--- title: Apple Remote Desktop Reviews meta_title: 'Apple Remote Desktop Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 53 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Apple Remote Desktop works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.3 review_count: 53 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-07-17' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # Apple Remote Desktop Reviews **Vendor:** Apple **Category:** [Remote Desktop Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/remote-desktop) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 53 ## About Apple Remote Desktop Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is a comprehensive remote management software developed by Apple Inc., designed to facilitate the administration of Mac computers over a network. First introduced in 2002, ARD enables system administrators and educators to efficiently control, monitor, and manage multiple Mac systems from a central location. This tool is particularly beneficial in environments such as educational institutions and businesses, where managing numerous devices is essential. Key Features and Functionality: - Remote Control and Observation: Administrators can view and control the screens of remote Mac computers in real-time, allowing for immediate assistance and troubleshooting. - Software Distribution: ARD allows for the remote installation of software and updates across multiple systems simultaneously, streamlining the deployment process. - Asset Management: The software provides comprehensive hardware and software inventory reports, enabling administrators to keep track of system configurations and installed applications. - Task Automation: With support for Automator actions, ARD enables the automation of repetitive administrative tasks, enhancing efficiency. - Secure Communications: ARD employs AES 128-bit encryption to ensure secure communication between the administrator and client systems. - User Interaction Tools: Features such as real-time text chat and the "request attention" command facilitate direct communication between administrators and users. Primary Value and User Solutions: Apple Remote Desktop addresses the challenges associated with managing multiple Mac computers by providing a centralized platform for remote administration. It enhances productivity by allowing administrators to perform tasks such as software deployment, system monitoring, and troubleshooting without the need for physical presence. This capability is invaluable in educational settings, where teachers can monitor and assist students remotely, and in corporate environments, where IT professionals can maintain and support a large fleet of Macs efficiently. By automating routine tasks and offering robust reporting tools, ARD reduces administrative overhead and ensures that systems remain up-to-date and secure. ## Apple Remote Desktop Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users find Apple Remote Desktop to be **easy to use** , streamlining administration and device management tasks effectively. (2 reviews) - Users appreciate the **easy file transfer** capabilities, streamlining file copying and distribution across devices. (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users face frequent **connection issues** with Apple Remote Desktop, hindering performance and limiting cross-platform support. (2 reviews) - Users find the **feature limitations** of Apple Remote Desktop frustrating, as it lacks updates and Windows connectivity. (1 reviews) - Users find **remote access issues** with Apple Remote Desktop due to a lack of updates and Windows connectivity problems. (1 reviews) - Users experience **slow performance** with Apple Remote Desktop, affecting connectivity and overall effectiveness with newer OS updates. (1 reviews) ## Apple Remote Desktop Reviews ### 1. Makes My Job Easier **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Entertainment | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 14, 2016 **What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop?** I maintain a lab of about fifteen post production suites. Being able to remote into them and fix technical issues makes my job easier and has increased our productivity by a substantial margin. It's a great tool to have in my pocket whenever there is an emergency and I am offsite. Being able to fix these problems without having to come into the office during those times decreases a lot of my stress. **What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop?** VPN could use some work. Occasionally there are issues with IP addresses, but they often stem from our own Network. I wish the reason why a connection wasn't happening between ARD and a stalled IP address was stated more clearly in the diagnostics, as it would help us track down the issue more quickly. **Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop:** This is a great product. Simple to use. It will improve your productivity more than you probably realize. It will increase your ability to work more diligently on longer-term problems by eliminating a lot of the short-term nagging issues. **What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you?** Our organization uses this to update and maintain a lab of post production suites. Being able to do this remotely have greatly added to the quality of service we are able to offer our users. There are alternatives, but not work quite so well for our predominately Apple-based workgroup environment. ### 2. Good, not great. **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jason W. | Owner, Operator, Media Production, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 27, 2016 **What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop?** Double click to control, remembers passwords. **What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop?** Needs a public IP to connect, or a tunnel IP. **Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop:** You need a public or tunnel IP. **What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you?** Connecting to various macs on a daily basis, for free. ### 3. If you are on a Mac, this will probably fit in with your workflow nicely **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Emile S. | Developer, Computer Software, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 05, 2015 **What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop?** One of my favourite features is the ability to use spotlight to do remote searching of files on the target computer. **What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop?** I have had a few non-backwards compatible updates which caused the connection to hang. **What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you?** This can facilitate effectively diagnosing issues by seeing exactly what the client is seeing. ## Apple Remote Desktop Discussions - [What is Apple Remote Desktop used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-apple-remote-desktop-used-for) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [How do I get Apple Remote Desktop for free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-do-i-get-apple-remote-desktop-for-free) - 1 comment - [View Apple Remote Desktop pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?page=2§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-07-31+22%3A29%3A30+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=cc93bab7-3d56-405e-96f0-cd1cfd5ffcc9&secure%5Btoken%5D=736a2b4b2ba4ff4ce01ea0e3c22eebf43c3c95fde73985a807bc9f75317faf00&format=llm_user) ## Apple Remote Desktop Features **Administration** - Usage Information - Integrations - Diagnostics - Session Recording - Session Transfer - Unattended Access - File Sharing **Platform** - Cross-Platform Access - Mobile Device Access - Applications Management - Remote Device Control **Security** - Remote Wipe - Device Management - Device Enrollment ## Top Apple Remote Desktop Alternatives - [TeamViewer](https://www.g2.com/products/teamviewer/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (3,987 reviews) - [AnyDesk](https://www.g2.com/products/anydesk/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (1,079 reviews) - [BeyondTrust Remote Support](https://www.g2.com/products/beyondtrust-remote-support/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (386 reviews)