GlassUpdated · by Nathan Tarasiuk, who makes Glass
Glass vs RustDesk
Short answer: RustDesk is the open-source remote desktop for every platform. It hosts on Windows, Mac and Linux, has apps everywhere, and lets you run your own relay server. Glass is narrower: it hosts only on Mac and Linux, but you view it from any browser with nothing to install, at about 20 ms, and it supports Wayland desktops such as Hyprland through the screen-sharing portal. If you need Windows hosts, pick RustDesk. If you control your own Mac or Linux machine from an iPad or a browser, Glass is the lighter fit.
Compared
| Glass | RustDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 (Server Pro is commercial) |
| Price | Free | Free; paid self-hosted plans from $11.88/month (billed yearly) |
| Computers you control | macOS 13+, Linux x86_64 on Wayland (beta) | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Wayland | Any compositor with the ScreenCast portal (Hyprland, GNOME, KDE, wlroots) | Experimental; no Wayland login screen |
| What you control it from | Any modern browser, no install | RustDesk apps; a limited web client |
| Account | None | Self-hosted: none. Public server: the controlling side signs in with Google or GitHub (since July 2026) |
| How it connects | Your Tailscale network, or one-time WebRTC links (end-to-end encrypted) | RustDesk's public relay or your own server (hbbs/hbbr) |
| Latency | About 15–30 ms on a home network (measured in-app) | No published figure |
| iPad | Viewer in Safari; Pencil pressure and tilt; iPad as a second display for the Mac | iPad app (controls other computers) |
| Helping someone | One line in Terminal, a code, nothing left installed | They run RustDesk and read you an ID |
Sources: RustDesk on GitHub, pricing, Linux and Wayland notes, web client, public server sign-in, checked October 2026.
Where RustDesk is the better choice
- Windows. RustDesk hosts on Windows; Glass doesn't.
- Your own relay server. RustDesk's hbbs and hbbr servers are free to self-host, so traffic never touches anyone else's servers. Glass uses Tailscale, or glassdesk.dev only to introduce the two sides of a one-time link; you can self-host that relay too.
- Managing many machines. RustDesk's paid plans add a web console, an address book, audit logs, and OIDC and LDAP sign-in for teams.
- Native apps on every device, including Android hosts.
Where Glass is the better choice
- No app on the device in your hands. Open the computer's address in Safari, Chrome or Firefox. RustDesk's web client controls computers only within what browsers allow.
- Latency. Glass sends hardware-encoded H.264 or HEVC over WebTransport with no buffering, and shows the real latency live: about 20 ms on a home network, up to 120 fps on fast screens.
- Wayland and Hyprland. Glass captures through xdg-desktop-portal and PipeWire on any compositor that has a ScreenCast portal. RustDesk calls its Wayland support experimental.
- The iPad. Apple Pencil pressure and tilt reach the Mac as tablet input, and the iPad can be a second display for the Mac.
- No account, ever. Your own devices on your Tailscale network get in automatically; others need a one-time link or your token.
- AI agents. Glass includes an MCP server so agents can use the computer while you watch and approve.
Questions
Is Glass a RustDesk alternative?
For Mac and Linux computers, yes. Both are free and open source. Glass works from a browser and focuses on latency and the iPad; RustDesk covers Windows and self-hosted relays.
Does RustDesk need an account?
Not when you run your own server. On RustDesk's public server, the controlling side has had to sign in with Google or GitHub since July 2026, to fight scams.
Which works better on Wayland?
Glass uses the ScreenCast portal that every major Wayland desktop provides, Hyprland included. RustDesk's Wayland support is experimental, and its login screen needs X11.
curl -fsSL glassdesk.dev | shTry Glass: run this on the Mac or Linux computer you want to reach. Free and open source.