SHSelfHostIndex

RustDesk vs RustDesk Server

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?
RU RustDesk Open-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer VS RU RustDesk Server Self-hosted relay and ID server for RustDesk
FeatureRustDeskRustDesk Server
CategoryRemote Access & VPNRemote Access & VPN
LicenseAGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageRustRust
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 119,867★ 10,209
First released20212021
ReplacesTeamViewer, AnyDeskTeamViewer

Why pick each one

Choose RustDesk if…

  • Easy self-hosted server
  • Works everywhere
RustDesk details

Choose RustDesk Server if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 10.2k GitHub stars
RustDesk Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is RustDesk or RustDesk Server 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 RustDesk and RustDesk Server free and open-source?

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

Can I run RustDesk and RustDesk Server with Docker?

RustDesk: yes. RustDesk Server: yes.

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