RustDesk vs Selkies
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?
RustDesk
Open-source remote desktop alternative to TeamViewer
VS
Selkies
Low-latency WebRTC remote desktop streaming
| Feature | RustDesk | Selkies |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 119,867 | ★ 1,983 |
| First released | 2021 | 2019 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, AnyDesk | Parsec |
Why pick each one
Choose Selkies if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is RustDesk or Selkies better?
RustDesk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Selkies if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are RustDesk and Selkies free and open-source?
Yes. RustDesk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Selkies under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RustDesk and Selkies with Docker?
RustDesk: yes. Selkies: yes.