Aspia vs MeshCentral
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Aspia | MeshCentral |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 67 · Good | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,927 | ★ 7,279 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, AnyDesk | TeamViewer, ConnectWise |
What are Aspia and MeshCentral?
Aspia
Aspia is a free, open-source remote desktop and file-transfer application supporting desktop management, view-only sessions and a self-hostable relay and router. It works across Windows and Linux.
- Remote desktop and file transfer
- Self-hostable relay/router
- End-to-end encryption
- Cross-platform
MeshCentral
MeshCentral is a self-hosted, web-based remote management platform that provides remote desktop, terminal, file transfer, and device management. It supports thousands of agents.
- Web-based remote desktop
- Device fleet management
- File transfer and terminal
- Wake-on-LAN support
Aspia vs MeshCentral: key differences
Aspia is written in C++, while MeshCentral is built with HTML. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Aspia versus Apache-2.0 for MeshCentral. Aspia is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for MeshCentral. Aspia is the more established project (first released 2016), while MeshCentral arrived in 2018. MeshCentral has the considerably larger community, at 7,279 GitHub stars versus 1,927. MeshCentral lists first-class Docker deployment; Aspia does not.
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 MeshCentral if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.3k GitHub stars
- Written in HTML
Frequently asked questions
Is Aspia or MeshCentral better?
Neither is universally better. MeshCentral has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Aspia and MeshCentral free and open-source?
Yes. Aspia is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MeshCentral under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Aspia and MeshCentral with Docker?
Aspia: check the project docs for container support. MeshCentral: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Aspia or MeshCentral?
Aspia has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for MeshCentral. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.