RustDesk Remote Desktop vs Ghostlane
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
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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.
Ghostlane
This app routes your internet traffic through disguised video calls to bypass network restrictions. It supports multiple advanced protocols and allows you to import your own VPN server configurations for flexible connectivity.
- Traffic disguised as video calls
- Supports VLESS, Reality, Hysteria2, XHTTP
- Import custom server configurations
- Real-time latency measurement
- Device-wide VPN routing
- No data collection or analytics
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Ghostlane carries your traffic inside a video call. Most tunnels are recognisable. On a network that inspects what passes through it and drops anything shaped like a VPN, they stop working — not because the encryption failed, but because the shape of the connection gave it away. olcRTC is a different answer. It opens a WebRTC media session to a public meeting service — the same kind of call the network already carries all day — and moves your traffic inside it. What stays on the wire is a video call. ROOMS, AND HOW FULL THEY ARE An olcRTC relay holds a fixed number of slots, and a full room cannot take you. So the app asks each room how full it is and shows that in the list, before you pick one. It is the sort of thing you only need when the thing you are connecting to has rooms. IT ALSO SPEAKS THE ORDINARY PROTOCOLS A call-shaped tunnel costs bandwidth, and it is not needed until it is. The same app connects over the standard transports too, and you move between them as the network around you changes: • VLESS with Reality • VLESS over TLS, including through a CDN • Hysteria2, with Salamander obfuscation • XHTTP One app, because the moment you need the fallback is the worst possible moment to be installing another one. BRINGING YOUR OWN SERVERS Add a server list by pasting its link, scanning its QR code, or importing a file. The app groups servers by where they came from, filters them by protocol, remembers which exit you last used, and refreshes the list on a schedule you choose. Connecting routes the whole device through the exit you picked, using Apple's own packet tunnel. The status screen shows how long the session has been up and how much has gone through it. MEASURING Latency is measured where it can honestly be measured: through the tunnel for the connection you are on, and by ICMP echo for a server you are not connected to. Where neither is possible the app says so instead of showing a number it guessed. PRIVACY Nothing is collected. No account, no analytics, no advertising identifier, no crash reporting service. Your server lists and the app's own log stay on the device and are never sent anywhere. The app talks to exactly two kinds of address: the server-list URL you added, and the VPN servers in it. The one exception is a partner link that has to be resolved into a server-list URL, and that request carries the link and nothing about you. REQUIREMENTS A server configuration from a VPN provider: a server-list URL, a QR code, or a pasted link. The app does not sell one and does not include one. Any provider that speaks the protocols above will work. OPEN SOURCE https://github.com/ghostlane-project/ghostlane
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ghostlane at 4.7 against RustDesk Remote Desktop's 4.2. Ghostlane also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (75% vs 59%). RustDesk Remote Desktop's advantage is ratings volume (77 vs 7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ghostlane holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RustDesk Remote Desktop has 77 ratings behind it against 7, 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 75% of Ghostlane's.
RustDesk Remote Desktop ships an update every 2 months, Ghostlane every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RustDesk Remote Desktop | Ghostlane |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (77 ratings) | 4.7 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 59.4% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 77 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 139 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Purslane Limited | Globvent INC |
Customer experience
RustDesk Remote Desktop
Ghostlane
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
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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
Ghostlane
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
RustDesk Remote Desktop
No in-app purchases
Ghostlane
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is RustDesk Remote Desktop free?
Is Ghostlane free?
Which has better reviews, RustDesk Remote Desktop or Ghostlane?
Do RustDesk Remote Desktop or Ghostlane have ads?
Which is updated more often, RustDesk Remote Desktop or Ghostlane?
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