VNC & SSH clients for Android, compared
If you manage a Mac, a Linux box, or a Raspberry Pi, your phone or tablet can be a genuinely good remote for it — but the apps vary wildly. Here's an honest look at the main Android options for VNC and SSH, and where each one fits.
Maintained by the team behind Reachbeam. We include our own app below and try to be fair about it.
What to look for in a mobile remote-desktop client
A desktop remote-control app and a mobile one are not the same problem. On a phone you don't have a mouse — so the single biggest differentiator is how the app translates touch into precise control. Beyond that, the things that actually matter day to day:
- Touch handling — a real gesture model (trackpad vs. absolute touch, pinch-zoom, right-click, scroll) versus a shrunk-down desktop cursor.
- Protocols — VNC/RFB for a full graphical desktop, SSH for a terminal, and macOS Screen Sharing (which is VNC with Apple's auth).
- Security & accounts — whether credentials stay on the device, and whether you're forced to create a cloud account to connect.
- Big-screen use — can you push the session to an external monitor and use the phone as a trackpad?
- Price — free, one-time, or subscription.
At a glance
| App | VNC | SSH | Touch-first | Mac Screen Sharing | External display | No account | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reachbeam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free + Pro |
| bVNC / bVNC Pro | Yes | Tunnel | No | Partial | No | Yes | Free + paid |
| RealVNC Viewer | Yes | No | No | No | No | Account | Free (personal) |
| AVNC | Yes | Tunnel | No | No | No | Yes | Free (open source) |
| Termius | No | Yes | No | No | No | Account | Freemium |
| JuiceSSH | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Free + Pro |
"Tunnel" = SSH is available only to secure a VNC session, not as a standalone terminal. "Partial" Mac Screen Sharing = connects but without Apple's newer authentication out of the box. Details change as apps update — check the current store listing before you decide.
The apps, one by one
bVNC / bVNC Pro
The power user's choice for years. Broad protocol support (VNC, RDP, SPICE), SSH tunneling, and endless connection options. The trade-off is the interface: it's a functional, dense, desktop-style pointer UI rather than something designed for fingers. If you want maximum configurability and don't mind a learning curve, it's hard to beat.
RealVNC Viewer
Polished and reliable, but built to pair with RealVNC's own server and cloud. The frictionless path expects a RealVNC account, which is great inside their ecosystem and less ideal if you just want to point at an IP on your LAN. Free for personal use.
AVNC
A modern, open-source VNC client. Clean, actively maintained, no account, and a good pick if FOSS matters to you. It's VNC-only, so you'll pair it with a separate SSH app if you need a terminal.
Termius & JuiceSSH
Both are strong SSH terminals. Termius is slick with cross-device sync, at the cost of an account and a subscription for the good parts. JuiceSSH is a long-standing favorite with a generous free tier and a one-time Pro unlock. Neither does graphical VNC — they're terminals.
Reachbeam
Our app, so take this with the appropriate salt. Reachbeam is the newest of the bunch and less battle-tested — but it's the only one built touch-first, with a purpose-built gesture engine, and the only one that combines VNC, a real SSH terminal, and macOS Screen Sharing in a single app with no account. It also does the big-screen trick: plug into an external monitor and your phone becomes the trackpad and keyboard. It's freemium — the full gesture and keyboard experience is free; multi-session, multi-monitor, macros, and stylus are Pro.
So which should you pick?
- You live in the terminal: JuiceSSH (free) or Termius (if you want sync).
- You want maximum VNC/RDP configurability: bVNC Pro.
- You want FOSS, VNC only: AVNC.
- You want one touch-first app for VNC + SSH + Mac, no account: give Reachbeam a try.
Try Reachbeam
Touch-first VNC, SSH, and Mac screen sharing. Free to start — no account.
Get it on Google PlayFAQ
What's the best VNC client for Android?
It depends on what you value. bVNC Pro is the most configurable, AVNC is the best open-source option, RealVNC Viewer is smoothest inside RealVNC's ecosystem, and Reachbeam is the most touch-first and the only one that also bundles SSH and macOS Screen Sharing without an account.
Is there a free VNC app for Android?
Yes — AVNC is fully free and open source, RealVNC Viewer is free for personal use, and Reachbeam and bVNC both have free tiers with paid upgrades for advanced features.
Can I use SSH from an Android phone or tablet?
Absolutely. JuiceSSH and Termius are dedicated SSH terminals, and Reachbeam includes a full SSH terminal alongside VNC — with password or private-key login, host-key verification, and port forwarding.
How do I control my Raspberry Pi from my phone?
Enable VNC or SSH on the Pi (Raspberry Pi OS ships with both), note its IP address on your network, and add a connection in any of these apps. For the graphical desktop use VNC; for the command line use SSH.
Can I connect over the internet, not just my home network?
Today these clients connect over your local network (Wi-Fi/LAN), and you can reach a machine remotely by setting up an SSH tunnel or a VPN back to your network. Reachbeam supports routing a VNC session through an SSH host; broader over-the-internet access is on our roadmap.