# Twingate vs RustDesk Remote Desktop

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Twingate | RustDesk Remote Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twingate/id1501686317/reviews)** | [4.1 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rustdesk-remote-desktop/id1581225015/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 34 | **73** |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | **58.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Twingate Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1501592213) | [Purslane Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/666983468) |

## What reviewers say

### Twingate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/twingate/id1501686317)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### RustDesk Remote Desktop

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rustdesk-remote-desktop/id1581225015)

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.

**Highlights:** Open-source remote desktop, Remote access and control, TeamViewer alternative, Control other devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast connection and performance
- 🌟 Open source and free
- 💡 Self-hosting capability
- 👍 Easy to set up and use
- ⚡️ Low input lag

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 Phone heats up
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on iOS/iPadOS
- 🚫 Lacks mouse acceleration
- 📱 Poor compatibility with older iOS versions
- ⚠️ Some users report data collection (location, identifiers)

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Twingate free?

Twingate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?

RustDesk Remote Desktop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Twingate or RustDesk Remote Desktop?

Twingate is rated higher. Twingate averages 4.4 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while RustDesk Remote Desktop averages 4.1 from 73 ratings.

### Do Twingate or RustDesk Remote Desktop have ads?

Neither Twingate nor RustDesk Remote Desktop shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Twingate or RustDesk Remote Desktop?

Twingate ships an update every 5 weeks, and RustDesk Remote Desktop every 2 months. Most recently, Twingate was updated on September 14, 2026 and RustDesk Remote Desktop on August 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*