Cockpit 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?
Cockpit
Web-based graphical interface for Linux servers
VS
RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer
| Feature | Cockpit | RustDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,842 | ★ 119,867 |
| First released | 2014 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Webmin | TeamViewer, AnyDesk |
Why pick each one
Choose Cockpit if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 14.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Cockpit or RustDesk better?
Neither is universally better. RustDesk has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cockpit and RustDesk free and open-source?
Yes. Cockpit is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and RustDesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cockpit and RustDesk with Docker?
Cockpit: check the project docs for container support. RustDesk: yes.