Scry vs AnyDesk— honest comparison
Looking for an AnyDesk alternative? Here's an honest Scry vs AnyDesk comparison — what each one does well, and where the other one wins. AnyDesk is fast, polished, and battle-tested across a long list of platforms. Scry is a small, focused tool for buyers who want straightforward personal remote access on Mac, Windows, and the web — without an annual-only contract and without paying $23+/mo for a single connection.
| At a glance | Scry | AnyDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $4.99 / mo | $23.12 / mo (Solo, billed annually — $28.90 effective monthly without discount) |
| Most popular plan | $39.99 / yr | Standard ($46.90/mo annual) for small teams |
| Lifetime license | $99 one-time | None |
| Platforms | Mac (host + client) · Windows (host + client) · Web (client) | Windows · macOS · Linux · FreeBSD · Raspberry Pi · iOS · Android · ChromeOS |
Pick AnyDesk if
- ·Solo plan ships multi-monitor, audio transmission, and file transfer today. Scry has these on the Pro roadmap but not in any current build.
- ·Native clients on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi, iOS, Android, and ChromeOS. Scry is Mac and Windows only today, with mobile clients still planned.
- ·Mature unattended-access feature set — address book, custom client branding, REST API, session recording, deployment automation. Scry has none of these shipped yet.
- ·Battle-tested low-latency video pipeline tuned over a decade. Scry's video stack is shipping but newer; codec negotiation and bitrate auto-tune are still maturing.
- ·Strong reputation for Linux and headless deployments. Scry doesn't ship a Linux host yet.
Pick Scry if
- +Real free tier with no time limits and no per-session nag. AnyDesk's free tier exists for personal use but pushes hard toward paid; Solo is mandatory annual billing with no monthly option.
- +One-time $99 lifetime license. AnyDesk has no lifetime option — every paid tier is a recurring subscription.
- +Browser-based client at scry.bravely.dev with no install. AnyDesk requires a native client on every device you connect from.
- +WebRTC over an open signaling layer with end-to-end encrypted transport (DTLS-SRTP). The protocol is documented and the wire format is inspectable. AnyDesk's DeskRT codec and transport are proprietary.
- +Predictable monthly billing — $4.99/mo, cancel anytime. AnyDesk Solo's monthly-equivalent is $28.90/mo and locked to annual.
Full feature comparison
Verified 2026-05-02. Source linked at the bottom.
| Feature | Scry | AnyDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Price (entry) | $4.99/mo | $23.12/mo (annual only — $28.90 list) |
| Monthly billing option | Yes | No — annual only |
| Lifetime license | $99 | None |
| Free tier for personal use | Yes — no time limits, no nag | Yes — for personal, non-commercial use |
| Platforms (host) | Mac, Windows | Mac, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi |
| Platforms (client) | Mac, Windows, Web | Mac, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspberry Pi, iOS, Android, ChromeOS |
| Browser client (no install) | Yes | No |
| Open standard transport | Yes (WebRTC) | Proprietary (DeskRT) |
| End-to-end encrypted transport | Yes (DTLS-SRTP) | Yes (TLS 1.2) |
| Single-monitor session | Yes (free) | Yes (free) |
| Multi-monitor | Planned (Pro roadmap) | Yes (Solo+) |
| Audio in session | Planned (Pro roadmap) | Yes (free) |
| File transfer | Planned (Pro roadmap) | Yes (free) |
| Clipboard text sync | Yes (free) | Yes (free) |
| Mobile clients | Planned | Yes (iOS, Android, ChromeOS) |
| Unattended access + wake | Planned (Pro roadmap) | Yes |
| Connections per license (Solo) | Unlimited concurrent | 1 connection |
From Jeff, founder
AnyDesk is genuinely good. The DeskRT codec is fast and the apps are polished. The thing that keeps tripping me up is the pricing model — $23-ish per month, billed annually, for a single connection, with no lifetime option. I wanted a remote desktop I could buy once and own. Scry is that, plus a real browser client, plus an open WebRTC transport. AnyDesk wins on platform breadth and shipped Pro features today; Scry wins on price and ownership. — Jeff
— Jeff Schiesser · Bravely Studios
FAQ
Why does AnyDesk have more features today?+
AnyDesk has been shipping commercially since 2014 with a real engineering team. Scry is one person and is shipping the single-monitor case first before adding multi-monitor, audio, and file transfer to Pro.
When will Scry ship audio, file transfer, and multi-monitor?+
These are the top three Pro priorities. They are not date-committed; when they land, every existing lifetime-tier customer gets them at no extra charge.
Is Scry's free tier really free?+
Yes. No time limits, no commercial-use detection, no five-minute timer. Free covers single-monitor remote access end-to-end. Pro will add scale-up features when they ship.
Why doesn't AnyDesk offer monthly billing on Solo?+
AnyDesk Solo is annual-only by design. Scry breaks the pattern and offers $4.99/mo, $39.99/yr, or $99 one-time.
Does Scry have a Linux host like AnyDesk?+
Not yet. AnyDesk has mature Linux, FreeBSD, and Raspberry Pi hosts. Scry's Linux host is in early development; today, Scry hosts on Mac and Windows only.
More Scry comparisons
Pricing verified 2026-05-02. AnyDesk pricing source. Subject to change.