Self-Hosted Alternatives to TeamViewer

Why Replace TeamViewer?

Cost. TeamViewer’s commercial license starts at $24.90/month per user. Even “personal use” frequently triggers commercial-use detection, locking you out with “commercial use suspected” messages that require a license purchase to resolve. Self-hosted alternatives are free.

Privacy. TeamViewer routes all connections through their servers. They can see your connection metadata, and a 2016 breach exposed user credentials. Self-hosted solutions keep connections within your own infrastructure.

Commercial-use detection. TeamViewer aggressively detects “commercial use” — even for legitimate personal use. Connecting to a work laptop from home, helping a family member who has a business laptop, or having too many connections can trigger it. Once flagged, sessions are limited to 5 minutes.

Reliability. TeamViewer’s servers occasionally go down, taking your remote access with them. When you self-host, your uptime is in your own hands.

Control. TeamViewer decides which features you get, which clients are supported, and when to push updates. Self-hosted tools give you full control over versions, features, and access policies.

Best Alternatives

RustDesk — Best Direct Replacement

RustDesk is the closest self-hosted equivalent to TeamViewer. It provides full remote desktop control with a UI that’s intentionally similar to TeamViewer: connection ID, password, file transfer, clipboard sync, and unattended access. You can self-host the relay server so all traffic stays on your infrastructure.

What you get: Remote desktop control for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. File transfer, clipboard sharing, unattended access. Self-hosted relay and rendezvous servers via Docker.

Best for: Anyone who needs TeamViewer-like functionality (support sessions, unattended access to remote desktops) without the commercial-use restrictions.

Docker setup: RustDesk’s self-hosted server requires two components — hbbs (rendezvous server) and hbbr (relay server):

services:
  hbbs:
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:1.1.14
    container_name: rustdesk-hbbs
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: hbbs
    ports:
      - "21115:21115"   # NAT type test
      - "21116:21116"   # Rendezvous (TCP)
      - "21116:21116/udp" # Rendezvous (UDP)
      - "21118:21118"   # WebSocket
    volumes:
      - ./data:/root
    networks:
      - rustdesk

  hbbr:
    image: rustdesk/rustdesk-server:1.1.14
    container_name: rustdesk-hbbr
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: hbbr
    ports:
      - "21117:21117"   # Relay (TCP)
      - "21119:21119"   # WebSocket
    volumes:
      - ./data:/root
    networks:
      - rustdesk

networks:
  rustdesk:

Apache Guacamole — Best Browser-Based Access

Apache Guacamole provides remote desktop access through a web browser — no client software needed on the accessing device. It supports RDP, VNC, SSH, and Telnet protocols. Connect to any machine from any device with a browser.

What you get: Browser-based remote desktop (RDP/VNC), SSH terminal, file transfer, clipboard sharing, session recording. Multi-user with fine-grained permissions.

Best for: IT teams managing multiple servers, or users who need remote access from devices where they can’t install software (shared computers, tablets, Chromebooks).

Trade-offs: Requires the target machine to run an RDP or VNC server. Not a drop-in TeamViewer replacement — more of a gateway for existing remote protocols.

Tailscale + Native RDP/VNC — Best for Simple Remote Access

If you just need to access your machines remotely (not provide support to others), Tailscale or WireGuard combined with native RDP (Windows) or VNC (Linux/Mac) gives you direct, encrypted remote desktop access without a middleman.

What you get: Encrypted network access to all your machines. Use Windows Remote Desktop, VNC, or SSH natively. No port forwarding needed with Tailscale.

Best for: Self-hosters who need to access their own machines remotely. Not ideal for providing support to non-technical users (they’d need Tailscale installed).

[Read our Tailscale guide: How to Set Up Tailscale]

Migration Guide

For Personal Remote Access

1. Install Tailscale on all your devices (5 minutes per device)
2. Connect to remote machines using native RDP (Windows) or VNC (Linux/Mac) over Tailscale’s encrypted network
3. Uninstall TeamViewer
4. Done — no server to maintain, no port forwarding

For Supporting Others (TeamViewer-Like)

1. Deploy RustDesk’s self-hosted server (30 minutes)
2. Install the RustDesk client on machines you support
3. Configure clients to use your self-hosted server
4. Share the RustDesk client with people who need support
5. Uninstall TeamViewer from all machines

For IT/Server Management

1. Deploy Apache Guacamole (45 minutes)
2. Configure connections to your servers (RDP/VNC/SSH)
3. Set up user accounts with appropriate permissions
4. Access everything through your browser
5. No client software needed on accessing devices

Cost Comparison

What You Give Up

• One-click support for non-tech users. TeamViewer’s “just give me the ID and password” workflow is hard to beat for ad-hoc support. RustDesk comes closest but requires installing a client.
• Automatic relay infrastructure. TeamViewer’s global relay network handles NAT traversal transparently. Self-hosted RustDesk relays work well but you’re limited to your server’s location and bandwidth.
• Session management dashboard. TeamViewer’s management console (contacts, groups, access logs) is polished. RustDesk’s web console is simpler.
• Wake-on-LAN integration. TeamViewer can wake sleeping machines. Self-hosted alternatives need separate WOL tooling.
• Cross-platform polish. TeamViewer’s clients are highly polished across all platforms. Open-source alternatives are functional but less refined.

FAQ

Is RustDesk really a TeamViewer replacement?

For most use cases, yes. It provides remote desktop control, file transfer, unattended access, and works across all major platforms. The UI is deliberately similar to TeamViewer. The main gap is the session management polish.

Do I need a public server for RustDesk?

For connections across different networks (not on the same LAN), yes. The relay server needs to be publicly accessible. A $3-5/month VPS works well. For LAN-only use, you can run the server locally.

Can I use Guacamole for ad-hoc support?

Not easily. Guacamole is designed for accessing pre-configured machines, not for ad-hoc “connect to anyone’s desktop” scenarios. Use RustDesk for that.

What about AnyDesk?

AnyDesk has similar commercial-use restrictions as TeamViewer and is also proprietary. If you’re leaving TeamViewer for freedom, AnyDesk has the same problems.

Related

• How to Set Up Tailscale with Docker
• How to Self-Host WireGuard
• How to Self-Host wg-easy
• Tailscale vs WireGuard
• Best Self-Hosted VPN Solutions
• Self-Hosted Alternatives to NordVPN
• Docker Compose Basics