Best tools to connect to a VPS server (2025 edition)
Remote-access tech moves fast, and Windows 11’s re-shuffle of its own Remote Desktop clients has nudged many VPS users to look elsewhere. Whether you simply want a free one-click RDP viewer or a polished cross-platform workspace for trading, development or admin chores, here are the stand-out options ranked from £0 upwards.
1. Totally free clients
| Tool | Platforms | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe) | Windows | Still built into Windows 11 (now tucked away in All apps ▸ Windows Tools). Supports GPU-accelerated rendering and Entra ID pass-through when required. |
| Windows App (Preview) | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Microsoft’s new all-cloud successor to the Microsoft Store Remote Desktop app. Multi-monitor, dynamic DPI and cloud PC feeds today; full personal-RDP support promised after the old app’s retirement on 27 May 2025. |
| mRemoteNG | Windows | Open-source, tabbed connection manager (RDP, SSH, VNC, Telnet). Great for organising dozens of VPS profiles in a single tree. |
| FreeRDP & wFreeRDP | Win / Linux / macOS | CLI or minimal-GUI client ideal for scripting connectivity or latency checks; current builds cope with Windows 11 24H2’s stricter bitmap handling. |
| Apache Guacamole | Any HTML5 browser | Self-hosted gateway that turns RDP (and VNC/SSH) into a browser tab—perfect when you’re on locked-down kit with no admin rights. |
| RustDesk | Win / macOS / Linux / mobile | Peer-to-peer remote control with optional self-hosted relay; useful fallback when port 3389 is blocked. |
2. Freemium powerhouses
| Tool | Free tier limits | Why it might beat vanilla RDP |
|---|---|---|
| Royal TS/TSX | 10 saved connections & credentials | Credential-safe, tabbed workspace, task automation. A neat single-trader dashboard before you outgrow the limit. |
| Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager Free | Single-user vault | Wraps both classic mstsc and Microsoft’s newer MSRDC engine, plus built-in password vault encryption. Upgrade path to team syncing later. |
3. Commercial clients (one-off or subscription)
| Tool | Approx. UK price* | Stand-out features |
|---|---|---|
| Jump Desktop | £29.99 per device (one-off) | Fluid protocol streams at up to 60 fps while using a tenth of RDP’s bandwidth; automatic device-to-device profile sync across Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. |
| Acronis Cyber Protect Connect (formerly Remotix) | from £69 / year | NEAR codec for high-frame-rate charts; Wake-on-LAN and cross-OS licensing after Nulana’s sale to Acronis. |
| AnyDesk Performance / Standard | from ~£18 + VAT / month billed annually | Own video codec often beats RDP over flaky hotel Wi-Fi; free personal version exists for emergency access. |
| Parallels RAS Client | bundled with Parallels subscriptions | Seamless printing and drive mapping if your provider already runs Parallels-hosted desktops. |
*Prices are guide figures for single seats bought in the UK and will fluctuate with exchange rates and promotions.
Choosing the right tool in 2025
- Need zero-cost, no-install access? – Use mstsc.exe locally or spin up an Apache Guacamole gateway in the cloud.
- Want a single pane for multiple protocols? – mRemoteNG (free) or Royal TS (cheap) give you tabbed bliss.
- Travelling traders who crave low latency and mobile sync? – Jump Desktop’s Fluid codec is hard to beat.
- Running a help-desk or multi-user team? – Devolutions RDM or Royal TS scale up with shared vaults and auditing.
- When corporate firewalls block RDP altogether – RustDesk or AnyDesk tunnel traffic for you with minimal setup.
Windows 11’s march toward cloud-centric remote access means the venerable mstsc.exe is no longer front-and-centre, and the Store-era Remote Desktop app sunsets in 2025. Luckily the ecosystem is richer than ever, so whether you play the markets from a Bet Angel VPS or just babysit servers, there’s a client here to match both your workflow and your wallet.