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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Remote Access
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
377
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...
Ranking in Remote Access
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
91
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (2nd)
SolarWinds DameWare Mini Re...
Ranking in Remote Access
21st
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Remote Access category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 5.4%, down from 10.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is 6.6%, down from 10.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Remote Access Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune5.4%
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services6.6%
SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control0.4%
Other87.6%
Remote Access
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized device management has automated onboarding and improves remote security compliance
One thing I feel Microsoft Intune could improve is troubleshooting visibility. In many cases, when a policy or application deployment fails, the error messages are a bit generic. So, admins still spend time checking logs manually or testing on devices one by one. Compared to the simplicity of deployment, troubleshooting sometimes feels less mature. I also think reporting and real-time monitoring could be stronger. The dashboard gives useful information, but in large environments, many teams still depend on additional tools or scripts for deeper reporting and analytics. If I had to focus on one area first, I would probably choose troubleshooting and reporting. Deployment through Microsoft Intune is generally straightforward, but when something fails, identifying the exact root cause can still take more time than expected. Error messages are sometimes too generic, and admins often have to dig through logs, sync status, or multiple portals to understand what actually happened. I think user experience and policy management could also improve further. Microsoft Intune has become much better over the years, but sometimes the admin portal still feels fragmented because certain configurations open in different sections or redirect to older interfaces. For new admins, especially, it can take time to understand where everything is located. Another thing is policy conflict handling. In larger organizations, multiple device policies, compliance rules, and configuration profiles can overlap. When conflicts happen, the visibility is not always very clear, so admins spend time figuring out which policy actually won or caused the issue.
reviewer2795433 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Secure remote access has protected sensitive country data and supports strict compliance needs
I understand from the IT team managing Microsoft Remote Desktop Services that it is complex to set up the multiple roles, certificates, and networks required. Networking is quite complicated. Even though on the data center side it is quite simple, maintaining the farm of other connections that connect to that server is the complex piece. I understand there are more modern systems replicating what this solution does, which are easier to use, such as Azure Virtual Desktop within Microsoft Azure Cloud or Amazon WorkSpaces, which I have used before. Rather than having to manage all the complex networking, you could abstract it away a little further in the cloud for easier use. I also understand that this tool is in an end-of-life state now, with Microsoft actively pushing people towards Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365. I do not believe further features will be rolled out due to its end-of-life state, making it a legacy solution now.
Shadi Shaar - PeerSpot reviewer
Healthcare Informatics Consultant at Dammam University
Has supported access for thousands of endpoints while reducing communication delays
The software offers compatibility with different versions of Microsoft Windows, ease of use, and features such as file transfer and other capabilities. Screenshot functionality is supported, and it has built-in chat functionality which we use occasionally. The product is seamless, easy to use, easy to implement and configure. We did not require any support whatsoever. It is affordable and allows simultaneous connections, which is beneficial for technical support.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution appears to be stable and scalable."
"First of all, the integration with the rest of Microsoft's products is a major win."
"Our bank's most valuable Intune features are centered around the dedicated device concept."
"It's not working perfectly, but Microsoft's Autopilot offers great visibility into automated deployment solutions."
"We already use a lot of Microsoft products in our company, and therefore, it made sense to also use this product."
"Microsoft Intune is best for Windows devices and security in Office 365 and Microsoft-related enterprise environments. It's a nice platform for endpoint management."
"It saves time, money, and resources; when there was a local liaison, managing everything was a significant challenge, but with Microsoft Intune, it has become much easier—around 60% to 70% easier—and in terms of reliability and ease of use, it excels."
"Microsoft Endpoint Manager is not expensive overall, especially for small environments."
"The performance meets our requirements and the stability is good."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is that it scales well."
"The product saves time."
"I've had good experiences with Microsoft customer support."
"The solution is stable; I haven't had any issues whatsoever, there are no bugs or glitches, it doesn't crash or freeze, and it's reliable."
"In terms of the valuable features, I like the profile, the new version is really good."
"It is a stable product."
"The solution works very well for us and I recommend it to others."
"The product is seamless, easy to use, easy to implement and configure; we did not require any support whatsoever."
 

Cons

"Not all technicians are knowledgeable of the Microsoft solution, so they have to work on that as well."
"Technical support can be challenging when resources shift, requiring repeated explanations. Support from India sometimes provides information without the right solution."
"The MacBook management could be better."
"I rate Microsoft support between six to eight. The support often involves third parties hired by Microsoft who are knowledgeable, but sometimes the help I receive is not adequate."
"The most significant issue I encounter is troubleshooting when a policy is not applying or a device is showing non-compliant; the error messages can be pretty vague, which makes it necessary for me to dig around and piece things together myself."
"Regarding what I dislike about Microsoft Intune and its downsides, I would say that more Mac controls are needed because we have limited Mac and Linux control."
"While the ability to deploy applications at startup is reliable, the policy-based application deployment method has not reached the same level of consistency."
"Automation has room for improvement in Microsoft Intune for fixing some errors."
"There could be better options and it could be faster."
"I've sometimes had trouble setting up an RDS connection if I want a specific user to be able to log in with their credentials and have the RDS element retain those settings so that the password isn't required each time."
"We'd like, in the future, if it would work with Linux or Unix-based operating systems or even Mac."
"It's so insecure, and it's so limited."
"I want to connect easily from an external network even when I'm not in my enterprise or company. It should be easy to connect or integrate Microsoft Teams, for example, with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services."
"Currently, installation of applications on an RDS farm must be performed manually on each server."
"Network bandwidth may limit a users experience with remote desktop services."
"There are times I get disconnected from the service and when one or two attempts to establish a remote connection. Microsoft should show where the problem is, I have to find it by myself."
"Compatibility with other operating systems such as Mac and Linux would be advantageous."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If you're subscribing to Premium or E3, there are no additional costs for Intune, it's included."
"Microsoft licenses are costly."
"Cost is not my department, but the product is included in the E5 license that we already pay for every user, so no additional cost is incurred."
"It comes as a bundle, so you do not really know what the prices are. Microsoft does not break it down to the user cost for us. It is just bundled with our E5 license."
"Licensing depends on how you are providing support to your enterprise, whether it's device-based or user-based."
"I don't have any problem as far as cost is concerned. It is bundled with our license."
"It is not a cheap solution. The price for a device when you start using it at a large scale can be improved. It is covered under our enterprise agreement. We pay once a year. I am not aware of any additional costs."
"We work in the charity sector, so a lot of our clients get Microsoft Premium licenses or Business Premium for free. They get ten licenses free, and a lot of our clients do not have more than ten staff members. They are getting the tool for free, so its cost is not an issue."
"The solution is expensive. Since things are made to be a bit easier in the solution, the solution's cost is a bit on the higher side."
"I think that Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is expensive compared to Login solution."
"The pricing could always be improved."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services comes free as part of Microsoft Windows."
"The tool must be cheaper."
"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. We're on the educational or academic license, and our terms are good. We're very happy with the pricing."
"I would say it's expensive as there similar products available for free."
"It's not an expensive solution."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business192
Midsize Enterprise62
Large Enterprise186
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise36
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that the pricing is based on licensing costs and the setup ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services can be improved in several areas. Currently, it requires a license cost, it has per...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
Our main use case for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is to allow multiple users to remotely access our Windows mac...
What needs improvement with SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control?
I'm not sure, but compatibility with other operating systems such as Mac and Linux would be advantageous. I haven't u...
What is your primary use case for SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control?
We are in a transition phase right now. We are still using SolarWinds Help Desk, but we are transitioning to ManageEn...
What advice do you have for others considering SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control?
The product is seamless, easy to use, easy to implement and configure. We did not require any support whatsoever. On ...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Remote Desktop Services
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Bank Alfalah Ltd.
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about TeamViewer, Microsoft, Apache and others in Remote Access. Updated: August 2026.
910,005 professionals have used our research since 2012.