ZeroTier One vs RustDesk Remote Desktop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ZeroTier One
Create secure, peer-to-peer virtual Ethernet networks on your iOS device. Connect to hybrid clouds, remote teams, and IoT devices without hardware. Easily join existing networks via a simple interface.
- Join ZeroTier virtual networks
- Secure peer-to-peer connections
- Connect hybrid clouds
- Connect remote teams
- Connect IoT devices
- No hardware required
- iOS VPN control panel integration
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ZeroTier One for iOS allows you to join ZeroTier virtual networks as VPN connections on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. ZeroTier creates secure peer-to-peer virtual Ethernet networks that work anywhere. Skip the VPN hassles. Connect hybrid clouds, remote teams, and IoT devices directly with no hardware required. ZeroTier One provides virtual network endpoint functionality for iOS devices. Getting started takes seconds: Just tap '+', enter your network ID and name, and then click ‘join network.’ (Once a network is added you can also join it via the iOS VPN control panel. It will appear there as an available VPN connection.) You can only join one ZeroTier network at once due to an iOS limitation of one VPN connection per network extension app. The app allows you to add multiple networks but if you flip one to 'on' any others currently joined will disconnect. We value your feedback! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for future improvements, please contact our support team through our website. Thanks for using ZeroTier! Clients for other platforms are available on https://www.zerotier.com/ and source code to ZeroTier's core engine can be found here: https://github.com/zerotier/ZeroTierOne
RustDesk Remote Desktop
This open-source application provides remote desktop access and control capabilities. It allows users to remotely manage their computers. Please note it only supports controlling other devices, not being controlled or screen sharing.
- Open-source remote desktop
- Remote access and control
- TeamViewer alternative
- Control other devices
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An open-source remote desktop application. The open source TeamViewer alternative. Source code: https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk Doc: https://rustdesk.com/docs Please be reminded that this app only has the ability to control, and it does not have the functionality of being controlled or screen sharing. WARNING: YOU MAY BE BEING SCAMMED! If you are on the phone with someone you DON'T know AND TRUST who has asked you to install RustDesk, do not install and hang up immediately. They are likely a scammer trying to steal your money or other private information.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: RustDesk Remote Desktop at 4.1 against ZeroTier One's 3.9. On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
RustDesk Remote Desktop holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 189 and 73 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 58% and 59% positive.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ZeroTier One | RustDesk Remote Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (189 ratings) | 4.1 (73 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.0% of reviews | 58.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 189 — better | 73 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ZeroTier, Inc | Purslane Limited |
Customer experience
ZeroTier One
RustDesk Remote Desktop
User reviews
ZeroTier One
From 189 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works great
- 🔒 Reliable and secure
- 👍 Easy to set up and use
- 🌐 Allows remote access to devices
- 💡 Useful for gaming and collaboration
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🔋 Battery drain
- 🤔 Confusing UI
- 🚫 Doesn't work on certain devices/OS versions
RustDesk Remote Desktop
From 73 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast connection and performance
- 🌟 Open source and free
- 💡 Self-hosting capability
- 👍 Easy to set up and use
- ⚡️ Low input lag
Room to improve
- 🔋 Phone heats up
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on iOS/iPadOS
- 🚫 Lacks mouse acceleration
- 📱 Poor compatibility with older iOS versions
- ⚠️ Some users report data collection (location, identifiers)
Bugs and requests
ZeroTier One
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to add networks on iOS devices
- Frequent disconnections and reconnection issues
- Managed IP field always empty
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for custom planet and moon servers
- Implement on-demand VPN functionality
- Provide better network visibility and management
- Improve compatibility with newer iOS versions
RustDesk Remote Desktop
Reported bugs
38 issues- Recent update broke iPad mouse alignment
- No image displayed from PC (black screen)
- Remember Password function doesn't work
- Black screen when remoting into Raspberry Pi Linux server (Wayland)
- Keyboard issues when remoting from iPhone to PC
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- Cannot control Mac
- iPad app fails to connect or shows key mismatch error
- App crashes or becomes unresponsive
- Connection issues over mobile data network
- Session closes after a short period
- Key presses duplicated or not registered with external keyboard
- Settings/Preferences not preserved
- iOS language icon covers toolbar collapse icon
- Previous direct IP sessions not saved
- Enter key does not work in address bar
- Copy/Paste broken
- Latest update deleted saved connections
- App not responding after update
- Connection Error, Operation not permitted (error 1) on iOS
- Mouse overflows monitor content, preventing clicks on edges
- Double-clicking behavior in touch mouse/pad options
- App launches but window vanishes on old iPads
- Crash on app startup (v1.2.7, iOS 12.2)
- Cannot paste remote ID by holding text input
- iOS client attempting to control Android results in frozen interface
- Cannot control Windows PC typing from iPhone
- Version 1.2.7 has issues on iPad (cannot launch)
- Address book empty on Pro version
- Arrow keys do not function like a desktop keyboard
- Phone heats up during use
- Mouse pointer on desktop and iPad not lined up
- Flakey behavior with keyboard and trackpad on iPad
- Scaling displays issues on iPad
- Key mismatch error with iPad app
- Virtual machine control issues (keyboard repeats or fails to register)
- Mobile network connection issues
- Cannot connect over mobile data network
- UI icon not centered
Requested features
13 requests- Add option to view and modify USB drives in file transfer mode
- Improve mouse and keyboard control configurability
- Allow Apple Pencil to function as a mouse
- Support iPhone remote control of each other
- Add option to automatically switch display/monitor to follow remote window focus
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Sync remote ID list by iCloud
- Improve Wayland support
- Add option to change two-finger gesture behavior (scroll vs. move canvas)
- Center remote screen when zooming
- Remap controls for mouse actions
- Integrate arrow keys with device keyboard
- Support iPhone to Android control
- Support Windows remote typing from iPhone
In-app purchases
ZeroTier One
No in-app purchases
RustDesk Remote Desktop
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ZeroTier One free?
Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?
Which has better reviews, ZeroTier One or RustDesk Remote Desktop?
Do ZeroTier One or RustDesk Remote Desktop have ads?
Which is updated more often, ZeroTier One or RustDesk Remote Desktop?
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