Key points
- Quick Assist overview: Quick Assist is Microsoft’s built-in Windows remote assistance tool, ideal for quick troubleshooting and screen sharing between Windows devices.
- Why look for alternatives: Quick Assist lacks cross-platform support, advanced security controls, and deep integration with broader IT management systems—limitations that can impact MSPs and enterprise IT teams.
- Top Quick Assist alternatives: Leading remote access tools like NinjaOne, BeyondTrust Remote Support, and LogMeIn Rescue provide stronger multi-OS support, scalability, and enhanced technician toolsets.
- Best overall pick: NinjaOne stands out as the #1 Quick Assist alternative in 2025, offering secure, fast, and flexible remote access for both managed and unaffiliated endpoints across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- How to choose: When selecting a Quick Assist replacement, evaluate factors like OS compatibility, security, scalability, pricing flexibility, and integration with your existing IT management stack.
Remote monitoring has become one of the pinnacles of IT management, securing and maintaining IT environments from businesses to enterprises. A big part of successful remote monitoring and management is providing swift support for end-users whenever issues arise. This is where remote access comes in.
One platform that focuses on this IT management facet is Quick Assist, a built-in Windows remote assistance tool developed by Microsoft. While Quick Assist’s features can provide adequate tools for remote access, some limitations may compel IT teams to look for other options. If you’re shopping for the best Quick Assist alternatives, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we gathered remote access software that you may want to consider as the next best option.
Possible reasons to search for alternatives to Quick Assist
Before we dive into the Quick Assist substitutes, here are some reasons why IT teams and technicians look for other options.
- Features: As mentioned, Quick Assist may have adequate capabilities on paper. However, some organizations may have specialized IT environments that require more advanced tools to assist their end-users better.
- Integration: Other organizations may already have existing systems. To speed up onboarding and initial setups, it would only make sense for them to adopt a remote access platform that can smoothly integrate with their environment.
- Compatibility: Quick Assist primarily relies on Microsoft’s Remote Desktop infrastructure and is designed for Windows-to-Windows connections. While Microsoft offers a limited macOS version for support sessions with Microsoft agents, it’s not available for general use, making the tool effectively Windows-exclusive for most organizations. This can be a drawback for environments with diverse endpoints running on macOS or Linux.
- Security and compliance: Quick Assist depends on Microsoft security and requires unique session codes, which can pose limitations. Teams in highly regulated industries (like finance or healthcare) often need comprehensive audit logs, granular permission controls, and specific encryption standards that Quick Assist does not provide out of the box.
1. NinjaOne
NinjaOne is an endpoint management platform with critical acclaim for its comprehensive IT management features. From Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) to Patch Management, NinjaOne provides cutting-edge capabilities that simplify the hardest parts of IT. Along with these functionalities, NinjaOne also offers advanced remote access tools often cited as a powerful, feature-rich alternative to tools like Quick Assist. Below are some of the key remote access features that set NinjaOne apart:
Key features
- OS support: Unlike Quick Assist, NinjaOne supports a broad range of operating systems, perfect for organizations with endpoints that run on other major platforms besides Windows. NinjaOne offers remote access for Windows, macOS, and Linux, giving it an edge over Quick Assist’s limitation of only catering to Windows-to-Windows connections.
- Quick Connect for unaffiliated devices: NinjaOne’s Quick Connect also supports unaffiliated devices. This allows IT teams to connect to devices outside their managed environment without installation. This is a good option for organizations that manage off-network and Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) endpoints.
- Toolset for technicians: NinjaOne provides advanced feature sets to make troubleshooting easier for technicians. These features include live chat for quick communications during remote sessions, differentiated screen cursors to distinguish who controls the mouse, the ability to share only one monitor instead of the entire desktop, and many more.
- Security: The platform is committed to data protection and guarantees secure remote sessions between technicians and end-users. NinjaOne enforces security measures such as x25519+XSalsa20+Poly1305 encryption during sessions, role-based access, and disabling of clipboard syncing, among others, to keep critical information private.
- All-in-one IT management: NinjaOne offers remote access tools as part of its comprehensive arsenal of functionalities. It’s the perfect platform for IT teams and organizations looking for software that practices a “single pane of glass” approach to IT management.
Customer story
With 115 employees who support more than 200 school districts and manage IT for over 115,000 students and 25,000 faculty and staff, this number could translate to an overwhelming IT support operation for Quality Network Solutions (QNS). The Illinois-based Managed Service Provider (MSP) needed a powerful IT management tool that could cater to 26,000 endpoints. Thanks to NinjaOne, providing extensive support for these endpoints, they have become streamlined and optimized. Here’s what Mitch Pulver, CEO of QNS, had to say:
“NinjaOne has really allowed us to attack and resolve tickets much faster for our customers. There’s less downtime in classrooms and more focus on education. It has certainly reduced on-site visits, at least 20 percent, and that number is only going to go up as we refine our remote help desk.”
Pulver also said that one technician even closed a record-smashing 162 tickets in a single day, all user-generated requests. NinjaOne truly impacted how they provide support to end-users and maximized their team’s productivity.
Read more customer stories or check out NinjaOne reviews.
Reviews
- 2,778 reviews (at the time of writing)
- 4.7 / 5 stars
- 274 reviews (at the time of writing)
- 4.7 / 5 stars
Customer Quotes
“We get around 500 to 600 calls monthly, with many requiring remote support. Thanks to NinjaOne Remote, we can troubleshoot those tickets much faster–the time savings alone make it worth every penny.”
– Mike Beattie, Head of Infrastructure and Workplace at The King’s Trust
“NinjaOne’s remote access feature lets us deploy the NinjaOne agent remotely for almost all of our clients, saving us at least 20 hours per month.”
– Corey Harris, Director of IT at Hogan
“[NinjaOne’s] remote access is faster, all integrations work better, and software deployment is easier. “
– Sindre Winsvold, Virtualization and Operations Manager at Nordlo
Pricing
NinjaOne offers flexible pay-per-device pricing that scales to meet your needs.
Discover how NinjaOne delivers robust and reliable remote access for managed and unaffiliated endpoints.
2. BeyondTrustRemote Support
BeyondTrust Remote Support is a remote assistance software built for secure identity-based remote access to devices. It provides IT teams with support tools for endpoints and environments where oversight, secure credential management, and infrastructure scale are important. BeyondTrust Remote Support is aimed at Managed Service Providers and internal IT teams that want to provide enterprise-scale support for a wide range of devices.
Pros
- Broad coverage: BeyondTrust offers remote support for major platforms such as Windows, Unix, macOS, and Linux.
- Attended and unattended capabilities: The platform is also capable of attended and unattended connections, allowing support to be delivered when an end-user is present.
- Dashboard: BeyondTrust Remote Support has a dashboard that gives technicians an adequate view of their service desk sessions and agents.
Cons
- Customer support: Some BeyondTrust users expressed challenges in getting adequate support when issues arise.
- Performance issues: Others mentioned that the platform’s heavy reliance on the user’s network can hugely affect the performance of the remote session, causing slowdowns if the network is also slow.
- Resource-heavy: BeyondTrust agents or clients may use significant system resources that can affect the remote device’s performance.
3. LogMeIn Rescue
LogMeIn Rescue is a remote IT support tool under GoTo’s flagship IT management products. The platform is built for troubleshooting and help-desk operations. It also promises seamless support for multiple platforms (desktop and mobile), which is ideal for organizations with IT teams managing diverse environments. LogMeIn Rescue is marketed towards MSPs and internal IT teams seeking an effective, enterprise-ready remote support solution.
Pros
- One-click access: LogMeIn Rescue promises to speed up and streamline remote sessions through one-click access that users can do from any device, tablet, or computer.
- Support for diverse environments: The remote support system also offers support for major operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Google Chrome, among others.
- Secure sessions: LogMeIn Rescue strengthens remote support by enforcing security measures such as permissions, controls, and session validation.
Cons
- Performance issues: Some reviews noted a decline in the performance of the computer you’re running LogMeIn Rescue on, affecting productivity.
- User experience: Other LogMeIn Rescue users highlighted the need for improvement in the platform’s user interface, for a more enhanced user experience.
- Connection: According to some users, initiating remote sessions could occasionally take a significant amount of time.
What is Quick Assist?
Quick Assist is a remote support software built into Microsoft Windows 10 and 11. It is ideal for MSPs managing primarily Windows devices. The platform allows technicians to control end-users’ computers remotely over the Internet. Its remote access capabilities include screen sharing, annotation tools for guidance, file transfer, chat functionality, and more.
While Quick Assist for macOS exists, it is not available outside of Microsoft Support interactions. This is a huge drawback for organizations looking for remote access systems that can support devices running on a broad range of platforms. Nevertheless, Quick Assist is aimed at IT support professionals and individuals who need a simple and free tool to provide one-time or occasional remote help without relying on subscription-based or third-party software.
Deciding on the best Quick Assist alternative
Remote access is vital in providing secure and effective IT support for end users’ managed devices. Choosing the right remote access software is crucial to ensuring efficient support. It’s the key to streamlined troubleshooting, file sharing, software installation, and many other technical support operations. To make an informed decision, you can always take advantage of free trials or watch personalized demos if available. These, along with the remote access software guide, should help you compare features and find the right solution for your organization.
