Ranking updated
Remote desktop apps: controlling a computer from your phone
A remote desktop app shows the screen of a computer on your phone and lets you control it as if you sat in front of it. You install a program on the computer and the app on the phone. AnyDesk is free for personal use, TeamViewer adds file transfer and Wake-On-LAN, Windows App from Microsoft connects to Windows PCs and cloud desktops, and Chrome Remote Desktop opens computers set up through Chrome.
How we chose: remote desktop apps from the companies that make them, free to download, with features taken from each app’s store description. We left out lookalike apps from third-party sellers.
How remote access works
The computer you want to reach runs a program from the same maker, and the phone runs its app. In AnyDesk you install it on both devices, enter the AnyDesk-ID shown on the remote device and confirm the request there. In TeamViewer you start TeamViewer on the computer and enter its ID and password. Never install a remote access app because a stranger on the phone asked you to: that is how scammers get into computers and bank accounts.
AnyDesk and TeamViewer
AnyDesk is ad-free and free for personal use, for IT support, working from home or studying remotely. Its listing names encryption to banking standards, high frame rates with low latency, and cloud or on-premises setups. TeamViewer controls Windows, Mac and Linux computers, including ones behind firewalls and proxies and unattended machines such as servers. It has touch gestures, a full keyboard with special keys, file transfer in both directions, multi-monitor support, real-time sound and video, and Wake-On-LAN to switch the computer on remotely. Subscriptions are sold in the app.
Windows App and Chrome Remote Desktop
Windows App from Microsoft connects to remote PCs running Windows Professional, Enterprise or Windows Server and to desktops your admin publishes in Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, including through a Remote Desktop Gateway. It can use an external monitor and redirect folders, the clipboard, microphone and camera. Chrome Remote Desktop works with computers where you set up remote access from the Chrome Web Store; in the app you tap an online computer to connect. We found it on Google Play, not in the App Store.
Which one to choose
Helping family or using your own computer from home, AnyDesk, free for personal use. Moving files and switching the computer on remotely, TeamViewer. Work PCs and cloud desktops on Windows, Windows App. Already living in Chrome on Android, Chrome Remote Desktop. To keep files reachable from every device without remote control, see cloud storage apps, and for remote team tools, apps for remote work.
| App | Connects to | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| AnyDeskApp StoreGoogle Play | computers with AnyDesk | free for personal use, no ads, connect by AnyDesk-ID, access confirmed on the remote device |
| TeamViewerApp StoreGoogle Play | Windows, Mac and Linux | file transfer both ways, multi-monitor, sound and video, Wake-On-LAN, unattended access |
| Windows AppApp StoreGoogle Play | Windows Pro, Enterprise, Server, Windows 365 | Remote Desktop Gateway, external monitor, clipboard, microphone and camera redirection |
| Chrome Remote DesktopGoogle Play | computers set up in Chrome | set up from the Chrome Web Store, tap an online computer to connect |
Frequently asked questions
Which remote desktop app is free?
AnyDesk says it is free for personal use. TeamViewer, Windows App and Chrome Remote Desktop are free to download; TeamViewer also sells subscriptions in the app.
Can I control my computer from my phone?
Yes. Install the program on the computer and the matching app on the phone, then connect with the computer’s ID, as in AnyDesk or TeamViewer, or pick it from your list, as in Chrome Remote Desktop.
Which remote desktop app is in Ukrainian?
On the App Store, AnyDesk and TeamViewer list Ukrainian.