# Screens vs RustDesk Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Screens and RustDesk are both Remote desktop on a Mac, so the pick depends on workflow. Mac native polish and Curtain Mode points to Screens. Free, self hosted and cross platform points to RustDesk. Screens: The Homebrew cask was removed upstream. Available from Edovia and the Mac App Store. Download: https://edovia.com/en/screens/ Install RustDesk with Homebrew: brew install --cask rustdesk. In August 2026 the choice is straightforward. Pay a small yearly subscription for the most pleasant Mac native VNC client, or pay nothing for a free, self hosted remote desktop you can audit and host yourself. Screens 5 wins when your setup is mostly Macs and Curtain Mode, Bonjour and drag and drop polish matter enough to justify $35.99 per year. RustDesk wins when your fleet mixes operating systems, when privacy and self hosting are non negotiable, or when free forever matters most. Many Mac users keep both. Screens for daily Mac to Mac control and RustDesk for occasional help sessions and cross platform fleets. ## Head to head | Factor | Screens | RustDesk | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Paid | Free | | Open Source | No | Yes | | Replaces | — | TeamViewer/AnyDesk | | Best for | vnc, remote desktop, screen sharing | remote desktop, screen sharing, vnc | | Install | The Homebrew cask was removed upstream. Available from Edovia and the Mac App Store. Download: https://edovia.com/en/screens/ | brew install --cask rustdesk | | Category | System Utilities | System Utilities | ## Screens Beautiful VNC client for Mac Install: The Homebrew cask was removed upstream. Available from Edovia and the Mac App Store. [Download from the official site](https://edovia.com/en/screens/) [Screens on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/screens) ## RustDesk Open source remote desktop software Install: `brew install --cask rustdesk` [RustDesk on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/rustdesk) ## Features - **Protocol and ecosystem focus.** Screens is the polished VNC choice for Mac to Mac. RustDesk is the universal option for any platform. - **Ease of setup and NAT traversal.** RustDesk is simpler for non Mac targets and for anyone who wants self hosted relay without a subscription. - **Design and macOS feel.** Screens wins on Mac polish by a clear margin. - **File transfer and clipboard.** Screens is more elegant Mac-to-Mac; RustDesk is more versatile cross-platform. - **Security and privacy.** RustDesk offers the stronger privacy story with self hosted, auditable encryption. - **Performance and battery.** RustDesk often feels snappier on poor connections thanks to its modern codec. - **Pricing.** RustDesk wins on price. It is effectively free for personal and self hosted use, compared with about $36 per year for Screens relay. - **Platform breadth.** For mixed environments RustDesk breadth is unmatched. ## FAQ ### What does Screens 5 cost in 2026? Screens 5 is a subscription for relay and sync: Individual is $3.59 per month or $35.99 per year, Teams is $29.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Screens Connect is free, and upgrade discounts exist for owners of the deprecated Screens 4 perpetual license. ### Is RustDesk really free? The RustDesk client and the community self-hosted relay/rendezvous server are free and open source forever. RustDesk Pro for managed self-hosting with web console is paid, typically around $9.90 per month Individual ($118.80 per year) and $19.90 per month Basic ($238.80 per year), but many personal users self-host the OSS edition at no cost. ### Which is more private? RustDesk is more private when self-hosted: traffic never traverses Edovia or any vendor cloud, encryption is NaCl-based and the source is auditable. Screens is privacy-respecting and notarized but its convenient relay relies on Edovia infrastructure unless you VPN or port-forward VNC yourself. ### Do both work on macOS Tahoe 26.x and Apple Silicon? Both are notarized and work on Tahoe 26.x and Apple Silicon. Screens is Apple Silicon-native; RustDesk provides a notarized macOS binary that runs well on M-series Macs with Screen Recording and Accessibility permissions. ### Which is better for controlling only Macs? Screens is better for Mac-to-Mac: Bonjour discovery, Curtain Mode, trackpad gestures and drag-and-drop file transfer make it the most Mac-native VNC experience. ### Which is better for mixed Mac, Windows and Linux environments? RustDesk is better for heterogeneous fleets, it controls and is controlled from macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android with one ID system and optional self-hosted relay, while Screens is Mac/iOS-centric with VNC for other hosts. ### Which performs better on a poor connection? RustDesk often feels more responsive on congested or relayed connections thanks to its modern Rust codec and adaptive quality. Screens is smooth on LAN and decent over relay but uses VNC which can be heavier on limited bandwidth. ### Can I self-host either service? RustDesk is designed for self-hosting: one Docker command runs relay and rendezvous for zero subscription cost. Screens cannot self-host its relay, you either use Edovia's relay subscription or manually port-forward VNC/SSH yourself. ## Sources - [Edovia - Screens 5 Pricing FAQ](https://help.edovia.com/en/screens-5/faq/s5-pricing) - [Edovia - Upgrading to Screens 5 from Screens 4](https://help.edovia.com/en/screens-5/faq/s5-upgrade) - [MacStories - Screens 5 Review](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/screens-5-an-updated-design-improved-user-experience-and-new-business-model/) - [RustDesk - Pricing](https://rustdesk.com/pricing/) - [rustdesk/rustdesk - GitHub](https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk) - [TechJockey - RustDesk Pricing](https://www.techjockey.com/detail/rustdesk/) - [Slashdot - RustDesk Reviews](https://slashdot.org/software/p/RustDesk/) ## Related - [RustDesk vs Parsec](https://bundl.run/compare/rustdesk-vs-parsec) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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