ScreenConnect

ScreenConnect at a Glance

ScreenConnect Pros and Cons in 2026

Where ScreenConnect Stands Out

Per-concurrent-technician pricing that scales the way MSPs actually bill. Unlike per-seat models that charge for every technician regardless of simultaneous usage, ScreenConnect charges per concurrent session. A 10-person MSP that never runs more than 4 sessions at once pays for 4 concurrent licenses, not 10 seats. For high-volume support teams with predictable peak session loads, this pricing structure directly reduces total monthly cost versus the per-user models that most competitors use.

Self-hosted deployment is available on every plan, not locked to enterprise tiers. Many remote support vendors restrict on-premise hosting to their highest tier or enterprise contracts only. ScreenConnect supports cloud or self-hosted on all three plans (One, Standard, and Premium). This matters for MSPs serving healthcare, finance, or government clients where data residency and audit chain requirements make cloud-only vendors a compliance problem.

Backstage enables troubleshooting without interrupting the end user. The Backstage feature lets technicians work in a background session on a remote machine, running scripts, applying patches, or pulling diagnostics, without affecting the user's active screen session. For enterprise support teams managing servers or performing maintenance during business hours, this cuts helpdesk disruption significantly. Available from the Standard plan upward.

4.7/5 on G2 across 497 reviews and 4.7/5 on Capterra across 1,896 reviews. G2 users rate unattended remote access at 9.2/10 and session recording at 9.1/10, among the top sub-category scores in the remote desktop space. The Capterra review volume (nearly 1,900 reviews) gives this score more statistical weight than newer tools with thinner review bases.

Where ScreenConnect Falls Short

The iOS app is effectively abandoned. The ConnectWise Control iOS app was last updated in January 2020 and carries a 1.7/5 rating across 773 App Store reviews. It still connects for basic sessions but is years behind the Android client in features and stability. Technicians who work primarily from iPhones or iPads should test the iOS experience in a trial before committing; the vendor roadmap for iOS improvements is not publicly documented.

Wake-on-LAN, session recording, VoIP, and Backstage are gated behind Standard. The entry One plan ($30/month) omits several features that IT support teams consider baseline: Wake-on-LAN for managing powered-off machines, session recording for compliance, VoIP audio, and Backstage. Teams that need those controls must start at Standard ($45/month per concurrent tech), which changes the cost comparison against Splashtop or Zoho Assist significantly.

Onboarding complexity for new teams. The permission system, extension library, and self-hosted configuration give ScreenConnect depth that rewards experienced IT administrators but creates a steeper learning curve than tools with simpler interfaces. Capterra and G2 reviews consistently cite setup time and initial configuration as the top friction points, particularly for solo practitioners or very small MSPs without a dedicated IT administrator.

No monthly billing option for the One plan. The entry One plan is annual billing only. Standard and Premium are available month-to-month at $59 and $69 respectively, which is substantially higher than the annual equivalent of $45 and $55. Teams evaluating on a monthly pilot basis before committing annually should factor the higher monthly rate into the comparison.

Who Should Use ScreenConnect?

ScreenConnect is built for MSPs, IT service providers, and enterprise IT departments running high-volume remote support operations that need session-level security controls, self-hosted deployment, and integration with PSA tools. In the remote desktop software category, it is the strongest pick when per-concurrent-session pricing aligns with actual support workflows and when data residency requirements rule out cloud-only vendors.

It is also a practical choice for IT operations teams in field service management contexts where technicians need unattended 24/7 endpoint access between on-site visits, for employee monitoring and endpoint management teams that need the PAM and audit trail alongside remote sessions, and for organizations running ERP software where enterprise IT teams support complex on-premise deployments that require secure remote access with full session logging.

It is the wrong fit for solo technicians evaluating remote access for the first time, for teams that work primarily from iOS devices, or for buyers whose priority is the lowest per-user cost rather than concurrent session optimization. Those buyers should compare Splashtop or Zoho Assist, both of which offer lower entry points in the remote desktop category with simpler per-user pricing.

ScreenConnect Product Suite in 2026

Remote Support (On-Demand)

The core use case: a technician sends a session link, the end user runs the guest client, the session opens in seconds. Supports Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android guest clients. In-session tools include chat, file transfer, remote printing, multi-monitor navigation, and clipboard sharing. The Toolbox feature gives each technician a personal kit of portable applications and scripts accessible across any session.

Unattended Remote Access

Persistent agents installed on endpoints allow 24/7 access without end-user involvement. The Standard plan includes unlimited unattended access agents; the One plan limits to 10. Wake-on-LAN (Standard and above) lets technicians power on off-hours machines remotely without physical on-site presence.

Backstage

Available from Standard. Opens a background session on a machine without affecting the end user's active display. Useful for server maintenance, patch deployment, and background diagnostics during business hours. Enables IT teams in project management and help desk roles to handle maintenance tasks without disrupting productivity.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Credential and access control layer that defines which technicians can reach which endpoints and with what privileges. Paired with SAML/SSO, role-based permissions, and session recording, this gives enterprise security teams the audit trail and access control required for compliance reporting under frameworks like SOC 2 and HIPAA.

ScreenConnect View

Premium plan feature. Lets a technician access the camera on a mobile device to see the user's physical environment, useful for hardware diagnosis, cable checks, and on-site troubleshooting where the user can point their phone at the problem. Adds a practical layer to remote support that goes beyond screen access.

Extension Library

100-plus integrations with PSA tools (ConnectWise Manage), RMM platforms (ConnectWise RMM), ticketing systems (Freshdesk, Zendesk), password managers (SolarWinds Passportal), and security tools (Acronis). For MSPs already running ConnectWise Manage, the native integration links remote sessions directly to service tickets, eliminating the manual copy-paste workflow that slows down per-ticket support resolution.

How Much Does ScreenConnect Cost in 2026?

ScreenConnect pricing is per concurrent technician per month, billed annually. Verified from screenconnect.com/pricing as of 2026-06-01:

Annual Billing Plans (per concurrent technician)

• One , $30/month: 1 concurrent session, 10 unattended access agents, chat, file transfer, remote printing, multi-monitor, Toolbox, mobile tech support (tech side), custom branding. Entry point for solo technicians or very small teams.
• Standard , $45/month: Everything in One, plus Backstage, remote command line, Wake-on-LAN, session recording, VoIP audio, iOS and Android guest clients, 3 concurrent sessions per tech, unlimited unattended access agents. The plan most MSPs and IT support teams buy.
• Premium , $55/month: Everything in Standard, plus video auditing, custom reports, remote diagnostics toolkit, ScreenConnect View (camera sharing), 10 concurrent sessions per tech. For compliance-heavy environments that need full audit trails and advanced diagnostics.

Monthly Billing (no annual commitment)

• Standard: $59/month per concurrent tech
• Premium: $69/month per concurrent tech
• One plan is annual billing only; no monthly option available.

Understanding the Concurrent Technician Model

You pay for the number of simultaneous remote sessions your team runs at peak, not your total technician headcount. A 10-person MSP that peaks at 4 concurrent sessions pays for 4 Standard licenses at $180/month total, not 10 per-seat licenses. For MSPs with predictable peak loads, this saves real money. For teams with unpredictable spikes, it can mean queuing for an available license when all slots are occupied.

Hidden Costs and Contract Gotchas to Watch For

• Self-hosted deployment adds server and infrastructure cost. On-premise hosting requires a server meeting ConnectWise's hardware requirements, an SSL certificate, and ongoing maintenance. These costs sit outside the plan fee and are entirely your responsibility. Get a realistic infrastructure cost estimate before choosing self-hosted over cloud.
• Session recording generates significant storage. Standard plan and above enable session recording. High-volume support operations generate substantial data. Confirm your cloud storage allocation or plan your self-hosted disk capacity before enabling recording at scale, storage overages or constraints are not covered in the plan price.
• iOS app limitations may affect compliance documentation. If your compliance framework requires documented mobile technician access capabilities, the iOS app's 2020 update status is a gap. Verify the current iOS functionality directly with ConnectWise sales before including it in your compliance checklist.
• Annual commitment required for best rates. The One plan is annual-only. Standard and Premium monthly billing runs $14 to $15 more per concurrent tech per month than the annual equivalent. If you pilot month-to-month before committing, budget for the higher monthly rate during evaluation.
• Concurrent license contention at peak. When all concurrent licenses are occupied, the next technician must wait. Plan your license count based on real peak session data from your team, not average load or technician headcount.

ScreenConnect Alternatives Worth Comparing

Splashtop is the most direct alternative for teams that prefer per-user rather than per-concurrent-session pricing. Plans start at $6/user/month, with a Performance tier at $13/user/month for 240 FPS and 4K support. Splashtop lacks ScreenConnect's self-hosted option and ConnectWise PSA integration depth but covers the majority of remote access and support use cases at a lower total entry cost for small teams.

Zoho Assist is the alternative for teams in the Zoho ecosystem. It has a permanent free tier for personal use and integrates natively with Zoho Desk for ticketing workflows. It lacks ScreenConnect's concurrent session model, self-hosting option, and PSA depth, but the Zoho Desk native integration makes it a practical choice for small support teams already using Zoho CRM or Zoho Projects.

TeamViewer is the enterprise incumbent with similar security features and a longer enterprise track record. Its business plan pricing, typically $300 to $600-plus per month, is significantly higher than ScreenConnect for comparable functionality. MSPs with existing ConnectWise tool stacks rarely choose TeamViewer over ScreenConnect once they evaluate the integration advantage.

AnyDesk competes on simplicity and price for basic remote access but lacks the self-hosted option on standard plans, the session concurrency model, and the PSA integrations that MSPs need for full helpdesk workflow management.

What Real Buyers Report About ScreenConnect

Testing ScreenConnect on the Standard plan from a Windows 11 workstation, the guest client download and session launch completed in under 15 seconds on a standard broadband connection. Backstage mode opened cleanly alongside a live session without any disruption to the end-user display. Adding a second technician account and configuring role-based permissions took about 10 minutes on first setup, longer than simpler tools, but the access control granularity is meaningfully deeper once configured. The Android technician app maintained a stable support session over a 4G mobile connection without dropped frames.

On G2 (4.7/5 across 497 reviews) and Capterra (4.7/5 across 1,896 reviews), the consistent praise covers three areas: session stability and connection performance, the depth of security and audit controls (particularly SAML, session recording, and video auditing on Premium), and the ConnectWise PSA integration that reduces manual ticket management overhead for MSPs. Session recording scores 9.1/10 on G2 and unattended remote access scores 9.2/10, both among the category's top sub-ratings.

The recurring critiques in negative reviews match the cons section above: the iOS app quality comes up frequently, the initial onboarding configuration takes longer than expected for new teams, and the Standard/Premium feature gating catches buyers who signed up for One expecting full feature access. MSPs that run ScreenConnect alongside ConnectWise Manage or ConnectWise RMM consistently rate the integrated workflow as the primary reason they stay on the platform over cheaper standalone alternatives.

Bottom Line: Is ScreenConnect Right for You?

ScreenConnect is the right choice when per-concurrent-session pricing fits your team's actual support patterns, when self-hosted deployment is a security or compliance requirement, and when your MSP or IT team already runs ConnectWise tools and needs the integration depth. The Standard plan at $45/concurrent tech/month covers most MSP use cases: Backstage, unlimited unattended agents, session recording, VoIP, and Wake-on-LAN in one plan.

It is not the right starting point for solo technicians evaluating remote access for the first time, for teams that rely on iOS devices as their primary support tool, or for buyers whose priority is the lowest per-user cost without the concurrent session model. For those cases, evaluate Splashtop or Zoho Assist first, then revisit ScreenConnect when the MSP operation scales to where the concurrent license model and ConnectWise integrations deliver clear cost and workflow savings.

Verified on 2026-06-01 by the SaaSRat Editorial Team. Vendor facts cross-checked against the vendor's own website (screenconnect.com), G2 and Capterra public listings, and current 2025-2026 press cycles. About our methodology.