Twingate vs RustDesk Remote Desktop
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Twingate
Provides secure, encrypted, least-privileged access to cloud or on-premise applications. It offers a more secure alternative to VPNs, allowing remote access without exposing public IPs and enabling 2FA/MFA with no application changes.
- Encrypted, least-privileged access
- Access any cloud or on-premise resource
- More secure than VPN
- Remote access without public IPs
- Enable 2FA/MFA with zero changes
- Audited access to private resources
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Twingate is the most secure way to provide encrypted, least privileged access to any cloud (AWS, Azure or Google Cloud Platform) or on-premise application or resource. Twingate allows you to secure all access regardless of device platform or network. Far more secure than VPN, and using either your company’s identity provider or public identity authorities for authentication, Twingate allows you to remotely access any private application without exposing any public IPs. Twingate’s network performance is exceptional, access to private resources is audited, and you can enable 2FA/MFA on any resource with zero application changes required.
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: Twingate at 4.4 against RustDesk Remote Desktop's 4.1. RustDesk Remote Desktop's advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 44%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
Twingate holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 73 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Twingate's written reviews are positive against 59% of RustDesk Remote Desktop's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Twingate ships an update every 5 weeks, RustDesk Remote Desktop every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Twingate | RustDesk Remote Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (34 ratings) — better | 4.1 (73 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | 58.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 | 73 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Twingate Inc. | Purslane Limited |
Customer experience
Twingate
RustDesk Remote Desktop
Bugs and requests
Twingate
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
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- 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
Twingate
No in-app purchases
RustDesk Remote Desktop
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Twingate free?
Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?
Which has better reviews, Twingate or RustDesk Remote Desktop?
Do Twingate or RustDesk Remote Desktop have ads?
Which is updated more often, Twingate or RustDesk Remote Desktop?
Other comparisons
