Self-hosted TeamViewer Alternative: RustDesk, MeshCentral and Guacamole Compared

Run remote support on your own terms, without a third-party cloud? WZ-IT builds remote-management platforms with self-hosted components such as RustDesk. See our remote-management platforms

If you want to replace TeamViewer with a self-hosted solution, you have three actively maintained open-source tools to choose from as of October 2026: RustDesk, MeshCentral and Apache Guacamole. A fourth route is a self-hosted mesh VPN such as NetBird carrying existing RDP, VNC or SSH. The tools solve different problems; the comparison covers licence, model, platforms and maintenance status. For the classic TeamViewer workflow with an ID and password, RustDesk is the obvious choice, so the article then covers RustDesk in detail.

RustDesk is an open-source, self-hostable remote support and remote desktop tool, an alternative to TeamViewer and AnyDesk. Instead of running through a vendor cloud, the connection goes through your own ID and relay server (hbbs/hbbr) that you operate yourself. As a result, you decide where brokering and relay run, and no vendor server is involved in the session. Session data flows directly between the endpoints (via hole punching) or, if that fails, through your own relay (RustDesk docs). If an endpoint sits outside your network, for example at an external technician, the data flows there too; the session is end-to-end encrypted throughout. As of October 2026 the RustDesk client is at version 1.5.0 and RustDesk Server OSS at 1.1.16, both under AGPL-3.0 (github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk).

Table of Contents

• Self-hosted TeamViewer alternatives compared
• Which tool for which use case
• How RustDesk works
• Current version and license
• Setup at a glance: Docker
• Security, GDPR and sovereignty
• RustDesk vs. TeamViewer vs. AnyDesk
• RustDesk Server OSS vs. Server Pro
• Use cases and how WZ-IT uses RustDesk
• Further guides

Self-hosted TeamViewer alternatives compared

Self-hosted means the same for all four options: brokering, gateway or control run on your own servers. The model, however, differs fundamentally. RustDesk and MeshCentral use software on the target device, Guacamole is a gateway without an agent, and NetBird only provides the encrypted network that existing protocols such as RDP run over.

Status: 14 October 2026, versions taken from the GitHub releases and the Guacamole release page.

Not in the table: Remotely (GPL-3.0) still appears in many lists of self-hosted TeamViewer alternatives. The repository is not archived, but the latest release v2024.08.07 dates from August 2024 and the latest commit from December 2024. For a new production deployment, that means no ongoing security updates.

Which tool for which use case

• Support on the desktops of employees or customers: RustDesk. The workflow matches TeamViewer: ID and password, screen sharing, file transfer. With your own hbbs/hbbr, no brokering runs through the vendor's servers.
• Managing many of your own machines permanently: MeshCentral. The agent registers with your own server, and the web console offers remote desktop, terminal and file management in the browser, with no client on the technician's side. Installation with Docker, reverse proxy and hardening: Install MeshCentral.
• Admin access to servers, VMs and plants: Apache Guacamole. Only the existing RDP, VNC or SSH service runs on the target, and the technician only needs a browser. Guacamole does not offer ID-based connections through third-party NAT routers; the Guacamole server needs a network path to the target. More in What is Apache Guacamole? and VNC in the browser.
• Network access instead of individual screen sessions: a mesh VPN such as NetBird. It connects devices and sites, and the actual session then runs over RDP, VNC or SSH. An overview is in What is NetBird?.

These tools often complement each other: RustDesk for interactive desktop support, a browser gateway like Guacamole for RDP, VNC and SSH access to servers and plants, both without a VPN client on the far side. How that works without a VPN client is shown in Remote maintenance without a VPN client.

How RustDesk works

RustDesk has two parts: the client and the self-hosted server. The client runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and in the web. Each installation gets a unique RustDesk ID; connections are made via this ID, not via IP addresses.

The server splits into two components (rustdesk.com/docs):

• hbbs (ID/rendezvous server): registers clients by their ID and brokers the connection setup. It tries to punch a direct peer-to-peer hole through NAT (hole punching). hbbs listens on TCP 21115 and 21116 and UDP 21116 (plus TCP 21118 for web clients).
• hbbr (relay server): takes over when no direct path can be established and forwards the data stream. hbbr listens on TCP 21117 (plus TCP 21119 for web/WebSocket clients).

Crucially, the session is end-to-end encrypted. RustDesk uses the NaCl crypto library - Curve25519 for key exchange, xSalsa20-Poly1305 for session data and Ed25519 for signatures. The symmetric session key is negotiated directly between the two clients. Even when the stream goes through hbbr, the relay only sees encrypted packets and cannot decrypt them. The server is deliberately kept "dumb": it brokers and forwards, but it never knows the contents.

Current version and license

The RustDesk client is licensed under AGPL-3.0; the current version is 1.5.0 (30 September 2026, release notes), adding WebRTC connections, an ID whitelist and extended session recording options, among other things. The RustDesk Server OSS (rustdesk-server, containing hbbs and hbbr) is also AGPL-3.0 and available in version 1.1.16 (July 2026) (github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk-server). Both are free and fully self-hostable.

There is also RustDesk Server Pro, a commercial extension with central management. The license is tied to the hbbs server and scales with the number of users and devices. The OSS relay (hbbr) stays identical and license-free in both cases.

Setup at a glance: Docker

The simplest path is Docker or Docker Compose. You start two containers - one for hbbs, one for hbbr - from the official rustdesk/rustdesk-server image. On first start, hbbs generates a key pair in the data directory (id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub).

The rough sequence:

1. Provision a server: a small VM or root server with a public IP or DNS name, with the ports above opened.
2. Start hbbs and hbbr: via Docker Compose, with a persistent volume for the keys and the ID database.
3. Distribute the public key: clients need the content of id_ed25519.pub to enforce an encrypted connection.
4. Configure clients: in the RustDesk settings, enter the ID server (hbbs address), relay server (optional) and public key - by hand or pre-configured through the client configuration.

For fleets, the client can be rolled out with an embedded server configuration so endpoints point straight at your own server. Resource needs are small; a single small VM is enough for many endpoints.

Security, GDPR and sovereignty

The biggest advantage over the cloud services is data sovereignty. When self-hosted, connection brokering and - where needed - relaying run exclusively through your infrastructure. There is no vendor collecting connection metadata and no external cloud sitting in the path. The server and (with Server Pro) the audit data can be operated specifically in the EU - a solid basis for GDPR-compliant remote maintenance. This is also relevant in the context of requirements such as the NIS2 directive.

A few hardening points: keep the relay host minimal and up to date, enforce the public key to block unencrypted or foreign connections, and protect unattended access with a strong password and - via Server Pro - 2FA. Anyone who needs traceable, role-based access typically combines RustDesk with an overarching access layer. Note: this section is general information, not legal advice.

RustDesk vs. TeamViewer vs. AnyDesk

The core point: TeamViewer and AnyDesk are mature, convenient cloud services - but the brokering always runs through the vendors, and costs scale with users and devices. RustDesk moves exactly that brokering onto your own servers and makes the source code auditable. More on operations and use on our RustDesk expertise page.

RustDesk Server OSS vs. Server Pro

The OSS server is a pure ID and relay service: no central dashboard, no user accounts, no address book sync, no device groups, no audit log. For plain remote support with a manageable number of devices, that is often enough.

Server Pro adds a web console with user management, a synchronised address book, device groups, 2FA, OIDC/SSO integration and an audit log. The license is stored in the hbbs and sized by user and device count. As of October 2026 the Individual plan costs USD 11.88 per month (1 login user, 20 managed devices) and the Basic plan USD 23.88 per month (10 login users, 100 managed devices, plus OIDC/SSO and LDAP), both billed annually and without auto-renewal. Larger licenses cost USD 1.20 per additional user and USD 0.12 per additional device per month (rustdesk.com/pricing). Teams running RustDesk with compliance requirements usually land on Pro - or combine OSS with their own access and audit layer.

Use cases and how WZ-IT uses RustDesk

Typical use cases are support (helping employees or customers at the desktop), admin access (unattended access to servers and workstations) and infrastructure access (maintaining distributed endpoints over your own brokering servers).

At WZ-IT we rely on self-hosted building blocks such as RustDesk when data sovereignty and cost control matter - embedded in a platform with an encrypted network backend and an auditable access layer. The ABCO Water Systems case study shows how we remote-maintain distributed plants in production. On request we handle selection, build and operation end to end as part of our remote-management platforms. Where network access needs a mesh VPN, WZ-IT operates it as Managed NetBird from €349.90 net per month; the base package includes monitoring, updates, backups and support.

Further guides

• RustDesk expertise - usage and operations
• Install MeshCentral - Docker, reverse proxy and hardening
• Remote maintenance without a VPN client
• What is Apache Guacamole? - RDP/VNC/SSH in the browser
• What is NetBird? - mesh VPN for network access
• Remote maintenance and GDPR - data processing in remote maintenance

Want to set up remote support sovereign and without a third-party cloud? Get to know us or take a look at our remote-management platforms.