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've included our own app below and judged it by the same criteria as the rest.
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 | Yes | Partial | No | Yes | Free + paid |
| RealVNC Viewer | Yes | No | No | No | No | Direct* | Free viewer |
| AVNC | Yes | Tunnel | Yes | 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. "Touch-first" here means the app offers a direct/absolute touch mode (tap where you touch), not just a virtual trackpad — several of these do; where they differ is how much the rest of the app is built around touch. *RealVNC Viewer connects to a direct IP without an account; RealVNC's cloud connectivity requires one, and its hosting service is now paid. Details change as apps update — check the current store listing before you decide.
Where Reachbeam stands out
Reading down the columns, three things are true only of the Reachbeam row:
- The only app that covers both sides. Graphical and terminal in one place — VNC plus a real SSH terminal (not just a tunnel), plus macOS Screen Sharing. bVNC and AVNC skip the standalone terminal; Termius and JuiceSSH skip VNC; RealVNC skips SSH. No juggling two apps.
- The only one that goes to a big screen. Plug into an external monitor and the desktop moves to it while your phone becomes the trackpad and keyboard — and you can jump between the remote machine's monitors. Nobody else here does this (a Pro feature).
- A gesture engine built for touch, not bolted on. Three input modes, finger-anchored pinch-zoom, tap = click / long-press = right-click, and an edge quick-actions menu for Esc/Tab/Ctrl+Alt+Del. Several apps have a touch mode; here touch handling is the starting point, not a setting.
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. It does offer direct-touch input modes alongside its trackpad modes; the trade-off is the interface — dense and utilitarian, with a desktop-derived feel and a lot of settings to learn. If you want maximum configurability, it's hard to beat.
RealVNC Viewer
Polished and reliable. You can point it straight at an IP on your LAN with no account at all — the sign-in is only for RealVNC's cloud connectivity, which pairs with their own server. The viewer app is free to use, though RealVNC's hosting service is now a paid product rather than the old free personal tier.
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
As the makers of Reachbeam, we built it to fix the frustrations of mobile remote desktops. Most apps offer a basic touch mode; Reachbeam has a gesture engine designed for touch from the ground up — three input modes, finger-anchored zoom, tap/long-press click, and an edge quick-actions menu. It's also the only app here that combines VNC, a real SSH terminal (not just a tunnel), and macOS Screen Sharing in a single, account-free app. And it has an external display mode: plug into a monitor and your phone becomes a dedicated 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 only one that pairs a purpose-built touch gesture engine with VNC, a real SSH terminal, and macOS Screen Sharing in a single account-free app.
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.