← Blog

5 TeamViewer alternatives for controlling your PC from your phone

May 2026 · 8 min read

TeamViewer has changed its pricing several times in the last few years. Its free tier is now very limited for continuous personal use. If you're looking for a way to control your PC from Android, these are the five options that matter in 2026. We compare real price, what the phone experience is like, and the limitation each one carries.

Quick comparison

1. PController

Built specifically to control a PC from a phone. The client runs in the phone's browser — nothing to install — with a touch interface: trackpad, gestures, virtual keyboard and landscape mode. Any phone with Chrome, Safari or Firefox works, Android or iOS. The desktop server installs with a light wizard (no administrator rights) and runs in the system tray.

On a local network with stable WiFi, latency is < 100 ms at 1080p. That's enough to work, not just to watch. With Pro you connect over the internet through an encrypted tunnel, without opening ports or setting up a VPN. Left a file at home? Get in from the office and send it in 2 minutes. Pro also carries the PC's audio: follow a meeting or a movie from bed.

Price is the other difference: Pro costs $5.99/month against $12.99 for AnyDesk's personal plan or $8 for Parsec Warp — less than half, with audio and tunnel included. Yearly is $39, about $3.25/month. And if you only use it at home, the Local plan is $10 paid once, with no subscription and no "commercial use" detection blocking you for using it often.

2. Chrome Remote Desktop

The quickest way to start: a Chrome extension on the PC and Google's app on the phone. There's nothing to pay and it works fine for basic cases. Latency is acceptable on a local network and moderate over WAN.

The main drawback: there's no audio, and the mobile interface is basic and not tuned for a touchscreen. It also requires Chrome installed on the host PC.

3. AnyDesk

Very popular for tech support. Latency is low thanks to its proprietary DeskRT protocol. The Android app works well both for controlling and for receiving support. The personal plan costs $12.99/month, more than double PController Pro ($5.99/month).

The free version detects "commercial use" if you use it often and can block you temporarily. For heavy personal use that can be a problem.

4. Microsoft Remote Desktop

It ships with Windows 10/11 Pro and Enterprise, so it costs nothing if you already have that licence — but Windows Home can't be the host. The RDP protocol is fast and stable inside the same network.

The problem shows up outside the LAN: RDP has no NAT traversal of its own, so getting in from another network means opening port 3389 on the router or setting up a VPN — exactly what most people are trying to avoid. The Android app works, but it's designed for a mouse and keyboard rather than touch gestures, and it doesn't carry system audio.

5. Parsec

Parsec is tuned for low-latency remote gaming. If what you need is to play on your high-end PC from somewhere else, Parsec is probably the best option. For office work it's good, but the Android app has limits (the mobile client sits in perpetual beta).

Which one should you pick?

It depends on what you're doing:

• Control from a phone, touch interface, low price: PController. Local at $10 paid once; Pro with audio and tunnel at $5.99/month.
• Free, with nothing extra to install: Chrome Remote Desktop.
• Professional tech support: AnyDesk.
• You already have Windows Pro and a corporate VPN: Microsoft Remote Desktop.
• Remote gaming: Parsec.

All five work, but only one started out with the phone in mind. Chrome Remote Desktop has no audio, AnyDesk costs more than double, Microsoft Remote Desktop forces you to open ports or run a VPN, and Parsec aims at gaming rather than productivity. PController is the only one that is touch-first, tunnels without opening ports and sits at the lowest price on the list. Watching a render, sending a file you forgot, using the PC from the sofa: that's what it's for.