# Alternatives to HelpWire

HelpWire is a remote support application for support teams to run attended sessions with clients, offering file transfer and multi-workstation access.

HelpWire ranks #11 of 11 in Remote support tools, with an Alt Score of 60. It is proprietary, free from Free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 8 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/helpwire/
Category: Remote support tools

## Where HelpWire stands out

- **Free for personal use** — 4 of 10 apps with a verified answer have this
- **E2E encryption** — 5 of 11 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: IT support technicians, MSPs, solo IT providers, system administrators and home users who need to take control of a remote Windows, macOS or Linux machine. The vendor is Electronic Team, Inc. (Reston, VA).
- **What you get**: Attended and unattended remote control with keyboard/mouse/clipboard control, drag-and-drop file transfer, multi-monitor viewing, in-session chat, Windows admin privilege elevation, and a web portal for client directories, notes, groups, operator permissions and team invitations. Security features include TLS/AES-256 encryption, OTP-based 2FA on the portal, explicit client consent, and DigiCert-signed apps.
- **How it works**: An operator installs the desktop Operator app (or the account-free Quick Connect app for attended-only sessions) and sends the client a connection link; the client runs a small client app and approves access, with unattended access granted separately by explicit permission. Connections are peer-to-peer by default and fall back to AWS relay servers when a direct route is not possible. The product is in early access — every published plan is currently unlocked at $0, with paid tiers announced for Q3-Q4 2026.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-29)
- **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-29)
- **Starts at**: Free (verified 2026-07-29)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-29)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [ISL Online](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/isl-online.md) | 90 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 2 | [BeyondTrust Remote Support](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/beyondtrust-remote-support.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 3 | [ConnectWise ScreenConnect](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/connectwise-screenconnect.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 4 | [Getscreen.me](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/getscreen-me.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 5 | [Dameware Remote Everywhere](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/dameware-remote-everywhere.md) | 80 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 6 | [Iperius Remote](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/iperius-remote.md) | 80 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 7 | [N-able Take Control](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/n-able-take-control.md) | 80 | ? | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 8 | [Supremo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/supremo.md) | 75 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
| 9 | [RemotePC](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/remotepc.md) | 70 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 10 | [Zoho Assist](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/zoho-assist.md) | 70 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Remote support tools checklist | HelpWire | ISL Online | BeyondTrust Remote Support | ConnectWise ScreenConnect | Getscreen.me | Dameware Remote Everywhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Subscription | Subscription | Subscription | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starts at | Free | €14.90/mo | ? | $30 USD/month (One plan) | $149 (Personal Lifetime) | $972/yr |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Web, Browser extension | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Unattended access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Session recording | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free for personal use | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | ? |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| E2E encryption | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| File transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ticketing integration | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Mobile device support | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for HelpWire. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.helpwire.app/company/policies/terms/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: Terms of Service grant a revocable use license from Electronic Team, Inc.; no source code or open-source license is offered.
  - Quote: “You are granted a revocable, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license”
- **Pricing model**: Free — <https://www.helpwire.app/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: Early access: every published tier bills $0 today. Announced but not yet live: Solo $10/mo, Team $30/mo, Business $70/mo (marked COMING SOON, expected Q3-Q4 2026).
  - Quote: “In the future, we plan to introduce paid features, but the core features will remain free without nag screens or session cutoffs.”
- **Starts at**: Free — <https://www.helpwire.app/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: All plans currently bill $0 during early access; no paid tier is purchasable yet.
  - Quote: “All features. Free. Right now.”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux — <https://kb.helpwire.app/operator-application/supported-platforms/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: Vendor knowledge-base subdomain. Client app covers the same three platforms; Windows 7+, macOS Big Sur 11+, Ubuntu/Debian/RHEL/Fedora.
  - Quote: “The HelpWire Operator application is currently available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.”
- **Status**: active — <https://kb.helpwire.app/changelog/2026/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: Changelog shows shipped features in Feb, Mar and May 2026.
  - Quote: “Updated on May 27, 2026 • Added: Support for connecting to multiple clients simultaneously.”
- **Unattended access**: Yes — <https://www.helpwire.app/features/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Quote: “Access a remote device without anyone on the other end. Use it for after-hours maintenance, background updates, or follow-up work after a live session ends.”
- **Session recording**: No — <https://www.helpwire.app/teamviewer-alternative/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: In the vendor's own comparison table the 'Session recording' row is a cross in the HelpWire column while competitors get checks; it appears nowhere on the features page or public roadmap.
  - Quote: “Session recording”
- **Multi-platform**: Yes — <https://www.helpwire.app/features/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Quote: “Cross-Platform Support Connect from Windows, Linux, or macOS. Practical for working with clients who use different operating systems, regardless of which one you’re on yourself.”
- **Free for personal use**: Yes — <https://www.helpwire.app/use-cases/home-use/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Quote: “Is HelpWire really free? Yes. Every feature is 100% free for personal, non-commercial use.”
- **Self-hostable**: No — <https://kb.helpwire.app/roadmap/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: Listed under 'Future Features (TBA)', so self-hosted deployment is not available today. The service runs on vendor infrastructure (AWS relay, Auth0 login, web portal).
  - Quote: “Enterprise Features — Advanced capabilities such as custom branding, custom domains, SSO login, and self-hosted deployment.”
- **E2E encryption**: Yes — <https://www.helpwire.app/features/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Quote: “Remote session data is protected by end-to-end encryption using TLS and AES-256.”
- **File transfer**: Yes — <https://www.helpwire.app/features/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Quote: “File Transfer Drag files into the session window or use the clipboard to copy them between systems.”
- **Mobile device support**: No — <https://kb.helpwire.app/roadmap/> (verified 2026-07-29)
  - Note: Roadmap places mobile operator apps at Q1 2027; the Android and iOS product pages are both labelled 'Coming Soon' and KB supported-OS pages list only Windows, macOS and Linux.
  - Quote: “Mobile Operator Apps Remote control apps for Android and iOS, letting operators provide support on the go. ETA : Q1 2027”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/