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Chrome Remote Desktop vs GoToMyPC
March 19, 2025 | Author: Michael Stromann
11★
Chrome Remote Desktop allows users to remotely access another computer through Chrome browser or a Chromebook. Computers can be made available on an short-term basis for scenarios such as ad hoc remote support, or on a more long-term basis for remote access to your applications and files. All connections are fully secured.
9★
GoToMyPC is an alternative remote-access service that lets you access and control your computer from any web browser.
See also:
Top 10 Remote Support software
Top 10 Remote Support software
Imagine, if you will, two near-magical portals to your computer, Chrome Remote Desktop and GoToMyPC. Both allow you to peer into your screen from across vast distances, as if by some kind of interdimensional wormhole, except with slightly more lag and a higher risk of forgetting which window you left open. They work on Windows and macOS, let you shuffle files between machines with the grace of an intergalactic postal service and even allow you to gaze upon multiple monitors at once—because if you're going to be overwhelmed, you might as well do it properly. Naturally, they both rely on the internet, which is fine until it inevitably decides to take an extended lunch break just when you need it most.
Chrome Remote Desktop, brought into existence by Google in 2011 (presumably as an afterthought during a meeting about search engine dominance), is entirely free. It’s aimed at people who want remote access without the burden of, well, thinking about it too much. You open a browser, click a few things and suddenly your computer appears on another screen as if it has been rudely summoned by an impatient wizard. There are no frills, no complex enterprise features—just a simple way to control your machine, provided you are willing to pledge fealty to the almighty Chrome browser.
GoToMyPC, on the other hand, predates Chrome Remote Desktop by a whole thirteen years, having emerged in 1998 when the internet still made weird noises and everyone thought Y2K might erase humanity. Unlike its younger, carefree rival, GoToMyPC is a paid service with all the trimmings—extra security, remote printing (because nothing says "the future" like sending documents from one place to another at the speed of bureaucracy) and a general air of professionalism. Originally created by ExpertCity before being shuffled through the hands of Citrix, LogMeIn and now GoTo, it has survived longer than most tech companies' mission statements. It’s ideal for businesses that take remote access very seriously—or at least seriously enough to pay for it.
See also: Top 10 Remote Support software
Chrome Remote Desktop, brought into existence by Google in 2011 (presumably as an afterthought during a meeting about search engine dominance), is entirely free. It’s aimed at people who want remote access without the burden of, well, thinking about it too much. You open a browser, click a few things and suddenly your computer appears on another screen as if it has been rudely summoned by an impatient wizard. There are no frills, no complex enterprise features—just a simple way to control your machine, provided you are willing to pledge fealty to the almighty Chrome browser.
GoToMyPC, on the other hand, predates Chrome Remote Desktop by a whole thirteen years, having emerged in 1998 when the internet still made weird noises and everyone thought Y2K might erase humanity. Unlike its younger, carefree rival, GoToMyPC is a paid service with all the trimmings—extra security, remote printing (because nothing says "the future" like sending documents from one place to another at the speed of bureaucracy) and a general air of professionalism. Originally created by ExpertCity before being shuffled through the hands of Citrix, LogMeIn and now GoTo, it has survived longer than most tech companies' mission statements. It’s ideal for businesses that take remote access very seriously—or at least seriously enough to pay for it.
See also: Top 10 Remote Support software
