What is FreeRDP used for?

FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol, offered as a C library plus clients for Linux, Android and other platforms. It is a good fit for connecting Linux desktops to Windows machines and embedding RDP in your own application.

Is FreeRDP open source?

Yes. FreeRDP is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at FreeRDP/FreeRDP and is written mainly in C.

Yes. FreeRDP is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host FreeRDP?

Yes. FreeRDP can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is FreeRDP an alternative to?

FreeRDP is an open-source alternative to TeamViewer, AnyDesk and Splashtop. Other open-source alternatives to TeamViewer include Remmina, Apache Guacamole and RustDesk.

Is FreeRDP actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to FreeRDP was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 3.32.1, published on 28 September 2026. The project has 14k stars on GitHub.

FreeRDP: open-source alternative to TeamViewer, AnyDesk

About FreeRDP

FreeRDP is an open-source implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol, the protocol Windows uses for remote desktop sessions. It is provided both as a library that other software can embed and as ready-to-use client programs, so Linux, BSD and other systems can connect to remote Windows desktops and servers.

The project is written in C and its topics mention clients built on SDL, Wayland and X11 as well as an Android client. The maintainers reference Microsoft's open specifications and keep a list of reference documentation on the wiki. Its code is intended to give people the freedom to use remote desktop software wherever they choose.

FreeRDP is released under the Apache-2.0 license. Documentation includes a wiki with FAQ and compilation instructions, API documentation, a security policy and a downloads site for release tarballs. Support and development discussion happen on a Matrix room, an IRC channel and a mailing list, with bugs tracked on GitHub.

Key features

Open implementation of the RDP protocol
Reusable C library for embedding RDP
Client programs for X11, Wayland and SDL
Android client support
API documentation and compilation guides

Good fit for

→Connecting Linux desktops to Windows machines
→Embedding RDP in your own application

Built with: C
Tags: rdp; remote-desktop; library; protocol; wayland; x11; c-library

FreeRDP: questions and answers

What is FreeRDP used for?: FreeRDP is a free implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol, offered as a C library plus clients for Linux, Android and other platforms. It is a good fit for connecting Linux desktops to Windows machines and embedding RDP in your own application.
Is FreeRDP open source?: Yes. FreeRDP is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at FreeRDP/FreeRDP and is written mainly in C.
Is FreeRDP free?: Yes. FreeRDP is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host FreeRDP?: Yes. FreeRDP can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is FreeRDP an alternative to?: FreeRDP is an open-source alternative to TeamViewer, AnyDesk and Splashtop. Other open-source alternatives to TeamViewer include Remmina, Apache Guacamole and RustDesk.
Is FreeRDP actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to FreeRDP was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 3.32.1, published on 28 September 2026. The project has 14k stars on GitHub.