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AnyDesk asks you to buy a licence: “commercial use” — what to do

4 October 2026
AnyDesklicencecommercial use

In short: free AnyDesk is allowed for personal use only. If the software believes you are working, it asks you to buy a licence. Under AnyDesk’s rules only the side that starts the connection needs a licence — the computer that receives connections does not.

Who needs an AnyDesk licence

AnyDesk’s help centre says it plainly: only outgoing clients — those that start connections to other devices for commercial use — need a licence. Devices that only accept or reject connections do not.

The practical conclusion: if you support clients from your own computer, your computer needs the licence, not your clients’ machines.

What counts as personal use

Personal use means helping family and friends and reaching your own devices for non-work purposes. Connecting to work computers, supporting clients and paid remote support are commercial use. AnyDesk describes this in detail on its “Professional vs. Personal Use” page.

What to do if your use is personal

  1. Make sure you really do not connect to work computers — not even occasionally.
  2. If you use AnyDesk only privately and it still asks for a licence, contact AnyDesk support through their website and describe how you use it.
  3. While you wait for a reply, for urgent help to your family you can use another service — for example a RudyDesk invite link, which opens right in the browser.

What the licence costs

AnyDesk’s first paid plan, Solo, is

8.90 a month but billed only a year in advance — $346.80 up front (checked on the AnyDesk site on 4 October 2026). Solo includes one user, one simultaneous outgoing connection, up to three devices to start connections from and up to 100 devices for unattended access.

If you would rather not pay for a year

For helping family and reaching a couple of your own computers, a yearly licence is a noticeable cost. With RudyDesk two devices are free forever, including for work, and paid plans are billed monthly or yearly — whichever suits you.

RudyDesk vs AnyDesk: free plan, work use, price, billing, browser
RudyDesk vs AnyDesk: free plan, work use, price, billing, browser
RudyDesk pricing
RudyDesk pricing

A detailed comparison is on the “AnyDesk alternative” page.

Frequently asked questions

Does the computer being connected to need a licence? Under AnyDesk’s rules, no. The licence is needed by the side that starts the connection for work.

Can I pay AnyDesk monthly? No: on the AnyDesk site all plans are billed yearly, and the monthly price is the yearly price divided by twelve.

Can I use RudyDesk for work for free? Yes, on two devices. RudyDesk has no commercial-use check.