RustDesk Remote Desktop vs Odysseus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Odysseus
This native application connects to your self-hosted AI server, offering a private and secure way to interact with your models. It provides a full AI workspace with features like notes, calendar, email, and document integration, along with 68 built-in agent tools.
- Native chat with live streaming
- Connects to various AI models
- AI workspace with notes and calendar
- Built-in email client
- Personal document RAG integration
- 68 built-in agent tools
- On-device voice capabilities
Read full descriptionHide full description
Odysseus is your self-hosted AI, as a real native app. It's a fast, 100% native app (no WebView) for your own Odysseus / Open WebUI server. Bring your models, your data and your privacy — and talk to them from a beautiful iPhone and Mac app. WHAT YOU GET • Native chat with live streaming, full Markdown, tables and code — never a wrapped web page. • Connect any model: OpenRouter, Ollama, local llama.cpp, and other compatible endpoints. • A real AI workspace, not just a chatbot: notes, calendar, a built-in email client (IMAP/SMTP), personal documents (RAG) and image generation. • 68 built-in agent tools — code, web search, documents, multi-agent, email and calendar. • Compare two models side by side, and run Deep Research with a native report view. MAKE IT YOURS • 34 languages, including right-to-left (Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pashto). Auto-detects your device language. • 16 themes, custom fonts and animated backgrounds. PRIVACY FIRST • It's YOUR server. Odysseus only talks to the address you configure — nothing is sent to us. • On-device voice (speech-to-text and text-to-speech). • Optional Face ID / Touch ID app lock. Note: Odysseus is a client for a self-hosted Open WebUI / Odysseus server. You need your own server to sign in.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: RustDesk Remote Desktop at Free against Odysseus's $2.99. RustDesk Remote Desktop also leads on ratings volume (78 vs 1) and review sentiment (59% vs 50%). Odysseus's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
RustDesk Remote Desktop is free to download; Odysseus costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Odysseus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RustDesk Remote Desktop has 78 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 59% of RustDesk Remote Desktop's written reviews are positive against 50% of Odysseus's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
RustDesk Remote Desktop ships an update every 2 months, Odysseus every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RustDesk Remote Desktop | Odysseus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.2 (78 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 59.4% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 78 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #137 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Purslane Limited | Joao Victor Zao |
Customer experience
RustDesk Remote Desktop
Odysseus
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Odysseus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RustDesk Remote Desktop
No in-app purchases
Odysseus
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?
Is Odysseus free?
Which has better reviews, RustDesk Remote Desktop or Odysseus?
Do RustDesk Remote Desktop or Odysseus have ads?
Which is updated more often, RustDesk Remote Desktop or Odysseus?
Other comparisons
