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ID: AR07L00808
Applies to: FAQs
Added on: 2014-07-18
Last Update: 2025-12-16

What is the difference between NoMachine Free Edition and NoMachine Enterprise Desktop?

The free NoMachine software edition allows one incoming connection. Free for non-commercial use, it can be installed on any Windows, macOS, Linux or ARM host to let you remotely reach its desktop, enabling access to its files, folders and multi-media material as if you were sitting in front of it.

NoMachine Enterprise Desktop is like the free version but offers more features and targets professionals and organizations. It is installed on the remote computer you want to access and permits unlimited incoming connections, so that multiple users can connect to view and interact with the same physical desktop. Enterprise Desktop is licensed on an annual subscription basis and a subscription is required for each machine you want to remotely access. In addition to the rich feature-list of the free version, it also offers SSH support, web-based access, remote admin capabilities and can be added to any Cloud Server. As with all NoMachine for Enterprise subscriptions, Enterprise Desktop Subscription includes technical assistance.

So how do you connect to a computer where you have installed the free NoMachine version or the Enterprise Desktop? On the device you want to connect from, you can install either the free edition (because it also includes the client component used to start remote desktop sessions), or Enterprise Client which is a scaled-down client application for out-going connections only. There is also a NoMachine app for mobile which enables connections from iOS and Android devices. There is no limit on the number of outgoing "over-IP" connections you can start from any NoMachine client.

The computer you want to access (what we call the "server") can be a physical host or a virtual machine, it makes no difference. Pre-requisite to installing any NoMachine software package is that there is a desktop environment installed and that users remotely accessing the machine have a system account there. Where guest desktop sharing is enabled on the server, connecting users do not require a system account but the owner of the desktop must authorize the connection.

Compare the two products here.

Enterprise Desktop Subscription or Enterprise Desktop Subscription Pack?
For companies looking to enable remote access on multiple computers, it’s also available as a cost-effective bundle of licenses. A Subscription Pack provides a cost-effective bundle of 10 subscription files, one for each remote host being accessed.

Details about Enterprise Desktop for remote access are available here: https://www.nomachine.com/enterprise/enterprise-desktop-products/enterprise-desktop