VNC vs TeamViewer: What Are the Differences? [Answered]

VNC vs TeamViewer, which should I choose?

“Is VNC better than TeamViewer? I’m having trouble choosing between them. Can anyone show me the differences between VNC and TeamViewer?"

-Question from Reddit

VNC vs TeamViewer

VNC and TeamViewer are remote desktop software allowing users to access a remote computer from a local computer. But what are their differences? Here in this post, we compare VNC vs TeamViewer from the following aspects to see how they differ.

Compatibility

Both solutions support a wide variety of operating systems. We made a list below to compare VNC and TeamViewer. We can see that VNC vs TeamViewer Raspberry Pi is not supported by TeamViewer while Chrome OS is not supported by VNC.

Features

Next, let’s see the main features of VNC and TeamViewer.

Performance

VNC employs the RFB (Remote Framebuffer) protocol, a straightforward protocol for remote access to graphical user interfaces that enables a client to view and control another computer. RFB in effect takes snapshots of your system every so often and tells the client system to draw boxes of X size every so often. In short words, the host computer has to take screen snapshots and compress them, which needs a lot of CPU power which makes VNC relatively slow.

Is TeamViewer faster than VNC? TeamViewer hires Qualitest, an independent quality assurance firm, to test its technical performance and keep it competitive. The user interface, image quality, and file transfer speeds are all quick and accurate. They support and connect the device as if the user were sitting right in front of it, even during shutdown or restart. For the best experience, this system automatically selects the best connection protocol and routing server each time.

Security

Remote control sessions via VNC are always encrypted. If you have a Home or Professional subscription, connections are encrypted end-to-end using 128-bit AES, 2048-bit RSA keys, and perfect forward secrecy, so sessions are entirely private to you now and in the future. If you have an Enterprise subscription, you have the option to upgrade to 256-bit AES. But it is also said that VNC has had several vulnerabilities exposed. The BleepingComputer link below lists 37 such vulnerabilities, affecting four VNC products. Most of these allow an attacker to execute code on a remote computer. Therefore, the answer to the question "Is VNC a security risk" still remains unknown.

TeamViewer includes RSA private/public key encryption and AES (256-bit) session encryption. This technology is based on the same standards as https/SSL and is completely safe according to current standards. The key exchange also ensures complete client-to-client data protection.

Affordability

VNC has three types of licenses: Home, Professional, and Enterprise. A Home license is free for personal use and allows basic remote control of one computer. A Professional or Enterprise license is available to control between 2 and 10 computers. A Professional license costs $40.68/year and an Enterprise license costs $57.83/year, but 14-day free trials are available.

TeamViewer is free for personal use. But for commercial use, it has plans for single use, for teams, and for enterprises. For single users, the plan for online remote access only is $6.95/month, and the plan for business is $38.9/month. For teams, the premium plan is $112.9/month, with up to 15 users licensed to create a single session, and the corporate plan is $229.90/month for up to 30 licensed users, three of whom can be using the service at the same time. For enterprises, you need to contact sales for a fully customized license. Besides, 14-day free trials are available as well. 

You should note the following three things if you're planning to choose TeamViewer:

• ✍The above-mentioned price is only for a month. TeamViewer plans are always billed annually.
• ✍The purchase of any form of license share between different platforms that TeamViewer supports.
• ✍Lots of users have reflected that they have encountered a “Connection blocked after timeout” error when using TeamViewer free license.

Bonus tip: Free remote desktop software for Windows

After learning the comparison of VNC vs TeamViewer performance, security, pricing, etc., you probably already know the differences between VNC and TeamViewer. But would you like a remote desktop tool that can make up for the shortcomings of VNC and TeamViewer?

We recommend AnyViewer, which is the free remote access software for Windows. It makes up for the shortcomings of VNC. For example, it supports multiple monitors, and it uses less bandwidth, allowing users to choose high resolution. It also makes up for the shortcomings of TeamViewer. For example, its free version can be used without a time limit.

Step 1. Install and run AnyViewer on both your work and home computers. Navigate to Log in and then Sign up on the Controller computer (if you have already registered on the official website, you can log in directly).

Step 2. Fill out the sign-up form.

Step 3. You should now see that you have successfully logged into AnyViewer. Your device will be assigned to the account to which you have logged in automatically.

Step 4. On both devices, log in to the same AnyViewer account, then click One-click control for unattended remote support to establish a direct connection.

Step 5. After successfully connecting, you will see the remote desktop. Then you can control it completely and provide remote support as if you were sitting in front of it.

Notes:✎...

It is recommended to upgrade your account to a Professional or Enterprise plan. What can a professional or enterprise plan brings to you:

More devices can be assigned to the same account for unattended remote support.

Connect in privacy mode to protect your privacy. This means the Controller can black out the remote PC screen and disable the remote keyboard and mouse click.

File transfer speed will be increased. Transfer speed is 500 KB/s for a free account and up to 10 MB/s for a paid account.

Closing words

This post primarily introduces the differences of VNC vs TeamViewer. If you have a problem choosing between them, this post could be helpful for you. Besides, you can also try AnyViewer. It has features that VNC doesn’t have, and also make up for the shortcoming of TeamViewer.