Aspia vs Apache Guacamole
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Aspia
Free remote desktop and file transfer toolkit
VS
Apache Guacamole
Clientless remote desktop gateway in your browser
| Feature | Aspia | Apache Guacamole |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,912 | ★ 3,942 |
| First released | 2016 | 2016 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, AnyDesk | TeamViewer, Citrix |
Why pick each one
Choose Aspia if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Apache Guacamole if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is Aspia or Apache Guacamole better?
Neither is universally better. Apache Guacamole has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Aspia and Apache Guacamole free and open-source?
Yes. Aspia is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Apache Guacamole under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Aspia and Apache Guacamole with Docker?
Aspia: check the project docs for container support. Apache Guacamole: yes.