Digital Lifelines for Travelers: Comparing RemotePC, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Splashtop, and Chrome Remote Desktop

Keeping connected while traveling ✈

Work continues smoothly between stops when you can reach your desktop remotely.

I spend a lot of time away from my desk, and I still need reliable access to the files and apps that live on my home and office computers. Airports, hotel Wi-Fi, and borrowed laptops are my reality, so I judge remote-access tools by a few practical criteria: can I connect from a browser without installing software, do the mobile apps let me actually get work done, how well does the picture hold up on slow or congested networks, can I move files both ways, and can I wake a sleeping machine back home. With that lens, here’s how RemotePC, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Splashtop, and Chrome Remote Desktop perform when you’re traveling.

“After testing and traveling with all five, my bottom line is simple. If I need the lowest annual cost and reliable access from anywhere, RemotePC and Splashtop cover most of my trips.”

RemotePC Viewer Lite running in a browser during an active session.

RemotePC

RemotePC has become my default recommendation for solo travelers who want low friction and predictable costs. The biggest win on the road is the browser access. Their Viewer Lite runs entirely in a tab, which means I can log in from a hotel business center or a client’s laptop without asking permission to install software. That saves time and avoids awkward conversations with gate agents and hotel attendants. RemotePC’s desktop apps are still the best option when I know I’ll be on a flaky link, but the web viewer covers a lot of real-world situations. When I’m not carrying my laptop, the iOS and Android apps are competent. I can kick off a file transfer to grab a PDF from my desktop or drop a batch of photos onto it while I’m in transit. The session looks good on mobile screens, and pinch-to-zoom plus an on-screen keyboard gets me through basic admin tasks. From a performance standpoint, I keep the picture quality on “auto” most of the time; when hotel Wi-Fi starts to buckle, I lower color depth manually for a smoother cursor. One feature I lean on is Wake-on-LAN. If I left my computer sleeping at home, RemotePC can send the wake packet so I’m not stuck until someone pushes the power button for me. RemotePC also supports multiple concurrent connections to the same host, which helps if I need a colleague to jump in while I’m online. If you’re sensitive about installing clients on a work machine, the combination of the web viewer and mobile app covers most quick-access use cases. You won’t get the deepest enterprise management tools, but for a traveler who must reach a handful of unattended computers, it’s more than adequate. More Info: Remote PC Sign-Up Page

The Team Viewer Remote Control panel showing ID and password fields ready for a connection.

TeamViewer

TeamViewer’s biggest strength for travelers is ubiquity and consistency across platforms. If I’m bouncing between loaner laptops, the web client gives me a clean way to start a session right from a browser. On mobile, the controls are polished and consistent, and the long-press file workflow makes it simple to move a single document when I don’t want to open a full session on a phone. In crowded lounges and during those awkward moments when the plane Wi-Fi decides to downgrade itself, TeamViewer adapts fast; the frame rate holds as long as it can and then the image softens if bandwidth tanks. For my use, that’s preferable to frozen screens. I also like that it integrates well with password managers and MFA apps, so getting in from a new device isn’t a circus. The catch is price. TeamViewer sits higher on the cost curve than the others in this list. If you travel for work and your clients already standardize on TeamViewer, paying for a license can still be worth it because it avoids support friction. If you’re an individual just trying to reach a home desktop while you’re away, the features are excellent but the monthly bill may feel heavy compared to RemotePC or Splashtop. More Info: TeamViewer Sign-Up Page

AnyDesk connection request dialog waiting for the remote side to accept.

AnyDesk

AnyDesk is the one I reach for when I know connectivity will be rough. Its video codec keeps sessions usable down to strikingly low bandwidths, which matters on transatlantic flights, rural LTE, or hotel networks in peak hours. Latency on a normal home link is low enough that a cursor feels responsive, and that contributes to less fatigue when I’m making quick edits from a tablet. File transfer and remote reboot are built in, and the mobile clients don’t feel like an afterthought. Over the last couple of years, pricing crept up for professional tiers, but for a traveler who values a snappy session on weak links, the premium can be justified. If your work involves graphics or you need to jump between multiple monitors frequently, AnyDesk holds up well in my experience as long as you turn down resolution or disable background animations in the host OS. If your priority is the broadest ecosystem and integrations, TeamViewer still leads; if your priority is keeping a session alive over poor networks, AnyDesk earns its seat in the toolkit. More Info: AnyDesk Sign-Up Page

Splashtop tablet interface listing available computers for one-tap access.

Splashtop

Splashtop hits a sweet spot for travelers who want good performance and simple licensing. It’s quick over decent Wi-Fi and has improved enough that it stays usable in cafés and airport lounges without a lot of manual tuning. Two features make it travel-friendly. First, Remote Wake (Wake-on-LAN) means I can wake a sleeping workstation from afar as long as I have one reachable device on the same network back home. Second, the adaptive streaming mode does a respectable job of balancing clarity and responsiveness when the network isn’t ideal. Splashtop also supports multi-monitor workflows and remote printing, which matters when I’m grabbing a contract from my office PC and need to hand a paper copy to a hotel front desk or conference check-in. The mobile apps are competent for light tasks; I still prefer a laptop for real work, but I can approve invoices or copy files with only a phone if I have to. If you’re choosing on price, Splashtop’s personal and small-team plans are usually among the most affordable paid options for unattended access, and that’s why many traveling freelancers I know start here. More Info: Splashtop Sign-Up Page

Chrome Remote Desktop - Google’s minimalist dashboard with Remote Access and Remote Support tabs.

Chrome Remote Desktop

Chrome Remote Desktop is the free baseline that’s often good enough for emergencies. It runs entirely in Chrome, ties to your Google account, and gets you on a host fast with minimal setup. For quick, occasional access while traveling, that’s useful. The trade-offs matter, though. You don’t get drag-and-drop file transfer in the app, so you’ll manage files by using clipboard sync for text snippets or a cloud drive for anything substantial. There’s no deep control panel to tweak color depth or frame rate, and the feature set is deliberately lean. If you’re already in Google’s ecosystem and you just need to open a document, check a setting, or restart a process, it does the job. If you want rich file workflows, Wake-on-LAN triggers, or polished multi-monitor switching, you’ll feel the limits quickly. I still keep it configured on at least one home machine because it’s friction-free and works from almost any borrowed computer with a modern browser. More Info: Chrome Remote Desktop Home Page

After testing and traveling with all five, my bottom line is simple. If I need the lowest annual cost and reliable access from anywhere, RemotePC and Splashtop cover most of my trips. If I’m expecting weak networks or in-flight Wi-Fi, AnyDesk keeps the cursor responsive when others stutter. If I’m working with clients who have standardized on a platform and expect me to use it, TeamViewer wins on ubiquity. If I just need emergency access with zero spend, Chrome Remote Desktop is the fastest way to get a quick fix. None of these tools compensate for truly awful hotel networks or firewall-heavy corporate guest Wi-Fi, but enabling Wake-on-LAN at home, keeping a desktop hard-wired, and having at least one web-only access path per tool reduces my chances of getting locked out on the road.