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RealVNC
Remote access from the people who invented VNC— over the cloud or straight across your LAN, to desktops, servers and Raspberry Pi. This hub is your complete intel file.
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The company, at a glance
Quick answer
One intel page. One VNC platform.
RealVNC in full — the linked card is a full intel page on RealVNC Connect, with every edition and licensing option inside it.
RealVNC OEM Solutions and RealVNC SDK
Platform & engineRemote access built into your own devices or software; licensed separately, quote only
On-Demand Assist and HelpDesk plans
Platform & engineConnect’s attended-support mode, also sold per user instead of per connection
Device Access
Platform & engineConnect’s unattended access to managed machines; included in every paid plan
Code Connect
Platform & engineOne-time guest codes that expire after 120 seconds; part of Connect since v8
RealVNC sells across 1 of the products TechBag carries in endpoint management. The Endpoint Management guide shows how the category splits and which part is yours. →
Why “cloud or direct” is the whole story
Some screens sit on factory floors, labs and closed networks where a cloud relay is not welcome. RealVNC bet on the same VNC connection over the cloud or straight across the LAN— with recordings kept on the technician’s own machine and offline licensing on Enterprise.
RealVNC Server
The agent you install, and license, on each computer you want to reach unattended. A mobile Server app lets Enterprise teams view phones and tablets.
RealVNC Connect app and Viewer
Version 8 merged viewer and server into one app. The standalone viewer is now RealVNC Connect Viewer; the older Classic Viewer is kept for offline and direct use.
Cloud brokering
Sessions try a peer-to-peer route first and fall back to a relay run in RealVNC’s own data centres in the US and UK. Nothing needs an inbound port opened.
Portal and On-Prem Console
Teams, devices, permissions and audit live in the online Portal. Enterprise customers running offline can add a Management Console on their own Windows Server.
Start with the edition your connection count needs; direct LAN connections need Premium and offline use needs Enterprise.
Peer & market recognition
Every claim on this hub traces to one of these public signals.
No analyst placement
no Gartner, Forrester or IDC placement; G2 and Capterra badges are user reviews
VNC created in Cambridge
at the Olivetti & Oracle Research Lab, later AT&T Laboratories Cambridge
RealVNC founded
by the team behind VNC; still based in Cambridge
MacRobert Award
from the Royal Academy of Engineering
RealVNC Connect v8
one app for viewing and serving, plus Code Connect and HelpDesk
Michael Henssler becomes CEO
previously at SmartTrade Technologies and Finastra
ISO 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials
SOC 2 Type 2 report dated November 2025, available on request
No local office or data centre
cloud broker in the US and UK; prices shown in USD
The company in six figures
See the platform, hear the pitch
Emerging Threats in Remote Access Security
RealVNC’s June 2026 webinar on how remote-access tools are attacked and what to lock down.
Getting Started with RealVNC Connect
Sign in, install and make a first connection.
RealVNC's Journey from British Start-Up to Tech Pioneer
How a Cambridge research project became a remote-access company.
Where RealVNC sits — the grids
Two company-level views you won’t find on any vendor site — tap any dot for the rationale. The category-level grid lives on the product page.
RealVNC Across Its Solution Areas
Each dot is a RealVNC solution area: competitive position vs category momentum.
Connect’s core job: reaching managed machines with nobody at them.
Deployment Choice × Price Transparency
How freely each remote-access tool runs over the cloud, directly or offline vs how much of its pricing it publishes.
Cloud-brokered, direct LAN from Premium, fully offline on Enterprise. Three of four plans carry a list price.
Positions are TechBag’s illustrative synthesis of public review-platform standings and vendor documentation — not a reproduction of any analyst graphic. Verify before relying on it.
New to this? Learn it properly.
Zero-jargon starting points, in reading order. Each links into the deep education on the product page.
Where should you start with RealVNC?
Answer three questions; we’ll point you at the right starting product. No email required — this isn’t that kind of quiz.
1. How big is the job?
2. What must it do beyond remote control?
3. What will your security review ask for?
What RealVNC Connect does
One product with two modes: unattended access to machines you manage, and attended support for users who need help now.
Read →Per connection, not per device
Plans are sized by how many sessions run at once, then capped by users and managed devices.
Read →Which plan unlocks what
Recording on Plus; LAN connections, audit logs and session MFA on Premium; single sign-on and offline use on Enterprise.
Read →Running with no internet
Only Enterprise can license Connect offline, and it relies on the Classic Viewer rather than the v8 app.
Read →Reviews are not analyst ratings
RealVNC shows G2 and Capterra badges. Neither Gartner nor Forrester places it in a report.
Read →Where session data goes
The broker runs in the US and UK, recordings stay on the technician’s machine, and offline Enterprise keeps it all in-house.
Read →The acronym decoder
Every term on these pages, in one place- RealVNC
- UK remote-access company founded in 2002 by the creators of VNC.
- VNC
- Virtual Network Computing: viewing and controlling one computer’s screen from another.
- RFB
- Remote Framebuffer, the protocol VNC runs on; RealVNC’s founders designed it.
- Active connection
- One session running between a viewer and a server; Connect’s unit of price.
- Managed device
- A machine with RealVNC Server installed and licensed, ready for unattended access.
- Unattended access
- Connecting to a machine when nobody is sitting at it.
- On-Demand Assist
- Attended support by session code, with nothing installed beforehand.
- Code Connect
- A one-time code, valid for 120 seconds, for attended access between licensed Connect accounts.
- Cloud brokering
- RealVNC’s service that finds a route between viewer and server, outbound only.
- Direct connection
- Viewer to server over your own LAN or VPN, without the cloud broker.
- Offline licensing
- Enterprise-only licensing that never contacts RealVNC’s servers.
- OIDC
- OpenID Connect, the sign-in standard behind Connect’s Enterprise single sign-on.
Buy it like you’ve done this before
The procurement playbook TechBag runs with IT buyers — steps, licensing cheat-sheet, and the pitfalls that cost quarters.
Count sessions, not seats
Connect is priced by how many sessions run at the same time. Work out your busiest hour, then check the plan’s user and device caps.
Confirm it is commercial use
The free Lite plan is for non-commercial use only and comes without technical support. A business needs a paid plan; the trial runs 14 days with no card.
Match features to the plan
Recording starts on Plus. LAN connections, audit logs and session MFA need Premium. Single sign-on and offline licensing need Enterprise.
Decide cloud or offline
The cloud broker runs in RealVNC’s US and UK data centres, and RealVNC says it cannot see session data. Enterprise can run with no internet at all.
Compare per-user help-desk pricing
For attended support, HelpDesk plans are priced per user: from $16.49 on Plus and $24.99 on Premium a month, billed yearly. Confirm the live figure.
Get it quoted in rupees
RealVNC lists prices only in USD, EUR and GBP. TechBag sizes the plan, quotes in INR with GST and helps with rollout and support.
The licensing cheat-sheet
| Product | Licensing model | How you enter | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect Lite | Free · non-commercial use only, no technical support | Free | Personal and hobby machines |
| Connect Essentials | Per active connection, billed yearly · 1 user, 3 devices | $8.75 a month ($105 a year) | One admin’s own machines |
| Connect Plus | Per active connection, up to 3 · 50 devices, unlimited users | From $18.25 a month, billed yearly | Small teams that need recording |
| Connect Premium | Per active connection, up to 5 · 150 devices | From $29.75 a month, billed yearly | Support desks and LAN access |
| Connect Enterprise | Custom · unlimited connections, more than 150 devices | Quote | SSO, offline and regulated sites |
| HelpDesk (On-Demand Assist) | Per user, billed yearly | From $16.49 Plus · $24.99 Premium a month | Attended support at volume |
| OEM Solutions and SDK | Licensed separately for embedding | Quote | Device and software makers |
RealVNC Connect is priced per active connection in USD, billed annually; Enterprise is quoted. TechBag quotes in INR with GST.
Five pitfalls that cost buyers quarters
Reading $8.75 as a per-device price
Since November 2024 Connect has been priced per active connection. Essentials covers one user, one session and three devices; per-device figures on third-party sites describe the retired model.
Running the business on the free plan
The old free Home plan was withdrawn in 2024. What remains, Connect Lite, is for non-commercial use and has no technical support.
Expecting SAML single sign-on
Connect’s account SSO uses OpenID Connect, is available only on Enterprise, and RealVNC has fully tested it with Entra ID and Okta. Check your identity provider first.
Assuming recordings are kept centrally
Session recordings are saved as files on the technician’s own device; RealVNC never holds them. Good for data control, but you must collect and retain them yourself.
Opening VNC ports to the internet
Shadowserver scans for exposed VNC servers and, since May 2025, tags those with no authentication. Connect’s cloud route is outbound-only; keep direct connections inside your LAN or VPN.
The evaluation kit
Each intel page carries an 8-question vendor checklist and a value calculator:
Skip the homework entirely
Bring your requirements and current tool bills — a TechBag advisor models the whole decision for you.
Book a discovery call →The forces shaping this market
Four trends with momentum scores (TechBag’s read of analyst and market signals) — and what each means for your next decision.
Category momentum — estimated market growth
Illustrative CAGR synthesis**TechBag’s illustrative estimate, not a quoted analyst figure. The takeaway: remote access keeps growing — and buyers with closed networks want a direct option, not only a cloud relay.
Remote access as an attack path
Shadowserver has tagged internet-facing VNC servers with no authentication since May 2025.
What it means for you
Put identity, MFA and an audit trail in front of every session.
Pricing by concurrent session
RealVNC moved its plans to concurrent sessions in November 2024.
What it means for you
Size by peak simultaneous sessions before comparing list prices.
Access for isolated networks
Connect Enterprise can be licensed offline, with no contact to RealVNC.
What it means for you
Plants, labs and restricted sites can keep remote access in-house.
Remote access built into devices
RealVNC sells an SDK and OEM builds for medical, kiosk and industrial hardware.
What it means for you
Device makers can ship support access rather than bolt a tool on later.
Questions buyers ask about RealVNC
Ready to shortlist RealVNC?
Open the RealVNC Connect intel page for the deep dive, or let a TechBag advisor build the case with you — edition and connection scoping, quotes, trials, GST invoicing and lifecycle support included.
Stats, positions and figures are illustrative syntheses of public materials; verify before purchase.