LogMeIn has officially stopped offering its free service. It is now only available as paid software, but not to worry. There are a couple of applications that offer equally good service for no cost. There are hordes of applications that claim to offer the most efficient possible remote access. In order to assist you in choosing one from amongst them, we’ve narrowed down your search to these seven.

TEAMVIEWER

This is one application that I have really loved using. It is a very efficient software that allows you access a remote computer system from miles away within seconds. The installation is painless and does not require a huge level of expertise. Simply download the program from the company’s website, and then install it (or run it without installation, if you desire) on both of the PCs you want to connect. During installation, you can also set the program for unattended control.

The latest release of the product (version 9, December 2013) supports copy/paste actions between guest and host, file transfers, and remote audio/video. At $749 for Business users and $1499 for premium users, though, it may be a little steep for the paid version. I have been using it for years, and I must say it’s one of the best. It can be downloaded at http://www.teamviewer.com/en/download/windows.aspx .

MIKOGO

This is a really cool software that comes in handy for making presentations and lets anyone adopt the role of a presenter. It also allows you obtain remote access to a connected computer’s keyboard and mouse so you can take control of it and use shortcuts to execute functions on the remote PC. It can be downloaded at http://www.mikogo.com/download/windows-download/ . The cool part is that Mikogo is free for personal use. It also has VoIP capabilities which can come in handy when resolving issues or explaining something to your parents. Another sweet feature is that

Mikogo works on and across all three platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux.

GoToMyPC

GoToMyPC offers similar features to LogMeIn and some few extra features. It supports clipboard support, file transfers, remote printing, remote audio and even multimonitor support. It is not completely free, but it does have a 30 day trial version which is free for up to 20 users. It can be downloaded at http://www.gotomypc.co.uk/compare-plans .

REAL VNC

VNC allows you to access and control your desktop applications wherever you are in the world, whenever you need to. There are two commonly used versions of VNC: an “open” version distributed as GPL-licensed software, and “personal” and “enterprise” versions with encryption, high-performance connection control, and support. It does have one drawback, however, in that it does not automatically connect through firewalls. It can be downloaded at https://www.realvnc.com/download/ .

AMMYY ADMIN

You can easily share a remote desktop or control a server over the internet with Ammyy Admin. No matter where you are, Ammyy Admin makes it safe and easy to quickly access a remote desktop within a few seconds. The key advantages of Ammyy Admin are: ease of use, high standard of data transfer security, vast number of features and affordability for a broad range of private and corporate users. It has a slightly tarnished reputation because scammers frequently use it. The cool part is that it is free for personal use. It can be downloaded on http://www.ammyy.com/en/downloads.html.

MICROSOFT REMOTE DESKTOP CONNECTION

Remote Desktop connects two computers over a network or the Internet. Once connected, you’ll see the remote computer’s desktop as if you were sitting right in front of it, and have access to all its programs and files. This feature is included with all editions of Windows 7, but you can only connect to computers running the Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise editions.

ImPcRemote

This is another software I would add to our alternatives to LogMeIn. ImPcRemote is really cool as it is compatible with Windows, Mac as well as Linux operating systems. It boasts of instant, secured, and trouble-free connections between PCs over the internet. The awesome thing about this app is that it is free. Of course, there is also a paid version for corporate clients, but for personal use, the free version is just fine. It can be downloaded at http://www.remote-control-desktop.com/products.

Conclusion

The ability to remotely access/control a PC is essential in our present day for workers, IT administrators, and even for home use – I can’t count how many times I have resolved issues on my brother’s PC using Teamviewer). Though LogMeIn is not free anymore, we have a bunch of alternatives that offer essentially the same service, some of them with even more features.

If you know of any other free alternatives, please suggest them in the comments below.