3 jobs · 8 apps

Best open source remote desktop tools (AnyDesk and TeamViewer alternatives)

To reach your computers remotely, the best self-hosted picks are MeshCentral for remote desktop and support, Termix for SSH from the browser and Warpgate for secure access to servers.

Two apps in the catalog are full remote desktop tools: MeshCentral manages and controls computers through your own web server, and Guacamole is a clientless gateway for VNC and RDP in the browser. The other sections cover browser SSH terminals and secure access gateways for servers.

Updated Oct 28, 2026 · data from GitHub, refreshed daily

Rank 1:
MeshCentral
Ylianst/MeshCentral
Run your own web server to remotely manage and control computers on a local network or anywhere on the internet.
Active · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Remote AccessHTML
Stands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. MeshCentral has 7,529 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 521 commits in the last year; it replaces TeamViewer and AnyDesk.
Rank 2:
Guacamole
apache/guacamole-server
Clientless remote desktop gateway supporting standard protocols like VNC and RDP.
Active · last commit Oct 17, 2026
Remote AccessC
Stands out for its C codebase. Guacamole has 4,028 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 236 commits in the last year; it replaces TeamViewer and AnyDesk.

At a glance

Open source remote desktop tools (AnyDesk and TeamViewer alternatives) compared

Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.

Top 8 picks compared, data as of Oct 28, 2026
App	Stands out for	License	GitHub stars	Commits (12 mo)	Last commit	Docker image
MeshCentral	a permissive Apache-2.0 license	Apache-2.0	7,529	521	Oct 24, 2026	No
Guacamole	its C codebase	Apache-2.0	4,028	236	Oct 17, 2026	No
Termix	the most GitHub stars	Apache-2.0	15,703	236	Oct 28, 2026	Yes
Sshwifty	its JavaScript codebase	AGPL-3.0	3,128	51	Oct 12, 2026	Yes
ShellHub	the most commits in the last 12 months (3,251)	Apache-2.0	2,243	3,251	Oct 28, 2026	Yes
Warpgate	–	Apache-2.0	8,158	1,057	Oct 28, 2026	Yes
Firezone	–	Apache-2.0	9,134	3,912	Oct 28, 2026	Yes
Pangolin	–	AGPL-3.0	23,257	5,808	Oct 28, 2026	Yes

1 of 3 · 2 picks

Remote desktop and remote support

1
MeshCentral
Run your own web server to remotely manage and control computers on a local network or anywhere on the internet.
Remote Access
Stands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. MeshCentral has 7,529 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 521 commits in the last year; it replaces TeamViewer and AnyDesk.
2
Guacamole
Clientless remote desktop gateway supporting standard protocols like VNC and RDP.
Remote Access
Stands out for its C codebase. Guacamole has 4,028 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license and had 236 commits in the last year; it replaces TeamViewer and AnyDesk.

2 of 3 · 3 picks

Browser-based SSH and terminals

1
Termix
Clientless web-based server management platform with SSH terminal, tunneling, and file editing capabilities.
Remote AccessDocker
Stands out for the most GitHub stars. Termix has 15,703 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 236 commits in the last year.
2
Sshwifty
Sshwifty is a SSH and Telnet connector made for the Web.
Remote AccessDocker
Stands out for its JavaScript codebase. Sshwifty has 3,128 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 51 commits in the last year.
3
ShellHub
Modern SSH server for remotely accessing linux devices via command line (using any SSH client) or web-based user interface (alternative to sshd).
Remote AccessDocker
Stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (3,251). ShellHub has 2,243 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,251 commits in the last year.

3 of 3 · 3 picks

Secure access gateways

1
Warpgate
Fully transparent SSH, HTTPS, Kubernetes, MySQL and Postgres bastion/PAM that doesn't need additional client-side software.
Remote AccessDocker
Warpgate has 8,158 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,057 commits in the last year; it replaces TeamViewer and AnyDesk.
2
Firezone
Secure remote access gateway that supports the WireGuard protocol. It offers a Web GUI, 1-line install script, multi-factor auth (MFA), and SSO.
Remote AccessDocker
Firezone has 9,134 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,912 commits in the last year.
3
Pangolin
Identity-aware tunneled reverse proxy with dashboard UI, access control, and WireGuard-based tunnels (alternative to Cloudflare Tunnel, Tailscale).
Web Servers & Reverse ProxiesDocker
Pangolin has 23,257 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,808 commits in the last year.

How we ranked

Ordering rule: Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.

Apps were picked by hand from the appsgit catalog for each job, then checked against the snapshot: unknown or archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are dropped automatically.
Inside each section the curated order is kept, most broadly useful first; an app appears only once on the page.
Stars, license, Docker and activity facts come from the GitHub API as of October 2026.

No pick on this page is sponsored.

Questions and answers

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

Is there a self-hosted TeamViewer or AnyDesk alternative?

MeshCentral describes itself as running your own web server to remotely manage and control computers, and Guacamole is a clientless remote desktop gateway for VNC and RDP. Both run on your own server, so sessions do not go through a vendor's relay.

Is it safe to expose remote desktop to the internet?

Only behind strong authentication and current patches. Put the gateway behind HTTPS with multi-factor login, or reach it through a VPN or access gateway such as Firezone or Pangolin rather than opening RDP or VNC ports directly.

Is MeshCentral free?

Yes. MeshCentral is open-source software released under the Apache-2.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

Can I run this stack with Docker?

6 of the 8 apps here publish Docker images, including Termix, Sshwifty and ShellHub, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups.

How is this list ranked?

Picked by hand for each job from apps whose own description or topics match it, in curated order inside each section, with GitHub data from October 2026; an app appears only once.

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