RustDesk vs Upterm
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
Upterm
Secure terminal sharing for pair programming and support
| Feature | RustDesk | Upterm |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 119,867 | ★ 1,273 |
| First released | 2021 | 2019 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, AnyDesk | tmate |
Why pick each one
Choose Upterm if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is RustDesk or Upterm better?
RustDesk is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Upterm if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are RustDesk and Upterm free and open-source?
Yes. RustDesk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Upterm under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RustDesk and Upterm with Docker?
RustDesk: yes. Upterm: check the project docs for container support.