Remote support software lets a technician see and control a user's screen to fix a problem, either on request or on machines left permanently reachable.
This guide ranks eleven products on setup effort, the bill once unattended access and extra technicians are counted, what leaves with you, and whether you can buy and cancel without a partner.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What remote support software does
Remote support software lets technicians connect to a user's computer or phone to view and control it, transfer files and chat, using on-demand session codes or installed unattended agents.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether you can leave, and who each remote support tool is built for. One rule overrides the order: smaller vendors take the first three places when the category offers them, and the best-known brands start at four. Reasons for the choice of tests, and for skipping a score out of ten, can be read on the how we work page.
Browser-light support tool with a free plan and seat pricing
Ranked #1 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
The ladder is plain: Free, Solo, Team and Business, sized by operator seats and unattended devices rather than connection slots. Yearly billing includes two months free, and Paddle handles tax at checkout.
Commercial use is allowed on the free plan. The cost of this clarity is range: past ten operators or 800 devices you leave the price list, and there is no reporting or ticketing layer described on the pricing page.
What stands out
Free plan
Per operator seat
Windows and macOS
Where it costs you
The free plan allows one operator, five unattended devices and one remote session at a time.
Linux, iOS and Android operator apps are listed as coming soon, not shipped.
Right for
Small support desks that want published seat prices and a usable free tier
Wrong for
Teams needing mobile or Linux technician apps today
United StatesFree plan for one operator; Solo, Team and Business tiers published monthly or yearly; no separate trial
Single-plan remote support priced by simultaneous technician seat
Ranked #2 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
There is no tier maze here: a single subscription, billed monthly or yearly, with annual billing cheaper per seat. Unattended access, file transfer and session switching sit in the same plan.
The limits are concrete: 200 unattended computers per seat, three logins per seat, and changes handled by contacting support. A growing team pays by adding seats, so cost rises linearly with the number of technicians working at the same moment.
What stands out
One plan
Per technician seat
Unattended access
Where it costs you
The site gives no operating system list for the expert and client applications.
Plan changes and cancellations go through the support team, not a self-service screen.
Right for
Small help desks wanting one price, all features and shared logins per seat
Wrong for
Buyers who need a documented platform list before purchase
CanadaOne plan with every feature, published monthly or annual price per seat; free trial without a card
Perpetual-licence remote control, free for up to thirty computers
Ranked #3 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Money flows differently here. A standard licence covers one controlled computer, with falling per-unit rates at larger volumes and a flat unlimited licence at the top.
A HelpDesk licence counts active channels instead, and lets you install the server module on computers your organisation does not own. Checkout runs through payment links and resellers, and the ruble conversion applies. Features include file manager, Wake-on-LAN and a registry editor.
What stands out
Perpetual licence
Free edition
Per controlled computer
Where it costs you
Antivirus products flag the software as a potential risk, as the vendor admits on its home page.
No refunds are offered; the vendor points to the 30-day trial instead.
Right for
Technicians who prefer a one-off licence over a monthly subscription
Wrong for
Organisations that need a corporate vendor with a registered company
RussiaFree edition up to 30 computers; one-time licence price per controlled computer; HelpDesk licence per active channel; 30-day trial
Remote support available as cloud, self-hosted or private cloud
Ranked #4 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
Among remote support tools, this one stands out for where the connections run. The Self-Hosted plan keeps connections, user data and session history on your own server, with SAML SSO and LDAP supported.
The Enterprise route is a single-tenant managed private cloud. Smaller buyers can start with a 15-day trial covering one user and five devices, no card. Licences last 12 months, upgrades are free, and a 15-day money-back guarantee applies.
What stands out
Self-hosted option
Private cloud
Yearly licence
Where it costs you
Several tiers show a price only after contacting the vendor, so a quick comparison is not possible.
The unlimited editions carry fair-usage caps of 5,000 managed devices and 55 licensed users.
Since the 2025 PDQ acquisition the vendor no longer stands alone.
Right for
Buyers in this market who need session data kept on their own infrastructure
Wrong for
Teams that want every price visible on the page before talking to sales
Not stated by the vendorYearly licences by concurrent users or devices; self-hosted and managed private cloud editions; 15-day trial
On-premises remote control sold as perpetual or subscription licence
Ranked #5 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
This is classic installed software: a control module, a gateway for connections beyond the LAN, and a choice between perpetual and subscription licences. Support covers Windows, Mac, mobile devices and older Linux, over TCP/IP and HTTP.
The vendor says onboarding and ongoing support are included and implementation carries no fee. The trade-off is opacity, since the licence count, price and trial length appear only once contact details have been submitted.
What stands out
Perpetual option
On-premise
One-to-many
Where it costs you
Prices, trial length and licence counts are not shown on the site.
Linux support is described as legacy.
Right for
Organisations wanting an installed, gateway-based tool with a buy-once option
Wrong for
Buyers who want to compare prices before speaking to anyone
Not stated by the vendorPerpetual or subscription licences; price on request via a contact form; trial download
Attended and unattended support licensed per concurrent technician
Ranked #6 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
One licence supports up to ten named users on the account, but only as many sit in sessions as there are licences. Up to three technicians can join one session if you hold several licences, and two people can reach the same machine only through unattended access with two licences.
Managed computers top out at 1,200. The fine print gives two annual figures without explaining the gap, so confirm which applies before ordering.
What stands out
Concurrent licence
Annual billing
Attended sessions
Where it costs you
Annual-only billing locks in a year at once.
SSO, IP whitelisting and unattended Android access need the Enterprise tier.
Right for
Help desks with a few technicians working simultaneously on attended sessions
Wrong for
Teams needing single sign-on or monthly billing on a low tier
Not stated by the vendorPublished annual price per concurrent technician; billed yearly only; trial offered; add-ons sold separately
Per-technician support in two bundles, with a free edition
Ranked #7 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
In a ranking of remote support tools, the appeal here is the low entry point and the split between two product families. Support plans allow two, four or six concurrent sessions per technician, while unattended access plans allow unlimited sessions.
Sessions run in the browser with no prior install. Billing is monthly or annual, with annual saving over 15%, and the 15-day trial runs without a card. Scheduling and rebranding start in Professional.
What stands out
Free plan
Per technician
Two plan families
Where it costs you
Session recording, departments and webhooks sit only in the top support tier.
The free plan's limits are not listed on the pricing page.
Concurrent licences and OEM use are quote-only.
Right for
Customer-service teams that want to start on a free edition and scale by technician
Wrong for
Teams that need audit trails but do not want to pay for the highest support bundle
Not stated by the vendorFree plan; paid tiers per technician with monthly or annual billing; 15-day trial
Technician-licensed support tool sold as cloud or on-premise
Ranked #8 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
Published prices make this easy to compare: One at 30 USD a month billed annually, Standard at 47 USD annually or 62 monthly per concurrent technician, and Premium at 57 or 72.
Each step up raises the session count, from one to three to ten per technician. Standard adds Backstage, a remote command line, Wake-on-LAN and session recording. Enterprise is by quote, and the vendor page does not state a country.
What stands out
Cloud or on-premise
Per concurrent tech
Tiered sessions
Where it costs you
The cheapest One plan is billed annually only and allows a single session.
Video auditing and the diagnostics toolkit appear only from the Premium plan.
A self-hosted licence is arranged through sales rather than bought online.
Right for
Technician-led teams that want published per-seat prices and room to grow into more sessions
Wrong for
Buyers who need one session only and want to pay monthly at the lowest tier
Not stated by the vendorPublished list price per concurrent technician, billed monthly or annually; Enterprise on request; cloud or on-premise licence
Windows-centred support tool from SolarWinds, installed on premises
Ranked #9 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
The pitch is administration as much as support: Active Directory tools, remote monitoring and alerting, RDP security, and a viewer that can open from a Web Help Desk ticket. Smart-card and multi-factor authentication are listed.
Deployment is on premises, so the team runs the infrastructure. The licence model is not stated on the page, and a quote is the only route to a figure, which makes comparison with published-price rivals hard.
What stands out
On-premises
Active Directory
Request a quote
Where it costs you
No prices, licence model or platform list appear on the product page.
Ticket-launched sessions depend on the same vendor's Web Help Desk.
Right for
Windows-heavy IT teams that want sessions started from tickets and AD tools
Wrong for
Buyers who want a cloud service with listed prices
Not stated by the vendorPrice on request; on-premises software; 14-day trial
Remote connection platform sold as renewing annual subscriptions
Ranked #10 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
For a buyer comparing European providers, the service comes from TeamViewer Germany GmbH in Goeppingen, with TeamViewer SE as parent. Only the expert needs a licence. Subscriptions are annual and renew automatically.
Optional add-ons for device management, endpoint protection and monitoring each come with a 30-day trial, and a 30% discount applies to non-profit and education buyers. Large enterprises are pointed to Tensor.
What stands out
Annual renewal
Add-on modules
Enterprise tier
Where it costs you
Renewal happens by itself every 12 months unless you cancel at least 28 days before term end.
Add-on prices vary with endpoints, users or storage, so the total is hard to predict.
The Tensor enterprise licence is fully customised and has no listed price.
Right for
German-provider buyers who only want to license the support expert, not the customer
Wrong for
Buyers who want a fixed monthly bill with no add-on variables
GermanyAnnual subscriptions that renew automatically; only the technician needs a licence; add-ons carry 30-day trials
Remote access bundled with helpdesk, patching and device management
Ranked #11 of 11 in Best Remote Support Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The product page lists remote monitoring and management, asset management, service management, automation and an AI helper that summarises tickets. That breadth is the selling point and the risk: a support desk comparing session tools is also comparing a suite.
The page offers a start-for-free option without terms, and routes quotes through sales. Because its pricing pages sit apart for IT teams and service providers, confirm which one applies to your organisation.
What stands out
Helpdesk bundle
IT teams and MSPs
Device management
Where it costs you
Prices were not readable on the pages we could retrieve.
The wider bundle means paying for modules a pure support desk may not use.
Right for
IT departments wanting helpdesk, patching and access in one product
Wrong for
Teams that only need simple on-demand screen sessions
Not stated by the vendorSeparate plan pages for IT teams and managed service providers; trial start offered; sales demo available
Remote support software lets technicians connect to a user's computer or phone to view and control it, transfer files and chat, using on-demand session codes or installed unattended agents. What separates these products is rarely a feature. Work through the steps below.
01
Work out how much a sales call is worth to you
Only 6 of the 11 print a price; 5 quote per organisation. Comparable without a sales call: HelpWire, Techinline FixMe.IT, LiteManager, Splashtop SOS, Zoho Assist, ConnectWise ScreenConnect.
02
Look at where the vendor sits
Look at the contracting entity: these 11 vendors sit in 5 countries, split by region as Elsewhere 8, North America 2, Europe 1. The servers can be anywhere; the legal obligations follow the company.
How remote support software licences hide the real cost
Remote support software is sold on three different units, and comparing them takes arithmetic. HelpWire and Techinline FixMe.IT count seats, ScreenConnect and Splashtop SOS count concurrent technicians, and LiteManager counts every controlled computer once and then stops charging. A team of six technicians who rarely work at the same time pays far less on a concurrent plan than on named seats, while a team that is always busy pays more.
Unattended agents add a second dimension: Techinline caps them at 200 per seat, ScreenConnect's entry plan at ten, Splashtop at ten or 300 per licence. Write down peak simultaneous sessions and the number of machines you reach when nobody is present, then price each product against both figures before looking at the headline rate.
Count peak simultaneous sessions, not headcount
Count unattended machines separately
Ask what happens at the agent limit
Attended sessions, unattended agents and why they differ
Attended support starts when a user reads out a code or opens a link, so nothing stays installed. Unattended access means an agent on the machine, which turns your tool into a standing door. That matters for Zoho Assist, which sells the two as separate plan families, and for LiteManager, whose own site warns that antivirus tools flag it for exactly this reason.
HelpWire lists live assistance and continuous access as two modes. Decide which job dominates. A help desk answering phone calls mostly needs attended sessions and a quick client download. An IT team patching servers at night needs agents, grouping and Wake-on-LAN. Paying for both when you need one is the usual waste, and the cheaper tier of a product often holds only one.
Separate your phone-in cases from your standing-access cases
Check how the user consents to each session
Ask how agents are removed when a device leaves
Self-hosted and on-premise options in remote support
Most buyers take a cloud service, but a few tools can run inside your network. ISL Online offers a self-hosted licence and a single-tenant private cloud, NetSupport Manager runs through its own gateway, Dameware Remote Support is listed as on-premises software, and ScreenConnect offers a self-hosted route through sales.
Running the server yourself keeps session data on your infrastructure, but it also makes you responsible for updates, certificates and open ports. ISL Online names ports 80, 443 and 7615 and supports SAML or LDAP sign-in. Ask each vendor what the self-hosted licence costs relative to cloud, whether features differ, and who patches the server. Several of these vendors show no price for the on-premises edition without a conversation.
Ask for the self-hosted price in writing
List ports and certificates your team must maintain
Confirm cloud and self-hosted feature parity
Suites, bundles and who owns the product you buy
Several remote support products are now one module inside a wider platform. GoTo Resolve bundles helpdesk, patching and device management, TeamViewer sells device management, endpoint protection and monitoring as add-ons, and Dameware Remote Support connects to SolarWinds Web Help Desk. ISL Online changed hands in 2025 when PDQ acquired it.
None of that is bad by itself, but it shapes the bill and the roadmap: a support desk that wants only sessions can end up paying for modules it never opens. Check who the legal seller is, whether the pricing page lists the bundle or just the session tool, and what an exit looks like when the vendor changes ownership or retires a plan.
Identify the legal seller and any recent acquisition
Ask which modules are included in the quoted price
Check how session logs and recordings can be exported
What goes wrong most often when buying remote support software
Buying named seats when technicians rarely overlap, and paying for idle capacity.
Ignoring the unattended-agent cap until the fleet grows past it.
Treating a free plan as a trial, then discovering it allows one operator and one session.
Signing an annual auto-renewal without noting the cancellation notice period.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best remote support software in 2026?
HelpWire leads our ranking of 11. HelpWire is made by Electronic Team, Inc. in Reston, Virginia, and lists all four tiers openly, from a free single-operator plan to a Business tier with ten operators.
Seats run sessions at the same time, with no cap on concurrent connections. The operator app covers Windows and macOS, while Linux, iOS and Android are shown as coming soon. Above ten operators the price is quoted directly.
Which remote support tools publish their pricing?
Published pricing exists for 6 products on this page:
HelpWire: Free plan for one operator; Solo, Team and Business tiers published monthly or yearly; no separate trial.
Techinline FixMe.IT: One plan with every feature, published monthly or annual price per seat; free trial without a card.
LiteManager: Free edition up to 30 computers; one-time licence price per controlled computer; HelpDesk licence per active channel; 30-day trial.
Splashtop SOS: Published annual price per concurrent technician; billed yearly only; trial offered; add-ons sold separately.
Zoho Assist: Free plan; paid tiers per technician with monthly or annual billing; 15-day trial.
ConnectWise ScreenConnect: Published list price per concurrent technician, billed monthly or annually; Enterprise on request; cloud or on-premise licence.
Everything else on the list is priced on request.
Is there a free remote support tool?
HelpWire, LiteManager, Zoho Assist come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these remote support software vendors established?
In 5 countries across 3 regions: Elsewhere 8, North America 2, Europe 1.
HelpWire: United States.
Techinline FixMe.IT: Canada.
LiteManager: Russia.
ISL Online: Not stated by the vendor.
NetSupport Manager: Not stated by the vendor.
Splashtop SOS: Not stated by the vendor.
Zoho Assist: Not stated by the vendor.
ConnectWise ScreenConnect: Not stated by the vendor.
Dameware Remote Support: Not stated by the vendor.
TeamViewer: Germany.
GoTo Resolve: Not stated by the vendor.
Which remote support tools can you host yourself?
ISL Online, NetSupport Manager, ConnectWise ScreenConnect, Dameware Remote Support. The other 7 are hosted by the vendor only.
What should you use instead of HelpWire?
Techinline FixMe.IT and LiteManager are the next two on this page. Techinline FixMe.IT is for small help desks wanting one price, all features and shared logins per seat; LiteManager is for Technicians who prefer a one-off licence over a monthly subscription.
Who should not buy HelpWire?
Teams needing mobile or Linux technician apps today. The free plan allows one operator, five unattended devices and one remote session at a time..
Do you make a remote support software product that is not listed here? Describe what it does and who buys it. We decide on inclusion, a listing cannot be bought, and the details are under software advice.
