RustDesk vs Subspace
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
Subspace
Simple WireGuard VPN server with a web dashboard
| Feature | RustDesk | Subspace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 119,867 | ★ 1,805 |
| First released | 2021 | 2019 |
| Replaces | TeamViewer, AnyDesk | OpenVPN Access Server, Twingate |
Why pick each one
Choose Subspace if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is RustDesk or Subspace 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 Subspace free and open-source?
Yes. RustDesk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Subspace under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RustDesk and Subspace with Docker?
RustDesk: yes. Subspace: yes.