vs Apache Guacamole

Guacamole is a protocol gateway. Secure Desk is its own session pipe.

Apache Guacamole is open-source HTML5 access to existing RDP, VNC, and SSH servers. Secure Desk is a commercial self-hosted product that runs on an open-source stack you operate: Windows endpoints dial out to a relay you run; the console is browser-only; Access is not RDP/RDS.

Free Starter: self-hosted remote support on a relay you run — 1 operator, 1 concurrent session, 3 enrolled Windows devices. Same end-to-end encryption as paid tiers.

Hub prices: Starter $0 · Team $249/yr · Business $499/yr.

Honest comparison

Guacamole brokers browser sessions into protocols you already run (RDP/VNC/SSH). It is open-source; you still need those protocol endpoints reachable according to your network design.
Secure Desk does not wrap RDP. Access is Desk's console session. Endpoints dial out; the relay needs 80/443. E2E is required (requireE2e) with a 6-digit SAS, ECDH, and AES-256-GCM — the relay forwards ciphertext only.
Shipping Desk endpoints are Windows only; browser console only. Not a multi-OS Access drop-in for every Guacamole deployment.
Secure Desk runs on an open-source stack on a Linux relay you host (you bring the OS and services).

Guardrails (short)

Not a remote Explorer. Sign-in/lock yes; UAC/CAD no.
fps ceiling 15 / 12 / 8, not 60. Control gate; attended defaults off.
You run a self-hosted relay on infrastructure you control. No hosted multi-tenant Desk cloud.
Web VDI = same pipe — not AVD/Citrix/Omnissa. AI = reach agent desktops only.

Self-hosted remote support · vs RustDesk · vs MeshCentral · Get started · Download · Get a free license.