TeamViewer is undoubtedly the most used remote assistance program in the world, also thanks to its exceptional performance in any network condition (even on slow ADSL networks it works smoothly) and thanks to the numerous additional features such as remote file transfer and automatic remote update (useful for updating the program even on PCs of novice users). Unfortunately, however, the free version of TeamViewer you have big limits: it is not possible to use it in a commercial context, a check is made on the type of connection (to verify if we are private users) and it is not possible to activate the videoconference or the remote printer without activating the license for use.If we want to offer remote assistance or help our company without having to pay any amount of money, in this guide we will show you the better alternatives to TeamViewer for remote assistance, so you can remotely take control of any computer without time or time limits.
READ ALSO: Remote desktop programs to remotely connect to the computer
Better alternatives to TeamViewer
The services that we will show you can be used in any area, including the professional one: we can then control the PCs remotely e provide technical assistance without having to pay a euro. These services also have limitations (especially on advanced features) but nothing that makes assistance impossible. For convenience, we will show you only the services that are presented as simple to set up as TeamViewer even for less experienced users (from this point of view TeamViewer remains the industry leader).
Chrome Remote Desktop
The best TeamViewer alternative that you can use right now is Chrome Remote Desktop, usable by downloading Google Chrome on all PCs and installing both the server part (on the PC to be controlled) and the client part (on our PC from which we will provide assistance).
We can quickly configure remote assistance with Chrome Remote Desktop by installing the browser add-on (we open the server site and press down on Install), copying the unique code generated for this computer and, taking us to the client page on our computer, entering the code. At the end of the configuration, we will be able to check the desktop to provide assistance quickly and quickly! We can also install the server component on various PCs and save them on our support page under different names so that we can always control two or more computers without problems. Chrome Remote Desktop can also be used from the smartphone, as seen in the guide Chrome Remote Desktop from mobile (Android and iPhone).
Iperius Remote Desktop
Another freely downloadable program to provide remote assistance is Iperius Remote Desktop, available as the only software from the official download page.
This program is even portable, just start the executable to immediately have the server and client interface ready for use. To make the remote connection, start the program on the PC to be controlled, choose a simple password in the field of the same name, copy or let us tell you the numerical code present at the top, and enter it on the Iperius Remote Desktop started on our computer, under the heading ID to connect to; now we press the Connect button and enter the password so that we can remotely control the desktop and provide the necessary assistance. The program allows us to memorize the IDs we connected to and also offers all the options for unattended access (by choosing the password for access in advance): in this way it is sufficient to start the program in self-start to offer immediate assistance.
Microsoft Quick Support
If we have a PC with Windows 10 we can also take advantage of the app Quick Assistance, available in the Start menu at the bottom left (just search for the name).
Using this tool is really very simple: we open the app on our computer, click on Help another person, log in with a Microsoft account (if we don’t have one we can create one on the fly for free), and take note of the operator code provided. Now let’s go to the computer of the person to be assisted, open the Quick Assistance app, and enter our operator code: we will thus have full control of the desktop and will be able to provide any type of assistance, without time limits. This method combines the speed of RDP with the convenience seen on TeamViewer, which is why it is the tool recommended by How2do.org.
DWService
If we have many computers with different operating systems to remotely control, the only completely free and open-source solution we can bet on is DWService, configurable directly from the official website.
This service can be used directly from the browser, at least for those providing assistance. To proceed we download the DWAgent on the computer (or computers) to be assisted, start it together with the PC and take note of the ID and password required for the connection; now let’s go to our computer, create a free account on the site seen above and add the computer via ID and password. From now on we will be able to provide assistance by opening any browser and logging into our account, where the remotely manageable computers will be visible. Since the server is installable on Windows, Mac, and Linux DWService is the best choice for large companies or for those who have many computers.
UltraViewer
If we want to provide simple remote assistance to friends or relatives we can also use the service offered by UltraViewer, accessible from the official website.
We can consider this service as one lite version of TeamViewer, as it has a very similar interface and a virtually identical connection method! To use it, in fact, just start it on the computer to be controlled, copy the ID and password and enter it in the program interface on the assistant’s computer, so as to be able to control the desktop remotely in a fluid manner and without advertising windows or invitations to switch to the Pro version (all known limitations of TeamViewer).
Conclusions
There is no shortage of alternatives to TeamViewer and they are also quite simple to use and configure, even for novice users with this type of software (in fact, you just need to communicate your ID and password to our remote assistant to proceed). The services we have shown you can also be used in a professional environment (except UltraViewer which is free for personal use only), thus providing a valid alternative to the expensive TeamViewer license for companies.
To learn more about remote assistance programs, we invite you to read our guides How to turn on the PC remotely to work remotely is How to control a computer via the Internet remotely.
If instead, we want to remotely control a Mac or MacBook, we can read our article How to control the Mac screen remotely.