Pritunl 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?
Pritunl
Enterprise VPN server built on OpenVPN and WireGuard
VS
RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer
| Feature | Pritunl | RustDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,997 | ★ 119,867 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | OpenVPN Access Server | TeamViewer, AnyDesk |
Why pick each one
Choose Pritunl if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Pritunl or RustDesk better?
RustDesk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pritunl if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Pritunl and RustDesk free and open-source?
Yes. Pritunl is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and RustDesk under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pritunl and RustDesk with Docker?
Pritunl: yes. RustDesk: yes.