Aspia vs RustDesk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer
| Feature | Aspia | RustDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 67 · Good | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,927 | ★ 124,391 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, AnyDesk | TeamViewer, AnyDesk |
What are Aspia and RustDesk?
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
RustDesk
RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop application that works out of the box with optional self-hosted relay and rendezvous servers. It runs on all major platforms.
- Self-hosted relay servers
- Cross-platform clients
- End-to-end encryption
- No configuration required
Aspia vs RustDesk: key differences
Aspia is written in C++, while RustDesk is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Aspia versus AGPL-3.0 for RustDesk. Aspia is the more established project (first released 2016), while RustDesk arrived in 2021. RustDesk has the considerably larger community, at 124,391 GitHub stars versus 1,927. RustDesk 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 RustDesk if…
- Easy self-hosted server
- Works everywhere
Watch out for
- Relay can be bandwidth heavy
Frequently asked questions
Is Aspia or RustDesk better?
RustDesk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Aspia if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Aspia and RustDesk free and open-source?
Yes. Aspia is licensed under GPL-3.0 and RustDesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Aspia and RustDesk with Docker?
Aspia: check the project docs for container support. RustDesk: yes.