If you’re providing remote access support, it’s crucial that the software is easy to download and set up, because the person on the other end isn’t necessarily tech savvy. And if you’re primarily interested in accessing specific machines, you want software you can sign into securely and leave running in the background. TeamViewer does both of these things extremely well, in addition to offering some of the smoothest remote controls on the market. It also works across platforms and is free for noncommercial use. It’s a bit pricey for business use, but that doesn’t prevent TeamViewer from earning our Editors’ Choice award for remote access software.
How Much Does TeamViewer Cost?
TeamViewer is completely free for personal use. The free version isn’t a gimmick or a demo. I used it for the bulk of my testing, then I tried out the business version. There’s no difference, feature-wise. Home users get everything TeamViewer has to offer, which is great if you, like many of our readers, provide volunteer tech support for friends and family.
Paid plans for businesses start at $418.80 per year. With that license a single user can manage up to 200 computers. The next plan, which costs $1,234.80 per year, allows up to four users to control up to 300 computers. These plans aren’t available on a month-to-month basis.
TeamViewer’s business prices are toward the top of the market. RemotePC, which offers a similar feature set, doesn’t have a free version, but paid plans start at $19.50 a year. The cheapest business plan starts at $59.50 a year. Like TeamViewer, GoToMyPC primarily targets businesses and starts at $420 per year (or $44 per month if you prefer to pay monthly), which is still higher than TeamViewer despite the lack of a free version.
Canceling a TeamViewer plan is a bit of a pain because you can’t do it on the website. Users are instead told to email the support team.
Is TeamViewer Really Free?
The free version of TeamViewer is enforced by an AI designed to detect commercial activity that cuts off access for users it deems suspicious. Some legitimate home users are caught by the AI and cut off, and plenty of negative reviews on Google Play or the App Store complain of accounts being disabled automatically and without warning. Such instances tend to be extreme, however. One such reviewer claims to have been using TeamViewer to play PC games on their Mac, and I find it understandable that the bandwidth required would look like commercial use to an algorithm. (Virtualization software would serve them better anyway.) In any case, users can appeal, so this is more of an annoyance than a dealbreaker.
TeamViewer Platform Support
TeamViewer offers clients for macOS, Linux, and mobile platforms. I tested the software on computers running Windows 10, Windows 11, and macOS 12, and found that all of these versions support all of the features I’d expected. The macOS version of TeamViewer is feature-complete—there’s nothing missing or not working.
Is TeamViewer Dangerous?
According to the company, TeamViewer is secured by end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption, multi-factor authentication (which you should absolutely use), and other industry-grade security features. The company is certified according to SOC2, HIPAA/HITECH, ISO/IEC 27001, and ISO 9001:2015.
Still, some amount of security is up to you. The most important security measure is to never install remote access software if someone you don’t know tells you to do it. It is a common hacking technique people use to remotely steal your information and access financial accounts. For example, if someone claiming to be tech support calls you, out of the blue, to “diagnose a problem” or “fix your bank account,” then asks you to install a remote access app, hang up—you’re talking to to scammer Call the dedicated phone number for the company in question instead and ask if there are any issues you need to address.
Getting Started With Teamviewer
Remote access software, by nature, needs to be installed on at least two machines: the computer you want to access remotely and the computer you have in front of you (or the machine you want to access the other computer from). It’s best if this process is straightforward, in particular if you’re talking to someone through the installation over the phone.
If you’re offering support, having a simple setup process is crucial because it means the people you’re supporting can quickly download and install TeamViewer and give you their information to connect. To get started, you head to TeamViewer.com and click the download button—you get an installer for your system. Follow the installation instructions and you will eventually see the main TeamViewer window.
TeamViewer automatically gives every computer an ID and password, which is shown when you open the application, as seen above. You can use that code to connect to the current machine. This same window has a box where you enter an ID in to connect to another machine, though this method is only just one option for connecting.
If you’d rather not enter an ID and password to access certain machines, however, the other option is to set up an account and sign into it on all systems. If you then check the “Grant easy access” button, you can connect to your own computers in just a couple clicks.
Smooth Controls
I tested TeamViewer both on my local home network and outside near a Portland, Oregon, food cart pod that doesn’t have particularly great Wi-Fi. I connected to a Windows 10 machine from a Macbook, an iPad, and a laptop running Windows 11. TeamViewer worked great in all of these combinations.
On my local network I barely notice when I’m using remote access software. Everything feels more-or-less in real time. I can browse the web, write a document, and even edit images over the network with only the occasional problems caused by lag. The results aren’t quite this smooth farther from my home, but I still don’t have any trouble accessing the other machine. Lag isn’t an issue. By contrast, another PCMag writer mentioned that in Zoom Meetings, which includes a remote access feature, the lag time is noticeable.
TeamViewer supports sharing system audio, which in my tests worked flawlessly. I could listen to music without much disruption. On my local network I could even watch a video with sound this way, albeit with a little bit of stuttering. It worked better than other apps I tested, including Remote PC and GoToMyPC. TeamViewer offers audio sharing on Windows and macOS computers, unlike GotoMyPC which can only share audio from Windows.
Sharing Files (and Your Face)
TeamViewer offers a file-transfer mode for any device you’re connected to. It shows a two-pane file browser, with all files on both computers available to send and receive, allowing you to transfer files directly from a folder on one device to a folder on another.
TeamViewer also offers audio and video chat, so you can see and talk with whoever is sitting at the computer you’re helping control. A whiteboarding feature lets you draw on the screen so that you can point things out, which is very handy if you’re using TeamViewer to offer support. With the audio/video chat and whiteboard features, you can talk out loud, emphasize areas of the screen by drawing them, and even look the person you’re working with in the eye. The only other remote management app we reviewed that offers whiteboarding is Remote PC. TeamViewer also offers the ability to record a remote session.
Nearly Flawless Remote Access
Remote access software is borderline magic when it works well, letting you see and control one computer from another. TeamViewer has been providing this practical magic since 2005, and it shows. Every potential stumbling block seems to have been anticipated, whether you’re offering tech support for someone else or want access to your own computer from the road. That makes TeamViewer an Editors’ Choice winner for remote access software, particularly for free personal use, and our go-to app for remotely driving our own computers from afar.
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