India-based Zoho makes all kinds of business software and typically sells it at a very low cost. One such product is Zoho Assist, its remote access software. It's a little jarring to use if you're familiar with other remote access tools because the interface runs entirely in the browser. However, it has some features I haven't encountered in any other remote access service, such as the ability to take control of Android and iOS devices. All this, combined with a decent free version for personal use, makes Assist a compelling option, but it's more for IT administrators than home users or small businesses. Instead, we recommend Editors' Choice winners TeamViewer for personal use and RemotePC for small businesses.
How Much Does Zoho Assist Cost?
A free version of Zoho Assist for both personal and commercial use lets you access up to five unattended computers and have unlimited one-off remote sessions (one at a time). This is generous, considering most applications in this space don't have a free version—the exception being Editors' Choice winner TeamViewer, which gives you all features free for personal use.
Paid plans required for business use start at $12 per month or $120 a year for Standard. This package includes file transfers, multi-monitor compatibility, voice chat, and more. To get video chat and whiteboarding, you need the Enterprise service tier for $28 per month or $288 per year.
The prices are competitive but possibly not the best deals around. Our Editors' Choice for paid remote access software is RemotePC, which starts at $29.50 annually with unattended access to a single computer and unlimited one-off remote sessions. Teamviewer's paid plans start at $299 per year, which is considerably higher than Zoho Assist, but Teamviewer also has a more generous free version. Both apps perform considerably better than Zoho Assist in terms of streaming quality, which I'll get into later. Zoho Assist is worth considering, given its price point, especially if you're primarily focused on providing remote support.
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Which Operating Systems Support Does Zoho Assist?
Zoho Assist can be used to access devices running Windows (XP and up), macOS (10.9 Mavericks and up), Linux (most recent versions), Android (5.0 Lollipop and up), and iOS (version 11.0 and up, but unattended access is not supported).
Zoho Assist can access devices entirely from the web browser or the app on mobile devices. There’s also support for accessing Chromebooks via a Chrome extension. There are desktop versions of Zoho Assist for Windows, macOS, and Linux, but they are just the web version running in a dedicated window. You don't get any additional features.
In addition to the desktop apps, you can download a tool called Windows Native Client Technician Console for Windows, allowing for a faster connection to Windows devices. It’s hard to find but runs much better than the default experience—more on that later.
Getting Started With Zoho Assist
Zoho Assist primarily runs in the browser and requires an account. Sign up at zoho.com/assist. The service opens to the remote support screen, which is for accessing someone else's computer.
Clicking Start now generates a link you can share with anyone whose computer you want to access. This link guides your customer through the process of downloading and running the application, then setting up the relevant permissions, after which the person can share their screen with you. The application warns you several times not to give access to a person you don’t know, which I appreciate.
Alternatively, if you want access to your own devices, you can head to the Unattended Access tab. You can add devices in the Deployment tab, which has a blue Add Device link. Click it to generate a deployment link, which you can use to install and configure the software on a device. If this sounds a little bit obtuse, it is—this is software specifically built for IT people, and as such, it does not hold your hand.
Performance: Stutters Unless You Find the Hidden Client
I set up unattended access on a Windows 11 PC, then accessed it from a Macbook, a Windows laptop, and an iPad Mini. In all cases, I found Zoho Access' web-based streaming quality to be quite a bit lower than competitors like TeamViewer and RemotePC, regardless of which browser I used. It's possible to do basic tasks, like edit documents or browse the web, but anything involving graphics or media is a non-starter—even on a local network. Zoho Access worked consistently during my tests and should be more than good enough for the kinds of tech support situations the software is built around.
The streaming quality is a great deal higher if you use the hard-to-find Windows Native Client Technician Console. I only found it after specifically asking a company representative about it. The trick is to head into the settings for your account and select the native client as your default experience. Do that, and your remote sessions from Windows devices will use the desktop client, which performs a great deal better than the browser-based console. I was able to watch videos without any stuttering (impossible in the web client). I don't know why it isn’t selected by default, let alone hiding behind a checkbox most people won’t find. With this tool, though, Zoho Assist performs nearly as well as tools like Teamviewer and RemotePC, which is remarkable. It’s a shame it’s only available for Windows.
There's more than just controlling the screen here, in both interfaces. The diagnostics button in the left menu bar—only seen when connected to a Windows or Linux computer—lets you run the command prompt or PowerShell, kill applications from the task manager, and see the specifications of every attached piece of hardware on a Windows computer. It's a lot of power.
With the diagnostics button, you can discover a lot about a device without having to move your mouse around, which is great if you're trying to solve a specific problem. The tools button gives you options for quickly launching the Control Panel and System Properties, which helps reduce the amount of time you're trying to browse the start menu on a remote computer. Advanced users can even upload and run scripts. These features are time-savers for tech support personnel.
Accessing Mobile Devices
Zoho Assist lets you remotely connect to Android and Apple mobile devices, a feature most remote access software does not have. It works best on Android, where Zoho Assist can fully control the device. Performance isn't amazing. Even with the two devices sitting right next to each other, there was lag. But I could use an actual keyboard to chat with family on Snapchat—not the intended use, granted, but it was pretty cool. Navigating is tricky, as Android is not designed to be controlled with a mouse and keyboard.
The experience is different on Apple devices, where Zoho Assist can only show the display, not take control of anything. It's disappointing but inevitable, given Apple's tighter security restrictions. Still, this could be a useful way to talk someone through a problem with their iPad, a useful trick for your toolbox when giving tech support to relatives, for example. The display quality isn't amazing—in my testing, it was pretty fuzzy, as you can see in the screenshot—but it's more than enough to work out what's going on.
File Transfer and Other Features
To transfer files, you use a drag-and-drop interface or, if you prefer, the standard system "open" menu. If you find the lack of a two-pane file transfer tool disappointing, you can use a dedicated tool in Windows for that, which is annoying but works. Set that up and everything works just like on RemotePC and GoToMyPC.
Zoho Assist has a chat function for real-time communication and an option to leave a digital note if you need to access someone's machine while they're away from it and wish to let them know what you did. Video and audio chat are included, provided through a browser window. The whiteboard feature is called Annotation and can only be triggered from the session window on the remote device.
Zoho has added a remote audio feature, allowing technicians to hear what’s happening on the remote computer. The feature only works while connecting to Windows machines, however, which is disappointing.
Verdict: Zoho Assist Is Best for Pros
Zoho Assist isn't for beginners. It's remote access software designed from the ground up for people who provide customer support. The free version gives a lot of power to those of us who help friends and family with their technology, while the full versions come with all sorts of features that a professional might need. And if you want to remotely access iPhones or Android devices, Zoho Assist might be your best option. The streaming quality is not as good as what you get from other remote access software, however, namely TeamViewer, our Editors’ Choice winner for personal use, and RemotePC, our Editors’ Choice for business use.
Zoho Assist has a wide array of features and lets you access mobile devices remotely, but it's better for tech support professionals than home users or small businesses.
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