Microsoft RDP is built into Windows but bound to a LAN or VPN: over the internet it is only reachable via port forwarding or a VPN — cumbersome and risky when port 3389 is exposed. WinDesk connects P2P over the internet without a VPN and without port forwarding, cross-platform, with consent and device-token security. WinDesk is an independent alternative and does not use the RDP protocol.
Try WinDesk on the free plan — no account, no card, two hours of session time a month. Pro costs CHF 29.90 per month plus 8.1% VAT and is billed from the first month.
If your machines are on the same LAN or corporate VPN, RDP is solid. For access over the internet without open ports, WinDesk is the simpler and safer route.
On a local network Microsoft RDP only needs the machine name. The moment the target sits somewhere else, one of these four routes is required — and every one of them is infrastructure somebody has to set up, pay for and maintain.
Set up in ten minutes and the worst of the four: the service now sits openly on the internet. Automated login attempts typically find a freshly opened port within hours, and flaws in the RDP stack — BlueKeep in 2019 being the best known — hit exactly the machines exposed this way. Security agencies have advised against it for years.
The technically sound route, and the right one for your own staff. It does require VPN infrastructure, a client on every device and an account for every person who connects. For supporting a customer machine on a network you do not own it is unusable: you would have to let the customer into your network or the other way round.
Wraps RDP in HTTPS and avoids the open port 3389. In return it needs a Windows Server with the gateway role, a valid certificate, a publicly reachable address and the upkeep of both machines. Sensible above a certain size, disproportionate for a handful of computers.
An extra machine as a waypoint, often with Guacamole or an SSH tunnel in front. It moves the problem onto a computer that has to be especially well maintained and monitored — and that becomes the master key if it is ever breached.
All four require something that must be operated. WinDesk needs none of them: the connection forms directly between the two devices, signalling runs through our Swiss server, and screen data never reaches it.
P2P connection without port forwarding, without a VPN, and without an open port 3389. WinDesk is an independent alternative, not the RDP protocol.
Client and host on Windows, macOS and Linux. An RDP host is bound to Windows Pro/Enterprise.
An explicit consent prompt on the host and hardware-bound device tokens instead of an openly exposed port.
Install a signed app and confirm — no firewall rules, no port forwarding, no gateway configuration.
| Feature | Microsoft RDP0/0 | WinDesk0/0 |
|---|---|---|
| Access and network | ||
| Over the internet without VPN or port forwarding | ✕ | ✓ |
| Usable without an open inbound port | ✕ | ✓ |
| Behind NAT and firewall without configuration | ✕ | ✓ |
| Direct connection between the devices | ✓ | ✓ |
| Platforms | ||
| Host on Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Host on Windows Home | ✕ | ✓ |
| Host on macOS | ✕ | ✓ |
| Host on Linux | ✕ | ✓ |
| Host on Raspberry Pi (arm64) | ✕ | ✓ |
| Security and operation | ||
| Encrypted session | ✓ | ✓ |
| Consent on the host before the session | ~ | ✓ |
| Hardware-bound device tokens | ✕ | ~ |
| Signalling through a Swiss server | ✕ | ✓ |
| Device management without Active Directory | ✕ | ✓ |
| No additional server infrastructure | ~ | ✓ |
| Set up by a non-technical person | ✕ | ✓ |
Microsoft, Windows and Remote Desktop are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. WinDesk and Lightnet Multimedia GmbH are not affiliated with Microsoft. WinDesk does not use the RDP protocol; the entries describe Microsoft RDP in its default configuration. The full comparison with other tools is in the comparison table.
RDP is not wrong. It is tied to a precondition that often does not hold.
WinDesk Host on the target devices, RDP stays active. The two do not interfere: different ports, different routes.
Take every session through WinDesk, keep RDP as a fallback. Everyday use is what shows you whether something is missing.
Remove the port forward to 3389 or take down the gateway publication. This is the step that actually shrinks the attack surface.
Carry on with RDP inside if it fits there. A switch does not have to be total to be worth it.
Free plan with no account, no credit card. Fact-based comparison with Microsoft RDP in the comparison table.
Microsoft RDP is built into Windows Pro/Enterprise and strong on a LAN or over a VPN. Over the internet, though, RDP is only reachable via port forwarding or a VPN — a directly exposed port 3389 is a well-known attack target. WinDesk connects P2P over the internet without a VPN and without port forwarding, cross-platform, with consent and hardware-bound device tokens.
Access over the internet without a VPN or an open port 3389, cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux), an explicit consent flow on the host, and easy setup even for non-technical users. WinDesk is an independent alternative and does not use the RDP protocol.
On a LAN or over an existing corporate VPN, RDP is mature, deeply integrated into Windows and Active Directory, and usable without extra software. If your machines are already on the same network or VPN, RDP is a solid choice.
Not in its simple form. A directly forwarded port 3389 is found and attacked automatically, and flaws in the RDP stack hit exactly those machines. RDP over the internet only becomes safe with a VPN, a Remote Desktop Gateway or a bastion — that is, with infrastructure somebody has to run. WinDesk sidesteps the question because no inbound port is needed.
Only via a detour: a VPN, a Remote Desktop Gateway or a jump host. RDP itself has no NAT traversal, so it cannot establish a connection through a router on its own. WinDesk can: both sides connect outbound and the signalling server brings them together.
No. WinDesk is an independent application with its own protocol, its own screen transport and its own encryption. It replaces RDP for access over the internet; it does not extend it.
mstsc.exe is the program Windows uses to start an RDP session — the Remote Desktop Connection client. People looking for an mstsc alternative are usually not after a different client but after a route to the target machine that works without a VPN and without an open port.
No. WinDesk runs as a host on Windows Home too, as well as on macOS, Linux and the Raspberry Pi. An RDP host, by contrast, requires Windows Pro or Enterprise — Windows Home cannot accept an RDP session.
Yes, with no configuration. Client and host each connect outbound; our Swiss server introduces the two. Only the signalling runs through it — picture, sound and input go directly between the devices.
RDP is a protocol for access inside your own network, designed for managed Windows environments. Remote support software is built for the route across the internet: NAT traversal, consent on the host, platform independence and usability for people who do not configure firewalls.
Yes. They occupy different ports and do not get in each other’s way. That is the recommended path for a switch: side by side first, then close the route from outside and keep RDP on the local network.
The free plan costs nothing and needs no account: two hours of session time per month. Pro is CHF 29.90 per month and includes unattended access; there is no trial period, so anyone moving to a paid plan enters a card and pays from the first month. Everything is on the pricing page.