Gatereach, TeamViewer, AnyDesk and Microsoft’s Windows App
As of 8 October 2026
TeamViewer and AnyDesk are general-purpose tools for remote access and remote support. Microsoft’s Windows App is for reaching Windows. Gatereach is being designed for something narrower: you, reaching your own Mac.
Gatereach is in development and not yet available. What you read here describes how we are designing it; details may change before release. Pricing has not been announced.
Three different tools
- TeamViewer connects to all major operating systems, including Mac, for personal use and for IT teams. It is free for personal use; commercial use, which includes working from home, needs a paid plan.S32S33S36S37
- AnyDesk is a cross-platform tool for remote access and support, “for IT professionals as well as private users” (AnyDesk), in the cloud or on your own servers. It is free for personal use; working from home on your office computer counts as commercial use.S39S40S41
- Windows App connects to Windows PCs and Microsoft’s cloud PCs. “Starting with version 11.0.0, the Remote Desktop app is named Windows App” (Microsoft, September 2024). It runs on a Mac or an iPhone, but it connects to Windows, not to a Mac.S42S43S44
| Point | TeamViewer | AnyDesk | Windows App | Gatereach (planned) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made for | Remote access and IT support; “Works on all devices” (TeamViewer)S32S37 | Remote access and remote supportS41 | Connecting to Windows devices and appsS42 | Reaching your own Mac (design) |
| Connects from | iPhone, iPad and desktop clientsS37 | iOS and desktop clientsS41 | Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android and ChromeOS, web, Meta QuestS42 | Planned: iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Connects to | All major operating systems, including MacS36S37 | Remote devices, including MacS41 | Windows only: Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Dev Box, Remote Desktop Services, and PCs running Windows Pro, Enterprise or ServerS42S44 | Mac only (design) |
| From iPhone to Mac | YesS37 | YesS41 | No; it connects to WindowsS42S44 | Planned |
| On the Mac | TeamViewer client or Host, plus four macOS permissions that “can’t be granted remotely” (TeamViewer)S36 | AnyDesk on both devicesS41 | Not applicable: a Mac can be the client, not the computer you reachS42 | One Gatereach app (design) |
| Protection when connecting, as stated | Optional 2FA for connections, approved by push in the TeamViewer app; account 2FAS34S35 | TOTP 2FA for connections and the account; access control listS40 | Not stated on the pages read | Face ID on every connection (design) |
| Visible on the computer during a session | Tray icon and a small control panelS34 | Not stated by vendor | Not applicable | An indicator on the Mac whenever a session is live (design) |
| Encryption, as stated | 256-bit AES sessions; routing servers can’t decrypt session trafficS34 | TLS 1.3 and 256-bit AES; “No third party will be able to decrypt your data” (AnyDesk)S40 | Not stated on the pages read | End-to-end encrypted (design) |
| Personal use | Free for personal use; paid or home-office use counts as commercialS32S33 | Free for personal use; working from home on your office computer counts as commercialS39 | Free downloadS44 | Not announced |
| Paid entry plan, as listed | Remote Access: EUR 16.90 per month, billed yearly, excl. VAT (vendor website, Austria); 1 user, 3 unattended devicesS31 | Solo: EUR 28.90 per month, billed annually, excl. VAT (vendor website, Austria); 1 user, 3 devices to connect fromS38 | Free appS44 | Not announced |
“Not stated” means the vendor’s pages we read did not say. Website prices are those shown to a visitor from Austria.
The honest difference
TeamViewer and AnyDesk cover far more ground than Gatereach is designed to: many platforms, helping other people, teams and management. If that is what you need, they are the right tools. Gatereach is being designed to do one thing quietly: one app on your iPhone or iPad, one on your Mac, Face ID for every connection, and a visible sign on your Mac when it is in use.
When TeamViewer, AnyDesk or Windows App is the better choice
When you support family, friends or customers; when you need Windows, Linux or Android; when you work in a team; when the computer you need is a Windows PC; or when you need it today. Gatereach is not released yet.
Gatereach compared with the other ways to reach your own Mac
Information about other products as of 8 October 2026, from each vendor’s own website and App Store listing. Prices and features change; please check the vendor’s site.
Prices are shown in EUR as displayed to visitors in Europe (Austria) on 8 October 2026, with the VAT basis stated in each row. Where a vendor lists a price in USD only, it is given in USD, as listed, and marked so.
Spotted something out of date? Write to office@sharobella.com and we will correct it.
Sources
- S31 TeamViewer, pricing (EUR shown from Austria). https://www.teamviewer.com/de/pricing/overview/; and https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/pricing/overview/, read 8 October 2026.
- S32 TeamViewer, personal use. https://www.teamviewer.com/en/solutions/roles/personal-use/, read 8 October 2026.
- S33 TeamViewer knowledge base, commercial use suspected. https://www.teamviewer.com/en/global/support/knowledge-base/teamviewer-classic/licensing/personal-use/commercial-use-suspected/, read 8 October 2026.
- S34 TeamViewer knowledge base, security statement. https://www.teamviewer.com/en/global/support/knowledge-base/teamviewer-remote/security/security-statement/, read 8 October 2026.
- S35 TeamViewer knowledge base, two-factor authentication for connections. https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/global/support/knowledge-base/teamviewer-classic/security/security-features/two-factor-authentication-for-connections/, read 8 October 2026.
- S36 TeamViewer knowledge base, remote control a Mac. https://www.teamviewer.com/en/global/support/knowledge-base/teamviewer-remote/remote-control/remote-control-a-mac/, read 8 October 2026.
- S37 App Store, TeamViewer Remote Control (US, AT). https://apps.apple.com/at/app/id692035811, read 8 October 2026.
- S38 AnyDesk, pricing (EUR shown from Austria). https://anydesk.com/en/pricing, read 8 October 2026.
- S39 AnyDesk, commercial use detected. https://anydesk.com/en/commercial-use, read 8 October 2026.
- S40 AnyDesk, security. https://anydesk.com/en/security, read 8 October 2026.
- S41 App Store, AnyDesk Remote Desktop. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1176131273, read 8 October 2026.
- S42 Microsoft Learn, What is Windows App?. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-app/overview, read 8 October 2026.
- S43 Microsoft Learn, What’s new in Windows App. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-app/whats-new, read 8 October 2026.
- S44 App Store, Windows App for Mac and Windows App Mobile. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1295203466; iPhone and iPad: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id714464092, read 8 October 2026.
Trademarks
Apple, Mac, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Face ID, App Store and Apple Vision Pro are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. Google and Chrome are trademarks of Google LLC. RealVNC and VNC are trademarks of RealVNC Limited. TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Jump Desktop, Screens, Parsec, Splashtop, Tailscale, Astropad and Duet are trademarks of their respective owners. Gatereach is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by any of these companies.