RustDesk
Remote Access & VPNOpen-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer
Replaces TeamViewer, AnyDesk
Best Cross-Platform Remote Access & VPN for self-hosting
The 54 best Cross-Platform remote access & vpn you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
frp
Remote Access & VPNFast reverse proxy to expose local servers behind NAT
Replaces ngrok
Sunshine
Remote Access & VPNSelf-hosted game-stream host for Moonlight clients
Replaces NVIDIA GameStream, Parsec
Tailscale
Remote Access & VPNZero-config mesh VPN built on WireGuard
Replaces ZeroTier
Algo VPN
Remote Access & VPNSet up a personal IPsec and WireGuard VPN in minutes
Replaces NordVPN
localtunnel
Remote Access & VPNExpose your localhost to the world for testing
Replaces ngrok
GoTTY
Remote Access & VPNShare your terminal as a web application
Replaces PuTTY
Moonlight
Remote Access & VPNOpen-source game streaming client for low-latency desktops
Replaces Parsec, Steam Remote Play
Nebula
Remote Access & VPNScalable overlay networking tool from Slack
Replaces Tailscale
ZeroTier
Remote Access & VPNGlobal virtual network for connecting devices anywhere
Replaces Tailscale
Chisel
Remote Access & VPNFast TCP/UDP tunnel over HTTP secured by SSH
Replaces ngrok
Cockpit
Remote Access & VPNWeb-based graphical interface for Linux servers
Replaces Webmin
OpenVPN
Remote Access & VPNRobust and flexible open-source VPN solution
Replaces Cisco AnyConnect
Mosh
Remote Access & VPNMobile shell with roaming and intermittent connectivity
Replaces SSH
rathole
Remote Access & VPNLightweight and high-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal
Replaces ngrok, frp
noVNC
Remote Access & VPNVNC client that runs entirely in the browser
Replaces RealVNC
EasyTier
Remote Access & VPNDecentralized peer-to-peer mesh VPN
Replaces Tailscale, ZeroTier
FreeRDP
Remote Access & VPNFree implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol
Replaces Microsoft RDP
SoftEther VPN
Remote Access & VPNMulti-protocol VPN server from the University of Tsukuba
Replaces Cisco AnyConnect
ttyd
Remote Access & VPNShare your terminal over the web
Replaces PuTTY
Sliver
Remote Access & VPNOpen-source cross-platform adversary emulation framework
Replaces Cobalt Strike
bore
Remote Access & VPNModern, simple TCP tunnel in Rust
Replaces ngrok
Apollo
Remote Access & VPNSelf-hosted game and desktop streaming host
Replaces Steam Remote Play, Parsec
sshx
Remote Access & VPNFast, collaborative live terminal sharing over the web
Replaces tmux
GOST
Remote Access & VPNVersatile secure tunneling and proxy toolkit
Replaces Chisel, ngrok
TigerVNC
Remote Access & VPNHigh-performance, platform-neutral VNC implementation
Replaces RealVNC
MeshCentral
Remote Access & VPNFull remote management and remote desktop web platform
Replaces TeamViewer, ConnectWise
wstunnel
Remote Access & VPNTunnel TCP and UDP traffic over WebSocket or HTTP2
Replaces Chisel
n2n
Remote Access & VPNLayer-two peer-to-peer VPN
Replaces ZeroTier, Hamachi
Webmin
Remote Access & VPNWeb-based system administration for Unix-like servers
Replaces cPanel
innernet
Remote Access & VPNPrivate network system using WireGuard
Replaces Tailscale
KasmVNC
Remote Access & VPNModern VNC server with a browser-based client
Replaces TightVNC, RealVNC
zrok
Remote Access & VPNOpen-source sharing platform built on OpenZiti
Replaces ngrok
expose
Remote Access & VPNBeautiful, fully open-source tunnel to localhost
Replaces ngrok
websockify
Remote Access & VPNWebSocket-to-TCP bridge for browser remote access
Replaces proprietary remote gateways
Webtop
Remote Access & VPNContainerized full Linux desktop accessible from a browser
Replaces Kasm Workspaces
WireGuard
Remote Access & VPNFast, modern, secure VPN tunnel
Replaces OpenVPN
Eternal Terminal
Remote Access & VPNRemote terminal that survives network changes
Replaces Mosh
Xpra
Remote Access & VPNScreen for X, persistent remote applications
Replaces NX, Citrix
strongSwan
Remote Access & VPNModern IPsec-based VPN implementation
Replaces Cisco AnyConnect
tinc
Remote Access & VPNVPN daemon that builds an encrypted mesh network
Replaces Hamachi, ZeroTier
Snowflake SSH Client
Remote Access & VPNGraphical SSH and SFTP client with server monitoring
Replaces MobaXterm, Termius
Aspia
Remote Access & VPNFree remote desktop and file transfer toolkit
Replaces TeamViewer, AnyDesk
tunnelmole
Remote Access & VPNOpen-source tunnel to expose local servers to the internet
Replaces ngrok, localtunnel
PyRDP
Remote Access & VPNRDP monitoring, interception and connection library
Replaces Microsoft RDP Gateway
docker-baseimage-gui
Remote Access & VPNRun any GUI application in a browser-accessible container
Replaces Amazon AppStream
trzsz
Remote Access & VPNFile transfer over SSH with progress and resume
Replaces lrzsz, SCP
boringproxy
Remote Access & VPNSimple self-hosted reverse proxy and tunnel manager
Replaces ngrok
Upterm
Remote Access & VPNSecure terminal sharing for pair programming and support
Replaces tmate
Wesher
Remote Access & VPNAutomatic WireGuard mesh overlay network
Replaces Tailscale, ZeroTier
x11vnc
Remote Access & VPNVNC server for real X11 displays
Replaces TightVNC, RealVNC
gTunnel
Remote Access & VPNRobust TCP tunneling solution over gRPC
Replaces ngrok
X2Go
Remote Access & VPNRemote desktop access over SSH with NX technology
Replaces Citrix, VNC
SparkView
Remote Access & VPNBrowser-based remote access solution
No apps match these filters.
At a glance
| App | Deploy effort | Difficulty | Min. RAM | License | ★ Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RustDesk | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 256 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 125,746 |
| frp | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | Apache-2.0 | 109,890 |
| Sunshine | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 512 MB | GPL-3.0 | 42,198 |
| Tailscale | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 64 MB | BSD-3-Clause | 37,460 |
| Algo VPN | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 256 MB | AGPL-3.0 | 30,415 |
| localtunnel | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 128 MB | MIT | 22,491 |
| GoTTY | Under-an-hour setup | Easy | 64 MB | MIT | 19,551 |
| Moonlight | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 256 MB | GPL-3.0 | 19,084 |
| Nebula | Read-the-docs project | Hard | 64 MB | MIT | 18,436 |
| ZeroTier | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | BSL-1.1 | 17,180 |
Quick picks
- Most adopted: RustDesk (125,746 GitHub stars).
- Lightest footprint: websockify (from 32 MB RAM, against 1,024 MB for the heaviest here).
- Licensing: 14 of 54 use MIT; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Cross-Platform within the remote access & vpn category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.