Apple Remote Desktop vs. Heimdal Remote Desktop

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Apple Remote Desktop
Score 6.5 out of 10
N/A
Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), from Apple, is a remote administration tool for managing Apple computers running OS X across a network.N/A
Heimdal Remote Desktop
Score 0.0 out of 10
N/A
Heimdal’s Remote Desktop enables System Admins to support users or access unattended computers. The solution supports: • Dashboard-to-agent (Windows+ Windows Server; Linux, Android, MacOSX) • Agent-to-agent (Windows+ Windows Server) • Dashboard-to-NO agent (Windows+ Windows Server; Android, MacOSX, IoS with view only due to IoS limitations) Remote Desktop works stand-alone or as part of Heimdal’s…N/A
Pricing
Apple Remote DesktopHeimdal Remote Desktop
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
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Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Apple Remote DesktopHeimdal Remote Desktop
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Apple Remote DesktopHeimdal Remote Desktop
Features
Apple Remote DesktopHeimdal Remote Desktop
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Apple Remote Desktop
8.0
Ratings
2% below category average
Heimdal Remote Desktop
-
Ratings
Screen sharing8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
File transfer9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant message9.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Session record7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Annotations7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control6.30 Ratings00 Ratings
User Ratings
Apple Remote DesktopHeimdal Remote Desktop
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Apple Remote DesktopHeimdal Remote Desktop
Likelihood to Recommend
ARD for me is based on a LAN, but can be used over WAN via VPN, but the latency makes ARD a less ideal tool. There are other cross platform tools that can do what ARD does which to me add value when managing a mixed environment
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Pros
  • Automator Actions: This is a very cool feature and cost saving as it reduces human effort by automating the workflow of tasks.
  • Curtain Mode: This lets you block your local user's view of the desktop while performing administrative tasks.
  • Spotlight Search: It can perform lightning fast searches on machines using the spotlight search feature of OS X and thus saves a lot of time.
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Cons
  • It's onsite only without setting up a VPN or some other form of remote network access.
  • It can be a little slow sometimes when compared to local access.
  • It seems to be a neglected product by Apple and not continually developed.
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Likelihood to Renew
It is a fairly unique tool in the level of integration it has with Apple Desktop products. It definitely needs some engineering attention, and it should be expanded to the iOS arena. It is not perfect, but it is very useful and fills an otherwise fairly empty niche in the support toolkit realm. The built-in screen sharing app in macOS handles the direct screen control or viewing function fairly well, but it does not have all of the other mass control features that Apple Remote Desktop supplies.
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Usability
Once it is set up, it is quite straightforward to use. However, currently, it requires both a script to run to set up permissions and controls, AND a command from the MDM to authorize it to be active. The MDM management command is manual. This is not conducive to an automated workflow, and sometimes gets forgotten. Then, the endpoint is not contactable until someone realizes that the MDM command was not sent or was not successful.
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Support Rating
I've never had to get support for ARD, so I can't give a real opinion.
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Implementation Rating
None, very easy to setup and install.
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Alternatives Considered
I would feel much more comfortable having one of these alternative solutions as our Remote Desktop management tools. Each has their drawbacks and expenses associated with them, but we simply have too large of a deployment to not be considering alternatives. If it is the only solution you can afford, it is OK to start here. I could see where this would have a return on investment, but it is really only suitable for a very small and localized scale. If employees are at all mobile, the duct taping of products necessary (VPN, distribution points, script repositories) would be very cumbersome.
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Return on Investment
  • Apple Remote Desktop has a positive return on investment because for the expense to the school, the value it brings to teachers is important. The return on improved student performance is very difficult to measure financially, but there is a definite return.
  • The overall objective of education is to increase student learning, ARD does that phenomenally. Parents see the tool used and are impressed at what the capabilities of the tool can do and how it impacts how active their students are as well as how well they can learn.
  • One negative impact is that teachers rely too much on this tool rather than on actually teaching sometimes.
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ScreenShots

Heimdal Remote Desktop Screenshots

Screenshot of Heimdal Remote Desktop InitializingScreenshot of Heimdal Remote Desktop - Secured and Unified Remote TroubleshootingScreenshot of Heimdal Remote Desktop - Streamlined, Flexible, and Accessible Remote Support