Top 18 Free Screen Sharing Software 2024 (For Remote Teams)
Desktop sharing software has been a secret weapon for remote workers for years. With today’s remarkably high number of stay-at-home employees, we thought it was about time to let the world in on the most trusted ally in a remote worker’s arsenal.
Screen sharing apps can be the perfect addition to your set of remote working tools as they help you communicate more effectively with colleagues or clients from afar. The fact of the matter is, it’s much easier to communicate through live video than it is to explain something via lengthy and wordy emails, chats, and text messages. That’s why free screen sharing software is so handy. These programs can be used to:
- Send feedback to co-workers
- Solve IT issues
- Create video tutorials"
- Create video memos
You can present, teach, report and do basically whatever you want with a good free screen sharing app.
Wait, do you really need to screen share?
Let’s put it this way; Zoom fatigue is real and, sometimes, you just can’t take any more web conferencing for the day. If it’s going to be more of a monologue where meeting participants listen silently, you can skip the hassle of scheduling a meeting altogether.
Instead of a conference call tool, you can use an instant screen recorder like Screenrec that’ll let you record a screen share video and send it immediately via private link. In the end, you basically share your screen but not in real-time. You make a recording and avoid the nagging and pestering required to get everyone together for a meeting room.
The Best Free Screen Sharing Tools
So without further ado, here are the best free screen sharing apps for remote teams.
1. TeamViewer
While remote control is the coolest feature of this desktop sharing app, Team Viewer also allows you to utilize basic team management functions like screen sharing, sharing video and audio, using a whiteboard, file sharing, and capturing screenshots and screen recordings. You’ll be able to control any desktop (with permission and password, of course) as if the computer were actually in front of you.
2. Zoom
Zoom has been rapidly growing in popularity in recent months, and no wonder. This ultra-reliable tool is perfect for online meetings. Its free version allows up to 100 people to attend for 40 minutes or up to 4 people for an unlimited amount of time. You can also easily screen share on PC or Apple devices.
3. Dead Simple Screen Sharing
Dead Simple Screen Sharing is a great way to share a screen online without having to worry about downloading an app to your computer. Just get the chrome or Firefox extension and your free screen sharing app is ready to go. With the free version, you can share your entire screen or an application window with up to four people.
4. Slack
Slack is a full-fledged team collaboration program that gives you an abundant amount of features, integrations and plugins. The free version is a bit basic in the screen sharing department in that it allows only one-to-one audio and video calls and screen sharing during the meeting. It’s the upgraded plans that have all of the best features. This includes having the ability to remote access team member’s computers or allowing them to access yours.
5. Skype
Probably the most popular team communication app on our lust, for years Skype has always ranked among the best video conferencing apps you can use for free. However, not too many people know that you can also share your screen with the click of a button.
Skype can be used on any device and, if you’re not up to download a program, you can easily use their web version. By the way, if you want to review your screen sharing session later, you can easily record any Skype for Business meeting.
6. Chrome Remote Desktop
Here’s an app that offers screen sharing on all popular operating systems — Windows, Mac, and Linux. The Chrome Remote Desktop app gives you the ability to control a computer via chrome browser, Chromebook laptop, or Android and iOS devices.
7. Mikogo
Mikogo is the simpler app on this list. Meant for smaller teams, the free version of Mikogo allows you to share your screen and files with one other person. You can also hold virtual meetings and offer remote support.
8. Appear.in AKA Whereby
Appear.in is a reliable video conferencing app that, in its free version, allows one user to host up to four participants complete with a private and custom URL, and of course, screen sharing.
Best Pro | Biggest Con | |
Team Viewer | Security is high priority | Not free for commercial use |
Zoom | Connects to Apple devices | Unlimited meeting time applies to one-on-one meetings only |
Dead Simple Screen Sharing | No need to download app to computer | Can only screen share with up to four people |
Slack | Large variety of management tools | Best features are not free |
Skype | Reliable video conferencing and screen sharing | No other management tools available within the app |
Chrome Remote Desktop | Can connect to any computer from almost anywhere | Doesn’t help if you want to host a meeting |
Mikogo | Participants don’t have to download to participate | No video conference available |
Appear.in | Good call quality | Very limited features in free version |
Even More Free Screen Sharing Software
Here are a few honorable mentions:
- AnyDesk for cross-platform remote desktop access.
- LiteManager for remote access to up to 30 computers.
- Mingle View for unlimited online meeting hosting and remote system control.
- Remote Utilities for online remote access including firewall bypass capabilities.
- ScreenLeap for instant screen sharing to any device.
- Google Hangouts for secure video conferencing, chatting, file sharing and screen sharing with a Google account.
- USE Together for simultaneous collaboration with multiple users within a single screen share.
- Join.me for whiteboard collaboration.
- GoToMeeting for screen sharing among mobile devices.
- Ultraviewer for remote access with chatting and file sharing.
What is the best free screen sharing software?
We’ll leave that up to you, but ultimately the best free screen sharing software would be one that offers you the right features you need to best manage your remote team. This would include apps that offer whiteboarding, remote access, team chatting, file sharing, video conferencing, and so on.
In the end, however, the best app will boil down to what your team needs and which programs fulfill those needs. Once you’ve made your decision, feel free to give it a boost by recording and sharing these meetings with a free screen recorder like ScreenRec. Then you’ll have the complete remote working package.
Latest version – 3.0.0 | Release date: 17 July 2023 Works on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP
sudo wget -q -O - https://screenrec.com/download/pub.asc | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://screenrec.com/download/ubuntu stable main'
sudo apt update
sudo apt install screenrec
Latest version – 3.0.0 | Release date: 17 July 2023 Works on Mac OS