • Allow remote connection to pc and servers that are located within our WAN. The connection is stable with fast response (no lag)
  • Allow remote connection to pc and servers that are located outside. The connection is stable with fast response (no lag)
  • It allows chat function with the user, and pasting capability from local desktop and mapped a drive to the remote system.
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Cons
  • Advanced configuration is required.
  • Off-site access from a different network is very insecure unless a VPN can be used.
  • It's complicated and relatively costly for multi-user environments, as each user or device requires a CAL on top of the server licensing.
  • Incredibly complicated licensing strategy from Microsoft.
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  • Some of the confusion of VNC upon installation is you need to be connected to the internet for it to function. This is not the case, but is unclear upon installation.
  • The licensing model is not ideal for locations that do not use the internet and function off of the grid.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
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.
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Usability
Once set up it works well and is extremely easy for users. Getting it right can be difficult, it is easy to setup insecurely. Maintenance can be difficult with only a single broker and with manual switchover required for redundant gateways. Troubleshooting access issues can also be difficult
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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
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Performance
There are some third party tools available that allow you to manage multiple connections.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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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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.
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Online Training
No answers on this topic
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
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
No problem at all, love the product.
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Alternatives Considered
We used RDS on-site primarily because of how easy it is for users to transition from their own desktop to a remote desktop. However, from off-site, there are VPN and other security considerations to take into account, and the process gets a little more complex. In this situation, especially if you're trying to support a user who is outside the local network, it can be easier to use something like Chrome Remote Desktop or TeamViewer. However, the Windows functionality of RDS is totally unmatched.
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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 monitoring agent includes the TeamViewer tool for us to use.
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Return on Investment
  • Remote Desktop Services has had a major positive ROI impact at our firm. There were a number of times when our staff was traveling abroad to business meetings with a laptop that had missing presentations. But once they had internet access, a Remote Desktop Services connection is established, and presentation data can now be shown directly from their laptops as if theyr'e sitting in our office.
  • Remote Desktop Services has made it possible for Mac staff users to use their computing devices to access our network system to run Windows applications and access all our network data.
  • Remote Desktop Services has made it possible for our staff to successfully work remotely from outside the office. There were many occasions when emergencies came up which prevented staff from coming into the office to work. But as long as they have a computer with an internet connection, they used Remote Desktop Services to connect to our terminal server and successfully ran the programs to modify data files on the network without losing a beat.
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  • 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.
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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.