Remote support and remote access · November 2026 Edition
RustDesk vs ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Zero of fourteen models named RustDesk first on the direct prompt; three named ConnectWise ScreenConnect. RustDesk was named by eight of the fourteen models and ConnectWise ScreenConnect by fourteen and RustDesk carries 12 labels and ConnectWise ScreenConnect 38, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in four categories this edition.
First-choice share8%6%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate25%34%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#4A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels1238A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, RustDesk reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Splashtop Remote Support was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Splashtop Remote Support vs RustDesk · Splashtop Remote Support vs ConnectWise ScreenConnect · Zoho Assist vs RustDesk
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the remote support and remote access page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
RustDeskFirst choices, of fourteen modelsConnectWise ScreenConnect
Direct03
Paraphrase001 against ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Comparative00
Budget-constrained40
Scale-constrained00
Negative003 against RustDesk · 11 against ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where RustDesk and ConnectWise ScreenConnect stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | ||||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | |||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | |||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | ||||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | |||||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
RustDesk ConnectWise ScreenConnect first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, RustDesk on the left and ConnectWise ScreenConnect on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where RustDesk and ConnectWise ScreenConnect stood in it.
ConnectWise ScreenConnect first, RustDesk not the choice
3 of 14 modelsRustDesk was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Gemini 3.5 FlashConnectWise ScreenConnect alternatives: BeyondTrust Remote Support, ScreenMeet, Splashtop Remote Support
Kimi K2ConnectWise ScreenConnect alternatives: NinjaOne Remote, Splashtop Remote Support
Muse Glimmer 30BConnectWise ScreenConnect alternatives: BeyondTrust Remote Support, Freshservice, NinjaOne Remote, Zoho Assist
Neither was the first choice, one was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Mistral SmallTeamViewer, Zoho Assist alternatives: ConnectWise ScreenConnect, Splashtop Remote Support
DeepSeek V4 FlashSplashtop Remote Support alternatives: ConnectWise ScreenConnect, Zoho Assist
Qwen 3.7 FlashFreshdesk alternatives: ConnectWise ScreenConnect, HubSpot Service Hub, Intercom, NinjaOne Remote
GLM 4.7 FlashXZoho Assist alternatives: ConnectWise ScreenConnect, Splashtop Remote Support
Neither was named
7 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5no first choice
GPT-5.4 miniBeyondTrust Remote Support alternatives: NinjaOne Remote, Splashtop Remote Support, TeamViewer Tensor, Zoho Assist
Perplexity SonarNinjaOne Remote, Splashtop Remote Support alternatives: BeyondTrust Remote Support, Zoho Assist
Grok 4.20Splashtop Remote Support alternatives: TeamViewer, Zoho Assist
Llama 4 MaverickNinjaOne Remote alternatives: Action1, AirDroid Business, Atera, Datto RMM, Freshservice, JumpCloud, Supportbench, TeamViewer, Zoho Assist
MiniMax M2.5Splashtop Remote Support, Zoho Assist alternatives: FixMe.IT, RemotePC
GPT-6 LunaSplashtop Remote Support alternatives: BeyondTrust Remote Support, TeamViewer Tensor
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
RustDesk leads by two points.
RustDesk5%#5 of 12ConnectWise ScreenConnect4%#7 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
RustDesk leads by two points.
RustDesk8%#3 of 12ConnectWise ScreenConnect6%#4 of 12Enterprise
The order flips: ConnectWise ScreenConnect leads at enterprise.
ConnectWise ScreenConnect4%#7 of 11RustDesk0%#– of 11What the models said about RustDesk
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Abused in modern ransomware campaigns when misconfigured” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“scammers often direct users to download RustDesk and connect to malicious public servers” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Any legitimate tool can be abused—including ... RustDesk, Splashtop” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“RustDesk stands out as the best remote support tool for a company with a limited budget.” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · first choice
“RustDesk *(Best Overall Open-Source & Privacy Choice)* ... 100% Free (AGPL open source)” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“If you need absolutely zero cost, go with Chrome Remote Desktop or RustDesk.” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about ConnectWise ScreenConnect
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of five in this category shown.
“tools that are considered risky or have been targeted by attackers include: ... ScreenConnect (ConnectWise)” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“the top-ranked option is ConnectWise Control (by ConnectWise) — but the right pick depends on your budget and company size” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“Choose ConnectWise ScreenConnect if you want the overall most responsive, flexible tool for core IT/sysadmin support.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“Best Overall: ConnectWise ScreenConnect” Kimi K2 · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
Splashtop Remote Support vs RustDeskSplashtop Remote Support vs ConnectWise ScreenConnectZoho Assist vs RustDeskZoho Assist vs ConnectWise ScreenConnectRustDesk vs TeamViewerRustDesk vs NinjaOne RemoteRustDesk vs Chrome Remote DesktopRustDesk vs BeyondTrust Remote SupportConnectWise ScreenConnect vs TeamViewerConnectWise ScreenConnect vs NinjaOne RemoteConnectWise ScreenConnect vs Chrome Remote DesktopConnectWise ScreenConnect vs BeyondTrust Remote SupportAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full remote support standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.