HelpWire vs. ISL Light

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
HelpWire
Score 9.4 out of 10
N/A
HelpWire is a user-friendly remote desktop service for quick IT assistance to home and business users. It provides on-demand support for Windows, macOS, and Linux devices, along with unattended access to Windows and macOS computers. Technicians can instantly access client systems to resolve issues promptly, eliminating costly on-site visits. Tailored for sole proprietors, small to medium IT support teams, MSPs, and help desks, HelpWire ensures effective remote client…N/A
ISL Light
Score 9.6 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
ISL Light is remote support and remote access software that enables SMBs and large enterprises to offer fast and efficient support and maintenance for Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as mobile device support for Android and iOS.
$34.90
per month (billed annually) per concurrent user
Pricing
HelpWireISL Light
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Standard
$34.90
per month (billed annually) per concurrent user
Self-Hosted
$44.90
per month (billed annually) per concurrent user
Premium
$54.90
per month (billed annually) per concurrent user
Enterprise (Managed Private Cloud)
$23,976
per year 20 concurrent users
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
HelpWireISL Light
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsThe product is free of charge, no Ads, no extra feesISL Online's pricing model considers the number of licenses purchased, which determines the maximum number of concurrent users within the organization. A concurrent user is defined as anyone running one or more sessions simultaneously from any device. There are no restrictions on the number of ISL Light users within a company or the remote devices managed. For example, with three licenses, an unlimited number of people in a company can use ISL Light and can access an unlimited number of remote devices, but only three users can use it concurrently. When one of these three users ends their session, a fourth user can begin their session, and so on.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
HelpWireISL Light
Considered Both Products
HelpWire
Chose HelpWire
I previously used AnyDesk, but I became concerned due to recent reports linking it to support scams that misuse its features for unauthorized access. Additionally, I experienced occasional crashes while using the application.
Chose HelpWire
A few years back, I was using TeamViewer and AnyDesk now and then, but they both started glitching, which was super frustrating. So, I switched to Splashtop, and while it was totally fine okay. When HelpWire came onto the market, I decided to give it a try, and I’m really happy …
Chose HelpWire
I used AnyDesk and Zoom for my work, and they were helpful, but Zoom is only good for communication with no remote access, and AnyDesk has started crashing more often.
Chose HelpWire
before this I used Teamviewer. Honestly, TeamViewer just wasn't cutting it anymore. While it used to be my go-to, a few things started to bug me. For one, the free version felt increasingly limited. There were times when I needed a feature that was locked behind a paywall, …
Chose HelpWire
We felt a lag in movement of mouse on Anydesk but on HelpWire we do not face any such issue. The movement of cursor and mouse is as smooth as working on your own system.
Chose HelpWire
With AnyDesk my biggest issue was the lag in mouse movement, and it was never a great experience. Most of the time I would just view the system and ask the person sitting on Remote machine to do as needed but with HelpWire it's like I am navigating my own system.
ISL Light
Chose ISL Light
Fast, quick, nonsense free, can downgrade picture quality for clients on mobile broadband

The three above mentioned softwares like CWA, Splashtop and Teamviewer can require you to lookup information on how to use the software, in-comparison to ISL where it's easy graphically.
Chose ISL Light
Much more intuitive when compared to remote desktop and as no changes are required on the firewall on the server side, it's a much more secure connection.
Chose ISL Light
Support is always quick and responsive, although I only had to contact support for license renewals over the past few years, so in essence, once a year. We made use of ISL Online at other companies too, at that time there was no real contender in the market according to my …
Chose ISL Light
TeamViewer is too expensive and I don't like the unattended management. AnyDesk doesn't have the functions that I like most about ISL Light.

TeamViewer es demasiado caro y no me gustó la gestión desatendida. AnyDesk no tiene las funciones que más me gustan de ISL Light.
Chose ISL Light
AnyDesk, TeamViewer and Splashtop
Chose ISL Light
Fairness, Support and License-Costs are quite important for us. Also the abbility to install an own ISL Light-Server onPrem, if we need it in furture.
Chose ISL Light
ISL Light is easy to use and covers all our permanant access devices but is also easy to manage our ad-hoc clients, the only negative over some is you can't automate remote tasks
Chose ISL Light
I used LogMeIn Rescue for several years, and it has more features rich but is horrifically expensive compared to ISL Light, which was the main reason I changed. Chrome Remote Desktop must be viewed as a threat in the remote desktop application sphere. The features and usability …
Chose ISL Light
Cheaper and more reliable. ISL gets the basics right.
Chose ISL Light
Functionality is similar but that where it end for us.
If you prefer value for money, no surprising price increases (or any increase!), instant support from UK based team who can resolve any product related query then I think ISL Light is product for you.
Chose ISL Light
each of these solutions mised some functionailty that was included in ISL Light, and they were all more expensive.
Chose ISL Light
Multi-monitor handling is super easy with ISL Light. The licensing model of ISL Light's self-hosted version is unbeatable. Great technical support, which often used before I purchased. The unbelievable price increase during and after the covid time of remote tools, has ended, …
Chose ISL Light
ISL Light has support. At AnyDesk, I've paid for 6 years, but after four years, they wanted more money, as they had a new license with only one concurrent session. ISL Light has support, but AnyDesk Support almost does not exist. The ISL address book works fine, but AnyDesk has …
Chose ISL Light
More user-friendly. More affordable. A Slovenian product (which means it supports the Slovene language). User support is very satisfactory and responsive. Simple installation and does not require additional knowledge from colleagues.
Chose ISL Light
Price fit our needs, and it had all the functions we needed. The others all had issues that were preventing me from using it as we do on a day to day basis. Teamviewer especially has declined to a horrible state, and they trap you in with forced renewals which is seriously …
Chose ISL Light
At first we were impressed by how easy it is to get help from a remote partner. Later we found out that ISL Light is also a local product and we are happy to support local businesses.
Chose ISL Light
While these are all good products and provide a solution in other use cases, at the time we were searching, ISL Light fit our use case best. It is a completely self-contained and privately hosted solution with a tool for each step, user contact, information gathering, remote …
Chose ISL Light
While both apps have their strengths, we found ISL Light to be a better fit for our usecase.
Chose ISL Light
Easier to use, easier to install and easier to manage. No dropping in connectivity and the GUI is much better than any other program.
Chose ISL Light
We chose ISL Light because of ease of use for our customers and end users, as it's the fastest way of getting a connection to the mentioned user or PC. A big role also plays the reliability of secure connection.
Chose ISL Light
ISL has better and simpler pricing also thie support is 10/10.
Features
HelpWireISL Light
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
HelpWire
10.0
Ratings
0% above category average
ISL Light
-
Ratings
Role-based user permissions10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
HelpWire
8.2
Ratings
6% below category average
ISL Light
8.0
Ratings
1% below category average
File transfer8.70 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Instant message7.70 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Screen sharing00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Session record00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Remote Access
Comparison of Remote Access features of Product A and Product B
HelpWire
9.3
Ratings
0% below category average
ISL Light
-
Ratings
Attended device access10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Virtual device access10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple-display support9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple concurrent sessions8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
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HelpWireISL Light
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Medium-sized Companies
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User Ratings
HelpWireISL Light
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
HelpWireISL Light
Likelihood to Recommend
Great for quick access to remote devices to check the software I need. Unattended access would be great to have, as it would make the testing process even easier for me.
Read full review
Perfect for remotely accessing user machines. Better than any of the competitors such as Anydesk etc. Feels a lot safer and the auto rollout makes it perfect for large organisations and small Cannot think of a case when it's less appropriate!
Read full review
Pros
  • Easy and quick, set up and connection establishment.
  • No mouse or movement lag while connected with remote system
  • Workd equally well with Windows or Mac systems.
Read full review
  • Prikaz strani na kateri se nahaja uporabnik
  • Prikaz kontaktov uporabnikov
  • Zgodovina pogovorov s strankami
  • Možnost spreminjanja statusa dosegljivosti
  • Nalaganje datotek, zajemov slik,..
  • Klepetalnik, ki je enostaven za uporabo
  • Nas obvesti, da smo dobili sporočilo, tudi če smo izven klepetalnika
  • Display the page the user is on
  • Displaying user contacts
  • Customer conversation history
  • Ability to change availability status
  • Uploading files, capturing images, etc.
  • An easy-to-use chatbot
  • Notifies us that we have received a message, even if we are outside the chat room
Read full review
Cons
  • UX/UI can be improved.
  • Sometimes the screen freezes but connection is not lost so we can close the window and open again.
  • It's an amazing App but most of the people I know have not heard about it. I think company should spend more on marketing.
Read full review
  • Need a control toggle at least on AlwaysOn. User moves the mouse and you lose all control instantly.
  • Clipboard features are a bit wonky still, and your clipboard seems to get emptied a lot. So if you're trying to copy and paste you might lose something
  • Passwords for the systems are saved per machine, so if you work from multiple devices it can be tricky if you have complex passwords
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Likelihood to Renew
It's free, but I love their service, so I will buy their service if they introduce any paid program.
Read full review
We are renew the license for 10 years now and we do not see why would change that. It just gets better with every new version.
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Usability
I have no complaints about HelpWire’s usability. It’s quick to set up and easy to navigate, with a clear interface that avoids unnecessary buttons and input fields. It’s simple, which is perfect for my needs
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It is very easy to use. You hardly need any computer knowledge to learn how to use it, as everything is displayed in easily recognizable icons. Although its appearance does not look cutting-edge, it could have a more modern look, but it must be said that everything is understandable, and with just a couple of taps on each icon that appears, you already know what each thing is for, and it allows you to use it skillfully and fluidly. Everything is perfect in this regard.
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
During the entere time of use, I have never come across any availability issues.
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
High performance!
Read full review
Support Rating
No answers on this topic
We had issues with mouse skipping on mobile devices. Support is immediatly availabe, they examined our case and in one of the new versions of the app this problem was gone.
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Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
It was so easy!
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Alternatives Considered
A few years back, I was using TeamViewer and AnyDesk now and then, but they both started glitching, which was super frustrating. So, I switched to Splashtop, and while it was totally fine okay. When HelpWire came onto the market, I decided to give it a try, and I’m really happy I made the switch. Reliable performance, ease of use, and strong security were key factors for me.
Read full review
In our specific case user console simplicity in ISL light is a major positive for ISL light. ISL always on agent for unattended access is vastly superior to TeamViewer's solution. TeamViewer has become bloated in recent years, changing things for the sake of changing them, rather than improving their offering. One advantage TeamViewer has is a copy-paste file function that does not require the use of cumbersome file transfer tool.
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
Easy to deploy onto new devices. Ability to group devices so they can managed remotely efficiently.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Available for every budget, as it free for commercial use, so I can save my expenses
  • Simple initiation of sessions, easy to explain to my clients how to use the app
Read full review
  • We can now help our customers within minutes. Sending a technician could take hours or even days.
  • We can immediately help customers who are stuck and unable to refuel so that they can continue their journey.
  • We can now quickly resolve warranty cases, so that it hardly costs us any money.
Read full review
ScreenShots

HelpWire Screenshots

Screenshot of the HelpWire web interface, showing connected user's workstations with multiple displays and a live chat conversationScreenshot of the HelpWire Operator application window, with connected workstations and multi-display supportScreenshot of the HelpWire Operator application window, with opened chat side-panelScreenshot of the HelpWire Client application chat-window

ISL Light Screenshots

Screenshot of remote access control in ISL Light.Screenshot of unattended access setup. Access can be allowed to as many computers as desired.Screenshot of a connection with a remote client, which can be set up by sending an email or sharing a link.Screenshot of interactions with the Windows UAC on a remote device.Screenshot of the dual panel File Manager, used to transfer files.Screenshot of the web console where remote desktop sessions can be managed from a web browser.