# Alternatives to Parsec

Game-grade low-latency streaming.

Parsec ranks #6 of 9 in Remote desktop tools, with an Alt Score of 68. It is proprietary, freemium from $9.99/month and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and Web. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/parsec/
Category: Remote desktop tools

## Where Parsec stands out

- **Low-latency mode (gaming)** — 2 of 5 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Gamers who want to play their PC games remotely or co-play with friends, plus creative professionals and hybrid teams who need to access a powerful desktop from another device.
- **What you get**: Low-latency remote desktop streaming with resolutions up to 4K and frame rates up to 240 FPS, using peer-to-peer connections that don't route through Parsec's servers. Supports controllers, tablets, and multiple monitors, plus session sharing so others can co-play or collaborate in real time. Free for personal use, with paid Warp, Teams, and Enterprise tiers adding features like SOC 2 Type 2 security and access controls for professional and team use.
- **How it works**: Install the Parsec app on the host and client devices, then connect with a single click to stream the host machine's screen and input in real time. Hosts can invite others to join a session for shared or co-op access to the same machine.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Starts at**: $9.99/month (verified 2026-07-11)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [AnyDesk](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/anydesk.md) | 91 | ? | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 2 | [NoMachine](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/nomachine.md) | 91 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 3 | [Splashtop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/splashtop.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 4 | [TeamViewer](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/teamviewer.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 5 | [RustDesk](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/rustdesk.md) | 78 | AGPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 6 | [RealVNC](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/realvnc.md) | 46 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 7 | [Chrome Remote Desktop](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/chrome-remote-desktop.md) | 42 | ? | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 8 | [Remmina](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/remmina.md) | 32 | GPL-2.0-or-later | Linux |

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

## Feature comparison

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

| Remote desktop tools checklist | Parsec | AnyDesk | NoMachine | Splashtop | TeamViewer | RustDesk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium | OSS + paid hosting |
| Starts at | $9.99/month | ? | USD 44.50/year (Enterprise Desktop Subscription, per computer) | $6/month (Business Access Solo, billed annually) | ? | $11.88/month |
| License | Proprietary | ? | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web |
| Cross-platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Unattended access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File transfer | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable server | No | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | Yes |
| E2E encryption | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Free for personal use | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Wake-on-LAN | No | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Multi-monitor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Low-latency mode (gaming) | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | ? | ? |
| Mobile clients | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

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

- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://parsec.app/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Personal Use Free Try it Out Individuals (Warp) $9.99 $8.33 per user/month, paid annually”
- **Starts at**: $9.99/month — <https://parsec.app/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Individuals (Warp) $9.99 $8.33 per user/month, paid annually”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://parsec.app/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “The Personal Use (free) and Individuals (warp) plans are licensed for personal, non-commercial use only, including making your computer available to other individuals on a hosted basis. Commercial use”
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Web — <https://parsec.app/downloads> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Windows Windows 10+ Web Google Chrome macOS macOS 10.15+ (Metal only) Android Google Play Linux Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Desktop”
- **Status**: active — <https://parsec.app/changelog> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Improved Video Rate Control behaviors and Multi channel audio support, along with Stability and security improvements with service (v13) and loader (v17)”
- **Cross-platform**: Yes — <https://parsec.app/downloads> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Choose your platform to download Parsec Windows Windows 10+ Web Google Chrome macOS macOS 10.15+ (Metal only) Android Google Play Linux Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Desktop”
- **Unattended access**: Yes — <https://parsec.app/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “licensed for personal, non-commercial use only, including making your computer available to other individuals on a hosted basis”
- **File transfer**: No — <https://parsec.app/enterprise> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “No more file transferring or uploading/downloading. Parsec's P2P technology passes data directly from the host to client machines.”
- **Self-hostable server**: No — <https://parsec.app/enterprise> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Ensure reliable, performant connections by routing traffic through a high performance relay server.”
- **E2E encryption**: Yes — <https://parsec.app/security> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Native application peer-to-peer traffic is encrypted end-to-end using a shared 128-bit AES key.”
- **Free for personal use**: Yes — <https://parsec.app/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Personal Use Free Try it Out”
- **Wake-on-LAN**: No — <https://parsec.app/remote-desktop> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Yes! If the host computer goes to sleep or loses power for any reason, your remote desktop will no longer work.”
- **Multi-monitor**: Yes — <https://parsec.app/pricing> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Multi-monitor streaming (Up to 3)”
- **Low-latency mode (gaming)**: Yes — <https://parsec.app/technology> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “On our test setup on a LAN ethernet connection, Parsec adds only 7 milliseconds of latency to your game.”
- **Mobile clients**: Partial — <https://parsec.app/downloads> (verified 2026-07-11)
  - Quote: “Android Google Play”

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