AnyDesk vs Zoho Assist
With so many options available for your remote desktop requirements, it’s difficult to decide on what is best for your company’s needs. This article will highlight two popular options – GoToMyPC and Microsoft Remote Desktop. With a side-by-side comparison of what each option offers, along with price and performance, making an informed choice between GoToMyPC or Microsoft should be a lot less daunting.
Overview
Online software company Zoho offers Zoho Assist – a secure and reliable remote desktop solution that allows you to make on demand or scheduled remote connections sessions. Zoho Assist allows for screen sharing as well as in session live chat. It works on Mac and Windows and requires no installation.
AnyDesk is another commercially available option for your remote desktop requirements. Unlike Zoho Assist, installation is required and the software must be running in order to initiate a remote desktop session. AnyDesk works on a device ID principle. The machine that you want to connect to must share its ID with the machine that is wanting remote access. This is similar to other popular tools like TeamViewer. The advantage of AnyDesk is its low latency rate – resulting in a faster user experience. Within an AnyDesk remote session, you can share your mouse and keyboard, and even take and share screenshots with a simple drag and drop action.
Features
Zoho Assist
Zoho Assist includes multi-screen support – allowing you to access various devices simultaneously. Every session can be recorded, and all support activities are logged for your internal records and training. Zoho Assist uses Two Factor Authentication (2FA) to provide additional security. These measures can include the user receiving an SMS or One Time Pin (OTP). There are no downloads or installations required to use Zoho Assist as it is cloud based. This means there’s no issues around upgrades and version compatibility. All communications that occur within the Zoho Assist environment are encrypted using SSL and AES 256-bit encryption. Firewalls are also not an issue when using Zoho Assist and easily configured.
AnyDesk
AnyDesk provides an alternative for remote desktop requirements. Similar to other products like TeamViewer, AnyDesk is a lightweight application that is only 2.8MB. The file must be downloaded but installation is not required. Simply run the application from the downloaded file. AnyDesk offers a free for personal use and a paid subscription model for businesses. AnyDesk allows you to collaborate and own your network, quickly and securely. All sessions are recordable.
Feature | Zoho Assist | AnyDesk |
Transfer Files |  | |
Record Sessions | | (Windows only) |
Supports Audio | | |
Transfer Sessions | | |
Print Remotely | | |
Share USB |  | |
Allow Real-Time Chat | | |
Mobile Access | | |
Interface Comparison
Both Zoho Assist and AnyDesk provide a user-friendly interface with a clear image display that can be scaled without losing any resolution. Both applications allow easy access to mobile devices.
Operating Systems
You can use both of these tools with all popular operating systems. Zoho Assist and TeamViewer support a wide variety of platforms for establishing remote access.
Operating System | Zoho Assist | AnyDesk |
Windows | | |
Windows Mobile | | |
Android | | |
iPhone/iPad | | |
macOS | | |
Linux | | |
FreeBSD | | |
Web-based | | |
Pros and Cons
We provide the following tables with the advantages and disadvantages of Zoho Assist and Anydesk. You can compare them with what RDP and AnyDesk provide to make the best choice for your situation.
Zoho Assist
Pros | Cons |
| Affordability | Free plan is limited |
| Flexible price plans | There is no package than includes all features |
| Option to white label | Unattended access plans are capped at 25 computers |
| Multiple client sessions possible | |
AnyDesk
Pros | Cons |
| Small file size for download | Some users have experienced issues when copy pasting |
| Speed with low latency rate | The display resolution sometimes changes while in session |
| No session time limits | While the application does not need to be installed, if you want to access system files, this is not the case |
| Backward compatible | |
| User friendly and responsive interface with keyboard shortcuts. | |
| Available for all major mobile platforms | |
Price
Both tools offer multiple pricing plans to fit your needs. You can easily compare their value against the cost of competing products like RDP and AnyDesk.
Single commercial licenses for AnyDesk that allow connection to one remote device are $9.90 per month.
Zoho Assist has the free and subscription-based payment plan at its core. The subscription model is rather complex with a variety of options available for remote support or unattended access. The different remote support plans are Standard ($8), Professional ($13) and Enterprise ($21). The main difference amongst these plans is the number of concurrent sessions allowed. Based on your own company’s needs, it’s best to determine which of the additional services like remote printing, rebranding, custom domain mapping etc. offered in each package is your best fit.
Plan Options | Zoho Assist | AnyDesk |
Free Version | Yes | Yes |
Free Trial | 15 days | 14 days |
Standard / Essential | With Remote Support or Unattended Access $8 | Essential -$9.90 |
Professional / Performance | With Remote Support or Unattended Access $13 | Performance -$19.90 |
Enterprise | With Remote Support $21 | Enterprise - Custom |
Conclusion
Commercially available remote support tools generally work across the most common desktop and mobile operating systems like Windows, MacOS and Android or iOS. Which solution you choose would depend on your company’s needs. AnyDesk offers a stable and reliable remote desktop solution, but it can be expensive. Although their licensing fee includes all future updates, their top tier Enterprise plan can be customised for your company’s specific requirements. If price is a consideration, Zoho Assist is a great choice to consider.