Free replacements for LogMeIn, now that it's $100 a year

A reader asks,

LogMeIn was great when it was free. Have you found an alternative now that it's $49/year?
      - R.T.

 

LogMeIn is one of many companies that provide software for remotely accessing and controlling other computers. The new $49/year price is for existing customers; new customers pay $99 annually for running the software between just two computers; the prices escalate for accessing more devices. I, for instance, have seven devices I need to connect between from time to time, for which LogMeIn would charge $450 yearly -- no thanks! 

It turns out that remote computing is built into Windows for free, but is so awkward to use that free replacements abound: 

I use TeamViewer 8 the most, which does the following:

• View remote desktops; even allows rebooting linked computers remotely
• Download files from computers
• Hold GotoMeeting-like sessions with voice and screen sharing.
• Can be used from Androids and other non-Windows devices

It is free for personal use for an unlimited number of devices, from http://www.teamviewer.com. I use it to support my dad and mother-in-law, as well as to retrieve files from my desktop computer when I am on the road. Kind of like Dropbox without the file limits.

Another one I use is Splashtop Streamer, which is free to use over a local network. It has a smoother interface than TeamViewer, and so I use to view screens at home between computers (say upstairs and downstairs). Also runs on Androids, etc. Get your copy from www.splashtop.com.

- - -

Heh, they all claim they are the fastest by 10x, but don't be fooled. I find they are all the same (slightly slow), even on my home LAN running at 1Gb/sec. 

 

Comments

[Aurbis]

Autodesk Remote is another option, at least for Autodesk Subscription customers. I've used it in conjunction with Dropbox / Google Drive to remote and transfer files

[Marcel]

There is one very easy answer to all this issues with remote desktop -
free for business and home AEROADMIN

[Aliasgar Babat]

That`s an extremely bad news: Logmein free version is going away. I loved to use Logmein; but recently I have discovered another very good alternative: RHUB` remote support servers. It provides better security as compared to hosted services.