ORelay vs RustDesk

RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop (AGPL-3.0) you can run entirely on your own server: a free server you install yourself, or a paid Server Pro with a web console, two-factor sign-in, an address book and single sign-on.

If you want to own every byte and run the server yourself, RustDesk is the right tool, and it is free to do so. If you would rather not run a server, and you want the computer’s health, alerts and scheduled tasks beside the screen, ORelay gives you that as a service, with the phone app included and nothing to host.

The ORelay dashboard: six computers in two groups with their status, processor and memory, the latest alerts and activity.

Side by side

RustDesk’s column is what its own pages said on October 28, 2026; the sources are at the end.

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Free use	Yes: Free for up to 5 computers, no time limit, personal or commercial	Yes: Free: the open-source client and server, which you host; public servers for getting started
Cheapest paid plan	Yes: Pro, $20 a month: 3 people and 50 computers included	Yes: Server Pro Individual, $11.88 a month billed annually: 1 user, at most 20 managed devices, on your own server
A plan for a small team	Yes: Pro, $20 a month: 3 people and 50 computers included, hosted; MSP, $150 a month: 10 people, unlimited computers	Yes: Server Pro Basic, $23.88 a month billed annually: at most 10 users and 100 managed devices, on your own server
Computers it reaches	Yes: Windows, Mac, Linux	Yes: Windows, Mac, Linux, and more
From a phone	Yes: Android and iPhone apps: see the screen and take control	Yes: Android and iOS apps
From a browser	Yes: Yes, any browser, nothing to install on your side	Partly: Web client with Server Pro, once (users × 10) + devices reaches 400
Unattended access	Yes: Yes: the agent connects out, and stays connected	Yes: Yes
Files	Yes: Browse, upload, download, send from your phone	Yes: File transfer, as a session of its own
Terminal	Yes: bash, sh, PowerShell or cmd, or one command with its output	Yes: Yes: terminal sessions, on by default
Health readings and alerts	Yes: Processor, memory, disk, network; alerts by e-mail, webhook, ntfy or app	No: Not on its pages
Scheduled tasks, software inventory	Yes: Scheduled tasks; software inventory with CSV export	No: Not on its pages
Who runs the server	Partly: ORelay Studios, in the cloud	Partly: You (or RustDesk’s public servers)
Self-hosted option	No: No: ORelay runs the service	Yes: Yes, that is the point
Open source	No: No	Yes: Yes, AGPL-3.0

Show the full comparison53 rows in 10 groups: signing in, people and permissions, directory, the screen, beyond the screen, files, monitoring, deployment, security, business

Both columns were last checked on October 28, 2026: RustDesk’s is what its own pages say, 35 of 53 rows answered there and the rest marked “not stated on its pages” rather than guessed. Each of its answers carries a footnote to the page it was read from, with the sentence as its tooltip.

Signing in

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Single sign-on (SAML or OIDC)	No: No SAML or OIDC yet	Partly: Server Pro Basic and up: OIDC single sign-on and LDAP. SAML is not mentioned¹
Sign in with Google, Microsoft, Apple or GitHub	Yes: Yes: Google, Apple, Microsoft and GitHub, once added under Account	Partly: Server Pro Basic and up, through OIDC: Google, Okta, Facebook, Azure, GitHub and GitLab accounts named²
Two-step sign-in with an authenticator app	Yes: Yes, with recovery codes	Partly: TOTP authenticator-app 2FA in Server Pro (Individual and above); not in the free server³
Passkeys	Yes: Yes, on the web and in the apps	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Require the company sign-in	Partly: With Microsoft Entra ID only; MSP and Enterprise	Partly: Not stated on its pages

People and permissions

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Roles	Yes: Yes: owner, admin, support and viewer; admin, support or viewer on a single computer	Yes: Server Pro only: Admin Roles (global, individual, group scoped) and Control Roles for in-session permissions⁴
Access per computer or group	Yes: Yes, per computer or by group; support and viewers see only what they are given	Yes: Server Pro only: access rules by user, user group and device group; a device sits in one device group⁵
Access that expires by itself	Yes: Yes: a day, a week, a month or always; share codes expire	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Share one computer with someone outside	Yes: Yes, with a share code made at the computer, which stays in its owner’s account	Partly: Anyone with a computer's ID and password can connect; no named sharing feature is described⁶
Several organizations under one login	Yes: Yes, each with its own database	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Audit log	Yes: Yes: every session, command, file, power and settings change, with who did it	Yes: Server Pro only: logs of connections, file transfers, alarms and console actions; CSV export; retention setting¹

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Active Directory	Partly: Read-only: users, computers and groups through a domain controller you allow; MSP and Enterprise	Partly: Server Pro Basic and up: sign-in through LDAP/Active Directory; no reading of domain users or computers described¹
Microsoft Entra ID sync	No: No: Entra ID is used for sign-in only	Partly: Not stated on its pages
LDAP	No: No	Partly: Server Pro Basic and up; users are created at first LDAP login; LDAP groups and converting local users not yet supported⁷

The screen

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Multiple monitors	Yes: Yes: switch between monitors in the session	Yes: Multi-monitor sessions; on Linux Wayland since 1.4.3⁸
Ctrl+Alt+Del	Yes: Yes, on Windows	Partly: Not stated on its pages
The Windows sign-in screen	Yes: Yes, with nobody signed in	Partly: Windows service reaches the sign-in screen; Linux needs X11 or a Wayland preview; macOS not stated⁹
Clipboard	Partly: Text pasted into the computer through a box; no two-way clipboard	Yes: Copy and paste for incoming connections, on by default; file copy and paste too¹⁰
Remote printing	No: No	Partly: Remote printer for incoming connections, Windows computers only⁸
Session recording	No: No, by design: the screen is never stored	Yes: Sessions can be recorded; incoming and outgoing sessions can be set to record automatically⁸
Sessions start view-only	Yes: Yes: taking control is a separate, logged step	Partly: Not by default (view-only default is off); a setting makes view-only the starting state for each peer¹⁰
The person at the computer can switch it off	Yes: Yes: the ORelay window on the computer shows what remote users may do, and any of it can be switched off	Yes: Person at the computer can require a click to accept and switch off input, clipboard, file transfer and recording¹⁰
Blank the physical screen	Yes: Yes, on Windows and Mac; the blanked screen says who is connected	Partly: Privacy mode blanks the local display during a session on Windows and macOS; the computer can switch it off¹¹

Beyond the screen

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Terminal, or one command with its output	Yes: Yes: bash, sh, PowerShell or cmd, or one command with its output, in the browser and the apps	Yes: Terminal sessions for incoming connections, on by default; can be disabled or allowed per role in Server Pro¹⁰
Scripts across many computers	Partly: Quick fixes run on one computer or several at once; no script library yet	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Scheduled tasks	Yes: Yes: timer or cron, with every run’s output; Pro and above	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Software inventory	Yes: Yes: every installed program, searchable, with a CSV export; refresh on Pro and above	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Patch management	No: No	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Power actions	Yes: Yes: shut down, restart, sleep, hibernate, lock, sign out; now or up to an hour later	Partly: Remote restart can be allowed; shutdown, sleep, lock and scheduling are not stated¹⁰
Wake-on-LAN	No: No	Partly: Only for computers found by LAN discovery, when the hardware supports it¹⁰

Files

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Browse folders without a session	Yes: Yes, from the browser and the phone	Yes: File transfer runs as its own session, apart from the desktop¹⁰
Upload and download	Yes: Yes, from the browser or the phone, over the agent’s own connection	Yes: File transfer in both directions⁸
Files kept in the service	Yes: Yes: copies kept in ORelay per plan; the vault encrypts files into your own Google Drive or OneDrive	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Size limits	Partly: 10 GB per file sent to a computer; stored files 1 GB on Free, 25 GB on Pro, 100 GB on MSP	Partly: Not stated on its pages

Monitoring

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Processor, memory, disk, network	Yes: Yes, live, and buffered on the computer while the service is unreachable	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Alerts on a reading, or a computer going quiet	Yes: Yes: a reading over a threshold for a duration, or a computer offline; severity, acknowledge, history	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Where alerts go	Yes: Yes: e-mail, webhook (Discord, Slack or JSON), ntfy and the app; no SMS	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Network devices (SNMP)	No: No	Partly: Not stated on its pages

Deployment

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Silent installers	Yes: Yes: Windows MSI, Mac pkg, Debian and RPM packages	Partly: Windows MSI with silent options; scripts for macOS and Linux; no pkg/deb/rpm silent options described¹²
Many computers at once	Yes: Yes: enrolment keys, each computer with its own certificate; Pro and above	Yes: Custom client generator (Server Pro) or deployment scripts that apply a config string¹³
Intune, Jamf, Group Policy, Ansible	Yes: Yes: Intune, Configuration Manager, Group Policy, Jamf Pro, Kandji and Ansible kits, made in the browser	Partly: MSI deployable by Group Policy, Intune or an RMM; no Jamf, Configuration Manager or Ansible kits documented¹
The agent updates itself	Yes: Yes, signed updates	Partly: Windows only (1.4.6 or later): a setting downloads and installs the latest release from GitHub; off by default¹⁰
Signed installers	Yes: Yes: Windows signed, Mac notarized, Linux packages signed	Partly: Not stated on its pages
Linux desktops, including Wayland	Yes: Yes: X11 and Wayland; under GNOME the person at the computer approves the first session	Partly: Wayland supported with limits; login screen needs X11, or an unattended Wayland preview on x86_64 Debian/Ubuntu¹⁴

Security

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Encryption	Yes: Yes: mutual TLS 1.3 between each computer and the service; HTTPS for the browser and the apps	Yes: End-to-end for ID-based sessions when clients hold the server public key (NaCl-based); TLS version not stated⁸
The screen never stored, keys never logged	Yes: Yes: the screen is never recorded and what you type is never logged	Partly: Not stated on its pages
SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA	No: None yet	No: Claims no attestation; says self-hosting is a deployment control, not a certification¹¹
Where data is held	Partly: United States; no choice of region	Partly: Self-hosted: you choose where it runs. Location of its public servers is not stated¹¹

Business

What	ORelay	RustDesk
Pricing model	Yes: A flat price per plan: Free, Pro $20, MSP $150, Enterprise $500 a month	Yes: Server Pro by login user and device: $11.88/mo (1 user, 20 devices), $23.88/mo (10 users, 100), billed annually; OSS free¹⁵
Trial or free plan	Yes: Yes: a free plan of 5 computers, with no time limit	Partly: Free self-hosted server (Server OSS) with no limits stated; no self-serve Server Pro trial, email for terms¹⁶
Monthly or annual	Yes: Yes: monthly, or yearly at ten months’ worth; cancel any time	No: Annual payment only, no auto-renewal¹⁵
Support	Yes: Yes: e-mail and phone, by the people who build it	Partly: Community support on the free plan; dedicated support with paid plans¹⁵
API and webhooks	Partly: Webhooks for alerts; the viewers’ REST API is not yet documented for others	Yes: Server Pro only: REST API with tokens made in the web console, plus Python command-line scripts¹

RustDesk’s pages, as read on October 28, 2026

Every page loaded; none returned 403 or 404 this pass. Redirects: each blog and pricing URL redirects to its trailing-slash address, which is the source used. The vendor posts (vs TeamViewer, vs AnyDesk, self-hosted alternative) claim for RustDesk itself: remote control, unattended access, file transfer, session recording, remote printing on Windows, multi-monitor, LDAP and OIDC SSO from the Basic plan, access control by device group, Control Roles, a REST API and a custom client generator; they say nothing of monitoring, patching, scripting or Active Directory reading. Other rows rest on the docs pages and are marked Server Pro or client. Rows left unknown were looked for on the docs, pricing and blog pages and not found.

Where RustDesk is the better choice

Full control: the source is open, and the ID and relay servers can be yours, so no traffic touches anyone else’s machine.
Cost at scale when you already run servers: the Pro licence is per server, not per technician.
Air-gapped and LAN-only networks, where a hosted service cannot reach.
Tinkering: a community, forks, and a client you can build yourself.

Where ORelay is the better choice

Nothing to host, patch, back up or keep reachable: ORelay runs the service, and the agent only connects out.
Beyond the screen: health readings, alerts, scheduled tasks and the software list, none of which is on RustDesk’s pages.
The phone app is part of the product, with the same computers, alerts and quick fixes as the browser.
Sharing one computer with a code, organizations with their own data, and enrolment keys for many computers at once.

What each costs

ORelay

Free: $0: 1 person, 5 computers, no time limit
Pro: $20 a month, or $200 a year: 3 people, 50 computers, scheduled tasks, inventory, webhooks, the cloud vault, enrolment keys
MSP: $150 a month, or $1,500 a year: 10 people, unlimited computers, Active Directory, company sign-in

Yearly plans are ten months’ worth. Everything is on the pricing page.

RustDesk, as shown on October 28, 2026

Free (open source): $0: The client and the server, which you install and run
Server Pro Individual: $11.88 a month, billed annually: 1 user, 20 managed devices, 2FA, web console, address book, audit log
Server Pro Basic: $23.88 a month, billed annually: 10 users, 100 managed devices, plus SSO, LDAP and a custom client
Customized: From $23.88 a month, billed annually: Users at $1.20 and devices at $0.12 each on top

Prices change; the sources below are the pages to check.

Try ORelay

Free for up to 5 computers, no time limit, nothing to open on your network.

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Sources

RustDesk pricing (Server Pro plans)
RustDesk on GitHub (AGPL-3.0, platforms, self-hosting)
RustDesk self-hosting docs
Read on October 28, 2026. RustDesk is a trademark of its owner, which has no connection with ORelay Studios LLC.