{
  "name": "Remote Access Licensing Index",
  "description": "An open dataset classifying how remote access, remote support and RMM products are licensed: the billing meter each product counts, whether that meter scales with headcount or estate size, attended and unattended coverage, platform reach and the key question to settle in evaluation. No prices are asserted.",
  "version": "2026-08-27",
  "url": "https://rmm247connect.app/data/remote-access-licensing-index",
  "publisher": "247connect Knowledge Hub",
  "licence": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "licence_label": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)",
  "date_published": "2026-02-02",
  "date_modified": "2026-08-27",
  "citation": "Remote Access Licensing Index (2026-08-27), 247connect Knowledge Hub, https://rmm247connect.app/data/remote-access-licensing-index",
  "methodology": [
    "Every row is classified from the vendor's own public documentation and pricing pages, not from third-party summaries or resale listings.",
    "No prices, tiers, seat counts or discount levels are recorded. Packaging in this market changes several times a year, so any number published here would be stale before it was useful. The licensing model is the durable part.",
    "The scales_with column is derived mechanically from the wording of the licensing meter, so the classification cannot drift away from the description it comes from.",
    "Attended and unattended coverage records whether the vendor documents the capability at all, not whether it is included in every edition. Edition gating is a question for evaluation, which is what key_evaluation_question is for.",
    "247connect is included as a row on identical terms, and is published by 247connect. Read the dataset knowing who compiled it.",
    "Reviewed and re-checked on 2026-08-27. Corrections are welcome and applied on the next review."
  ],
  "fields": [
    {
      "name": "id",
      "description": "Stable row identifier."
    },
    {
      "name": "product",
      "description": "Product name as the vendor styles it."
    },
    {
      "name": "category",
      "description": "What kind of product it is."
    },
    {
      "name": "licensing_meter",
      "description": "The unit the licence is counted on."
    },
    {
      "name": "scales_with",
      "description": "Which axis the bill grows along: Operators, Devices, Both or Neither."
    },
    {
      "name": "attended_access",
      "description": "One-time sessions with a person present."
    },
    {
      "name": "unattended_access",
      "description": "Access to an enrolled device with nobody present."
    },
    {
      "name": "platform_coverage",
      "description": "Platforms the vendor documents."
    },
    {
      "name": "best_for",
      "description": "The team shape the model tends to suit."
    },
    {
      "name": "key_evaluation_question",
      "description": "The thing to settle before signing."
    },
    {
      "name": "reference_url",
      "description": "Full write-up on this site."
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 12,
    "operators": 3,
    "devices": 2,
    "both": 4,
    "neither": 3,
    "bothAccessModels": 9,
    "attendedOnly": 0,
    "unattendedOnly": 3
  },
  "rows": [
    {
      "id": "247connect",
      "product": "247connect",
      "category": "Remote desktop and remote support software",
      "licensing_meter": "Fixed subscription with unlimited operators",
      "scales_with": "Devices",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows and macOS agents, Windows control window, iPadOS control app; managed and on-demand devices.",
      "best_for": "Teams that want predictable cost as the operator count grows, and buy remote support rather than a full platform.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Does the estate you need to reach fit the managed and on-demand device counts you are buying?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/what-is-247connect"
    },
    {
      "id": "anydesk",
      "product": "AnyDesk",
      "category": "Remote access and remote support tool",
      "licensing_meter": "Named operator licences with session and device tiers",
      "scales_with": "Both",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi, ChromeOS, iOS and Android.",
      "best_for": "Support desks that value session speed and a small footprint over a broad management feature set.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Does the tier you are quoting include unattended access and team-wide session logging, or only the per-operator basics?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/anydesk-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "atera",
      "product": "Atera",
      "category": "RMM platform",
      "licensing_meter": "Per technician, with unlimited devices",
      "scales_with": "Operators",
      "attended_access": false,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS and Linux, with network device discovery.",
      "best_for": "Small MSPs and internal teams with a high device-to-engineer ratio.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Which remote control engine does it actually use, and is that engine licensed separately?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/atera-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "chrome-remote-desktop",
      "product": "Chrome Remote Desktop",
      "category": "Free browser-based remote access",
      "licensing_meter": "Free, tied to a Google account",
      "scales_with": "Neither",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, driven from the Chrome browser.",
      "best_for": "Individuals reaching their own computers, not support teams accountable to anybody.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Can you evidence who connected to which device, and would that evidence satisfy an audit?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/compare/anydesk-vs-chrome-remote-desktop"
    },
    {
      "id": "logmein",
      "product": "LogMeIn / GoTo",
      "category": "Remote access and IT support suite",
      "licensing_meter": "Per-technician subscriptions with bundled modules",
      "scales_with": "Operators",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, with browser-based operator access.",
      "best_for": "Organisations that want a single supplier for remote support and adjacent helpdesk tooling.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "How much of the bundle will you use in twelve months, and what is the price of just the part you need?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/logmein-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-rdp",
      "product": "Microsoft RDP",
      "category": "Built into the operating system",
      "licensing_meter": "Included with Windows licensing",
      "scales_with": "Neither",
      "attended_access": false,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows hosts, with clients on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.",
      "best_for": "Administrators working inside a network they control, on servers rather than end-user support.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Is every RDP path reachable only through a gateway or VPN, and can you prove it?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/compare/anydesk-vs-windows-rdp"
    },
    {
      "id": "ninjaone",
      "product": "NinjaOne",
      "category": "RMM platform",
      "licensing_meter": "Per managed endpoint",
      "scales_with": "Devices",
      "attended_access": false,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS and Linux, with mobile device management options.",
      "best_for": "Teams that need continuous monitoring and patching of an estate they own, not ad-hoc support of devices they do not.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Do you need continuous management of a known estate, or fast access to devices you do not control?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/ninjaone-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "rustdesk",
      "product": "RustDesk",
      "category": "Open-source remote access",
      "licensing_meter": "Free software, with optional paid self-hosted server licensing",
      "scales_with": "Neither",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and web.",
      "best_for": "Technically confident teams with time to operate infrastructure and no requirement for vendor-backed support.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Do you have the engineering time to run a relay, and will its audit trail satisfy your own compliance evidence?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/rustdesk-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "screenconnect",
      "product": "ScreenConnect",
      "category": "Remote support tool with self-hosting options",
      "licensing_meter": "Concurrent technician licences",
      "scales_with": "Operators",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS and Linux for endpoints, with mobile viewer apps for operators.",
      "best_for": "MSPs and shift-based support desks, particularly those wanting a self-hosted option.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Does concurrent licensing genuinely match your shift pattern, or will your busiest hour hit the ceiling?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/screenconnect-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "splashtop",
      "product": "Splashtop",
      "category": "Remote access and remote support product family",
      "licensing_meter": "Per-product-line subscriptions, metered by user or by device",
      "scales_with": "Both",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and ChromeOS, with browser-based access options.",
      "best_for": "Teams whose need falls cleanly into one product line, typically unattended access to a stable estate.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Which product line covers both the attended and unattended work your team does, and what does that combination cost together?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/splashtop-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "teamviewer",
      "product": "TeamViewer",
      "category": "Remote support and remote access suite",
      "licensing_meter": "Named operator licences with concurrency limits",
      "scales_with": "Both",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS and Android, plus mobile device support and various embedded and industrial options.",
      "best_for": "Organisations that need the widest possible device coverage and are prepared to manage a larger licensing surface to get it.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "Which edition includes every capability you have assumed, and what does that edition cost at renewal rather than at signup?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/alternatives/teamviewer-alternative"
    },
    {
      "id": "zoho-assist",
      "product": "Zoho Assist",
      "category": "Remote support tool",
      "licensing_meter": "Per technician, with separate unattended device packs",
      "scales_with": "Both",
      "attended_access": true,
      "unattended_access": true,
      "platform_coverage": "Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi, iOS and Android.",
      "best_for": "Cost-conscious teams doing mostly attended support, especially existing Zoho users.",
      "key_evaluation_question": "What does attended plus unattended cost together, once both meters are on the same quote?",
      "reference_url": "https://rmm247connect.app/compare/anydesk-vs-zoho-assist"
    }
  ]
}