CloudTTY 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.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureCloudTTYRustDesk
CategoryRemote Access & VPNRemote Access & VPN
LicenseApache-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageGoRust
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentkubernetes, helmdocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 659★ 119,867
First released20222021
ReplacesttydTeamViewer, AnyDesk

Why pick each one

Choose CloudTTY if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Written in Go
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
CloudTTY details

Choose RustDesk if…

  • Easy self-hosted server
  • Works everywhere
RustDesk details

Frequently asked questions

Is CloudTTY or RustDesk better?

RustDesk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider CloudTTY if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are CloudTTY and RustDesk free and open-source?

Yes. CloudTTY is licensed under Apache-2.0 and RustDesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run CloudTTY and RustDesk with Docker?

CloudTTY: check the project docs for container support. RustDesk: yes.

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