GoDesk vs Splashtop: open vs tier-gated
Splashtop's free tier only works on local networks. The features you actually need, file transfer, multi-monitor, internet access, are scattered across paid tiers. GoDesk includes all of them in the free tier, plus the source code is auditable.
Three things Splashtop gets wrong
Tier-gated basics
File transfer is on the $8.25/mo tier. Multi-monitor is higher. Remote print is higher still. GoDesk includes all of it from the Free tier up.
Predictable pricing
Splashtop has six+ paid plans (SOS, Business, Enterprise, Personal Pro...) with overlapping features. GoDesk has 4 tiers — Free, Lite ($2.99), Pro ($7.99), Team ($12.99/seat), with clear per-tier device counts.
Auditable encryption
Splashtop's AES-256 implementation is closed source. GoDesk's client is open source under AGPL-3.0, every encryption claim is independently verifiable.
Feature comparison
| Feature | GoDesk | Splashtop |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Self-hostable | Yes (relay) | No |
| Free tier, internet access | Yes (30 devices) | Local network only (Personal) |
| File transfer (free tier) | Included | Paid tier ($8.25/mo) |
| Multi-monitor (free tier) | Included | Paid tier |
| Cheapest paid plan | $2.99/mo (50 devices) | $5/mo (1 user, 2 devices) |
| End-to-end encrypted | AES-256-GCM, auditable | AES-256, closed source |
| Cross-platform | Win, Mac, Linux, Android | Win, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS |
Common questions
How much does Splashtop actually cost?
Splashtop's pricing is tiered and the cheap-looking entry plans drop most useful features. Splashtop Personal is free but ad-supported and limited to your local network. Splashtop SOS starts at $199/year for IT support of 10 endpoints. Splashtop Business Access starts at $5/month for one user but locks file transfer behind the $8.25/month tier. Multi-monitor and remote print are at higher tiers still. The actual cost for a small team typically lands at $25–60/month.
Why pick GoDesk over Splashtop?
Three reasons: (1) GoDesk is open source, Splashtop is proprietary. (2) GoDesk's free tier covers 30 devices with all features unlocked, while Splashtop's free tier (Personal) is local-network-only. (3) GoDesk's paid tiers don't tier-gate basic features like file transfer or multi-monitor, they're included from the free tier up.
Is Splashtop's performance better?
Splashtop's codec is good, comparable to TeamViewer and AnyDesk on latency and frame rate. GoDesk runs on the same RustDesk-derived codec with similar performance characteristics. For 99% of remote-desktop work neither tool will feel meaningfully different. The differences emerge in licensing, pricing, and self-hosting freedom, not in raw streaming quality.
Can Splashtop do unattended access?
Yes, all Splashtop Business tiers include unattended access. GoDesk includes unattended access from the Free tier up, no upgrade required. Both tools handle this scenario well technically.
Does Splashtop have end-to-end encryption?
Splashtop documents AES-256 + TLS 1.2 encryption. The implementation isn't open-source, so it cannot be independently audited. GoDesk uses AES-256-GCM with X25519 key exchange and the client is open source under AGPL-3.0, so encryption claims are verifiable. For most users either is sufficient; for users with high audit / compliance requirements, GoDesk's auditability is the differentiator.
All features in the free tier
File transfer. Multi-monitor. Internet access. Open source. Free for 30 devices.