Comparison

RustDesk Remote Desktop vs AgePony

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Open-source remote desktop
  • Remote access and control
  • TeamViewer alternative
  • Control other devices
Features
Read full description

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.

About

AgePony

Securely encrypt, sign, and manage files using advanced post-quantum cryptography. Protect your data with robust encryption methods, verify file authenticity, and keep sensitive information private on your device without relying on servers or accounts.

Highlights
  • Post-quantum encryption (ML-KEM-768)
  • File signing and verification
  • Encrypt to various recipients
  • Support for any file size
  • Passphrase-locked notes
  • Biometric and PIN app lock
  • Local-first, zero-backend design
Features
Read full description

Modern file encryption and signing for iPhone, built on the age protocol. Encrypt anything to anyone, sign files so others can verify they came from you, and keep every byte on your device. No accounts, no servers, no key-management headaches. POST-QUANTUM Hybrid ML-KEM-768 + X25519 recipients, so a file captured today stays private even if X25519 falls to a quantum computer years from now. Interoperable with the age CLI 1.3 and newer. Files already on a classical key? The re-encrypt tool moves them across. ANY SIZE Encrypt, decrypt, sign and verify files of any size. Nothing is held in memory, so a 1 GB video behaves like a text file. ENCRYPT TO ANYONE • Anyone's published SSH keys, fetched by their username • Any age public key, classical (X25519) or post-quantum • Any SSH public key (ed25519 or RSA) • A passphrase, when you don't need recipient keys at all SIGN FILES Prove a file came from you and hasn't been altered. Sign on its own, producing a detached signature anyone can check without AgePony. Or sign and encrypt in one step, sealing the signature inside the file so the ciphertext never reveals who sent it. Signatures are verified automatically as a file decrypts. • Sign with an in-app SSH key (ed25519 or RSA) • Sign with a Secure Enclave key, generated in hardware and never exportable • Sign with an external hardware security key over NFC, including keys protected by a PIN • Standard SSHSIG signatures, verifiable with the usual SSH command-line tools • Verify signatures from other people right inside the app BUILT ON AGE A clean-room implementation of the age v1 file format, a modern, simpler alternative to older encryption tools. X25519 key agreement, ChaCha20-Poly1305 authenticated encryption, scrypt for passphrase-protected files. Bit-perfect with the reference age CLI: encrypt on your phone, decrypt on your laptop, and back again. HARDWARE, PAPER, NEXT PHONE • Secure Enclave decryption keys, quantum-safe if you like • Decrypt with a security key over NFC • Move keys to your next phone over Wi-Fi • Passphrase-protected paper backups ENCRYPTED NOTES Passphrase-locked notes for secrets that never need to leave your device: recovery phrases, API keys, server credentials. Each note has its own passphrase, stretched through scrypt into its wrapping key. Forget it and the body is gone for good. That is the point. EVERY KIND OF DATA • Files: encrypt anything from the Files app • Several at once: one archive, or one encrypted file each, your choice • Text: armored age blocks for paste-into-email use • Inspect: see what any age file is encrypted to, without decrypting it • .age files: tap "Open in AgePony" from the Files app LOCAL-FIRST, ZERO BACKEND No accounts. No cloud sync. No telemetry. No analytics. No advertising. No third-party SDKs. Your vault stays on your device, encrypted at rest with a master key in the iOS Keychain that Face ID or Touch ID unlocks. The only internet request AgePony ever makes is fetching someone's published SSH keys, when you ask. FOR THE DEVELOPER SECURITY COMMUNITY If you have ever wished file encryption were simpler, age is the answer and AgePony is age on your phone. Sending someone an encrypted file without coordinating keys first takes one tap and their username. The interface is deliberately minimal: files, notes, text, identities, settings. OPEN SOURCE Apache 2.0. Source code linked from agepony.com. COMPATIBILITY • Any age v1 implementation, including the reference command-line tool • Post-quantum recipients need age CLI 1.3 or newer • Reads and writes both binary and PEM-armored age files • Requires iPhone with iOS 17.0 or later PRIVACY AgePony collects nothing and there is no server. Your data never leaves your device unless you export it. Policy: agepony.com/privacy. SUPPORT Documentation, FAQ, and contact: agepony.com/support Email: NorseHorse@norsehor.se Built quietly in Alabama by NorseHorse. Sibling to PGPony, the same idea for OpenPGP keys.

Screenshots

RustDesk Remote Desktop4 screens
AgePony4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: RustDesk Remote Desktop at 59% against AgePony's 0%. RustDesk Remote Desktop also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (78 vs 3). AgePony's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RustDesk Remote Desktop holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RustDesk Remote Desktop has 78 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of RustDesk Remote Desktop's written reviews are positive against 0% of AgePony's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RustDesk Remote Desktop ships an update every 2 months, AgePony every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
RustDesk Remote Desktop versus AgePony: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRustDesk Remote DesktopAgePony
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (78 ratings) — better3.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews59.4% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings78 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPurslane LimitedKevin Stewart

Customer experience

RustDesk Remote Desktop

All ratings77 ratings
Positive77.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative15.6%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral14.6%
Negative26.0%

AgePony

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and 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
Show 33 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

AgePony

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

RustDesk Remote Desktop

No in-app purchases

None

AgePony

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?
RustDesk Remote Desktop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AgePony free?
AgePony is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RustDesk Remote Desktop or AgePony?
RustDesk Remote Desktop is rated higher. RustDesk Remote Desktop averages 4.2 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while AgePony averages 3.3 from 3 ratings.
Do RustDesk Remote Desktop or AgePony have ads?
Neither RustDesk Remote Desktop nor AgePony shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RustDesk Remote Desktop or AgePony?
RustDesk Remote Desktop ships an update every 2 months, and AgePony every 3 weeks. Most recently, RustDesk Remote Desktop was updated on October 24, 2026 and AgePony on October 24, 2026.

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