--- 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: '2026-08-09' parent\_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- ### Apple Remote Desktop Pros and Cons: Top Advantages and Disadvantages #### Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews Generated from real user reviews Users find Apple Remote Desktop to be **easy to use** , streamlining administration and device management tasks effectively. [(2 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1302923&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users appreciate the **easy file transfer** capabilities, streamlining file copying and distribution across devices. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2147770&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users face frequent **connection issues** with Apple Remote Desktop, hindering performance and limiting cross-platform support. [(2 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1302966&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users find the **feature limitations** of Apple Remote Desktop frustrating, as it lacks updates and Windows connectivity. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1973283&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users find **remote access issues** with Apple Remote Desktop due to a lack of updates and Windows connectivity problems. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1302954&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users experience **slow performance** with Apple Remote Desktop, affecting connectivity and overall effectiveness with newer OS updates. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2147743&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) ### Top Pros or Advantages of Apple Remote Desktop ##### 1. Ease of Use Users find Apple Remote Desktop to be **easy to use** , streamlining administration and device management tasks effectively. [ See 2 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1302923&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews SA Scott A. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 3.5/5 "Was once a 9-10 but is steadily declining to 5-7 rating" What do you like about Apple Remote Desktop? Ease of administration, ease of device discovery, easy file copying and distribution to devices. Remote UNIX commands to devices. ![Fernando F.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Fernando F.") FF Fernando F. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "The Mac Remote Access!" What do you like about Apple Remote Desktop? Apple remote is the only native remote desktop tool for the Mac and it is easy to use. ##### 2. File Transfer Users appreciate the **easy file transfer** capabilities, streamlining file copying and distribution across devices. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2147770&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews SA Scott A. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 3.5/5 "Was once a 9-10 but is steadily declining to 5-7 rating" What do you like about Apple Remote Desktop? Ease of administration, ease of device discovery, easy file copying and distribution to devices. Remote UNIX commands to devices. ### Top Cons or Disadvantages of Apple Remote Desktop ##### 1. Connection Issues Users face frequent **connection issues** with Apple Remote Desktop, hindering performance and limiting cross-platform support. [ See 2 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1302966&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews SA Scott A. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 3.5/5 "Was once a 9-10 but is steadily declining to 5-7 rating" What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Does not always connect anymore. Does not support other platforms like Microsoft Remote Desktop. Continues to decline in performance and capabilities ![Fernando F.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Fernando F.") FF Fernando F. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "The Mac Remote Access!" What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Apple remote desktop is rather stale and very little development is done on it and no new features are being added to it. It does not work to connect ##### 2. Feature Limitations Users find the **feature limitations** of Apple Remote Desktop frustrating, as it lacks updates and Windows connectivity. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1973283&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Fernando F.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Fernando F.") FF Fernando F. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "The Mac Remote Access!" What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Apple remote desktop is rather stale and very little development is done on it and no new features are being added to it. It does not work to connect ##### 3. Remote Access Issues Users find **remote access issues** with Apple Remote Desktop due to a lack of updates and Windows connectivity problems. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1302954&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Fernando F.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Fernando F.") FF Fernando F. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "The Mac Remote Access!" What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Apple remote desktop is rather stale and very little development is done on it and no new features are being added to it. It does not work to connect ##### 4. Slow Performance Users experience **slow performance** with Apple Remote Desktop, affecting connectivity and overall effectiveness with newer OS updates. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2147743&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews SA Scott A. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 3.5/5 "Was once a 9-10 but is steadily declining to 5-7 rating" What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Does not always connect anymore. Does not support other platforms like Microsoft Remote Desktop. Continues to decline in performance and capabilities ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![TeamViewer](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/2d6f572fdd0b0f850dce61e168209cb2/teamviewer.svg "TeamViewer") TeamViewer 4.5/5(4,151) ](https://www.g2.com/products/teamviewer/reviews) [ ![AnyDesk](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/3188fa6e676a4d59bcc012231f4b06c3/anydesk.svg "AnyDesk") AnyDesk 4.5/5(1,104) ](https://www.g2.com/products/anydesk/reviews) [ ![BeyondTrust Remote Support](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_2c5a5e2af6feeb1a04990f760101d58a/beyondtrust-remote-support.png "BeyondTrust Remote Support") BeyondTrust Remote Support 4.7/5(388) ](https://www.g2.com/products/beyondtrust-remote-support/reviews) [ View All Alternatives ](https://www.g2.com/products/apple-remote-desktop/competitors/alternatives) ![Justin G.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Justin G.") JG Justin G. Technical Support Team Lead Hospital & Health Care Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 10/17/2016 "Inexpensive way to remotely administer your Apple Computers. " 3.5/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? I mostly used it for remote software installation and viewing the desktops of all my trainees at once. While working in an Apple Retail environment, it gave me the ability to lock the screen while the machines were on display. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Honestly, with most issues now I can utilize the updated screen sharing. I really wish they offered some custom reporting and alerts. Often has issues with any advanced DNS settings. You normally have to connect via IP address. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: Without paying for an expensive MDM solution, ARD has some great benefits. Being able to remotely install software, send commands, view screens without interactions and run reports on installed software and hardware are invaluable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? Before we purchased an MDM solution, this was an inexpensive way to remotely administer our Apple computers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Music](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Music") AM Verified User in Music Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 1/24/2017 "Used this effectively in education" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? I like the value of the product for the price. There are a lot of features that allow users to have a great experience accessing information from their other devices. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? The setup process was tedious in certain areas and at the time there really wasn't a whole lot of people that I knew that were using it. This forced me to rely on forums and tech support to make sure the product was set up correctly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: Do your due diligence and research the features of the product. This happened to fit my needs but there are features that can be cumbersome if you are not used to how the product works. Make sure to know what you need before you buy it and see if you can try it out at another location before taking the plunge. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? I realized that this product could be used effectively in an education setting and has allowed employees to optimize their time more than in the past. By accessing information from almost anywhere, problems can be solved quickly and easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Music](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Music") AM Verified User in Music Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 1/24/2017 "ARD" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? I appreciate the ability to access data from multiple areas. It is nice to use the storage capacity on cumbersome devices and be able to access that storage from a more mobile device. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? I didn't like how much research I had to do to figure out how to set it all up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: Talk to people that already use this system, and search forums for advice to ease the setup process before you attempt it on your own. This will give you insight into common issues that can be time consuming if you are unprepared. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? I am able to keep tabs on an entire team and access data without needing to be physically present at the device when I was unable to be present. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Entertainment](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Entertainment") UE Verified User in Entertainment Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 11/7/2016 "Best software to manage remote Macs" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? Apple Remote Desktop is the best way to remotely control a mac (it works with third party VNC viewers and servers), ARD is integrated with Automator to create your own custom workflows and the drag and drop feature is simple and intuitive. You can use it with AES 128 bit encryption too. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? The updates are rare (no more than 1 per year) and actually not exist an official update/support for MacOS Sierra Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: If you need to manage your systems, install software and applications remotely this is one of the best app for mac. Otherwise i suggest to use the screen sharing integrated in mac os. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? Now I can connect my mac mini server, manage my network even I'm outside the office Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More 11/11/2016 Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![April G.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "April G.") AG April G. iTunes Advisor Staffing and Recruiting Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 9/8/2016 "Apple Remote desktop is extremely useful" 5/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? I like that our company is able work remotely from our homes when need be and still work as a team Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? There's nothing that I haven't liked yet while using the Apple remote desktop. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: Apple Remote desktop is extremely useful if you offer a work from home environment without your company and want to keep the feel of everyone being in the same page at all times. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? Working as a team from all over country as if we were in the same office building not only adds for more (Team building but allows us to accommodate more customers by being accesible in several timezones Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Andi L.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Andi L.") AL Andi L. Freelance Graphic Designer Graphic Design Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 5/24/2016 "I have had a mostly positive experience with Apple Remote Desktop" 5/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? One of the best things about Apple Remote Desktop is how you can view and use spotlight to search for files on all of your computers, and then retrieve and download the file to whatever computer you're currently using. I also like how you can customize each computer in the network from just one single computer, and you can also upload files and software to all of your computers from just one. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? I have not updated my Apple Remote Desktop in some time so this may not be an issue anymore, but there are times where I think that my computers are running slower because of this program. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: If you have multiple computers and you have files and information on both that you need to access at the same time, then I would definitely recommend Apple Remote Desktop. It is possible that it may run a bit slow, though. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? I only use this program for my personal and work computers, but it is extremely convenient to be able to access both of them at the same time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Jonathan L.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Jonathan L.") JL Jonathan L. Radio Technical Producer Financial Services Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 6/11/2016 "I use Remote Desktop every day to check on my students video editing projects. " 5/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? I love this software, and use it daily for helping my middle school students on their video projects. It allows me to parachute in and help my students with various editing and computer issues, and it works incredibly well and with great speed an accuracy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? I do wish that it worked better over wireless; unless you have a wired network, you really cannot use Remote Desktop effectively. That is my only real complaint about the software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? For my first few years teaching, it was difficult for me to help my students in an effective way with their editing questions and issues. ARD has helped me to give my students the support they need, both in a quicker fashion and more effectively. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Kevin T.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Kevin T.") KT Kevin T. Camera Technician Entertainment Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 1/19/2016 "Update is great" 3/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? Since the latest update a lot of the bugs and errors have been resolved which makes this app once again usable. Apple has really improved this application in the recent updates. It's helpful to have remote control over your desktop from other locations if you have a render farm running. You can continue rendering project files and keep updates on progress without having to check in with your render farm. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? The lack of efficient iOS support is frustrating. I think this is the sort of service that would thrive with full iOS compatibility. I don't think it would be a very hard feat considering the device you use to remote access doesn't need strong processing power to be able to tap into the computers. It doesn't really require a powerful tool to use the application. Hopefully soon they will add more mobile features. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? Using this sort of setup for managing a lab or renders from any location is really useful and helpful. You don't have to constantly be checking in with the computers. It's nice to be able to leave and not have to physically be present to continue working on something, such as renders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More 6/28/2016 Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![‭Jeff ‮ E.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "‭Jeff ‮ E.") ‭E ‭Jeff ‮ E. Partner Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 6/15/2016 "Decent remote management, so-so support" 2.5/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? Simple and straightforward for Mac users; if you're already using OSX Server this slots into your network pretty smoothly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? For a distributed company, it's nowhere near as attractive as cloud-based offerings like Go2MyPC. If you don't have the luxury of running OSX Server for management tasks, it's basically glorified VNC. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: The team I worked with was more comfortable with Go2MyPC, and that's what we settled on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? We needed to give remote workers the ability to log in and manage their desktop machines occasionally, and also needed to give defacto network administrators the ability to troubleshoot remotely. ARD did that, but its most valuable features would've required going all-Mac with our infrastructure, and we didn't have that luxury. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Aleese G.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Aleese G.") AG Aleese G. Program Manager 2 Higher Education Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 6/10/2016 "Remote Desktop Easy!" 4/5 What do you like best about Apple Remote Desktop? It is very easy to use and I like that you can easily switch between your Mac interface and the Remote one. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Apple Remote Desktop? Since a lot of people do not use it often, it can be difficult to set up to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Apple Remote Desktop: If you are a Mac user, and you have to remote in to your work space. This is a great tool to use. I use it all the time, just make sure you have some one that is able to set up correctly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Apple Remote Desktop solving and how is that benefiting you? It makes it to where I can get things done from home, which is very important. Especially if you are not able to come in to the office for some reason. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ## Work at Apple? 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