head to head · open source
RustDesk vs Mole
RustDesk has 123,854 GitHub stars, 19,128 forks, 147 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Mole has 67,621 stars, 2,377 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped yesterday. RustDesk leads on adoption by 83% (123,854 vs 67,621 stars). RustDesk is written in Rust under AGPL-3.0; Mole is written in Shell under GPL-3.0. RustDesk has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Mole 4%. Mole was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (macos), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| RustDesk | Mole | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 124K | ★ 68K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 2.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick RustDesk if
- You weight community size — 124K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Mole if
- You want the Mole feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and Mole fits your workflow better
About RustDesk
RustDesk is an open source remote desktop application written in Rust, designed for self hosting as a privacy focused alternative to proprietary solutions like TeamViewer. It enables remote control of machines across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms using a peer to peer (P2P) architecture by default, with optional relay and rendezvous servers for NAT traversal. The project lives in the remote access and productivity ecosystem, targeting users who require full control over their infrastructure and data.
read the full RustDesk overview →
About Mole
Mole is an open source macOS utility that combines system cleanup, application management, and live monitoring into a single native app and CLI tool. It runs on macOS 12+ for both Intel and Apple Silicon, offering a unified interface for reclaiming disk space, uninstalling apps thoroughly, visualizing storage, and tracking real time system health. Built in Shell and licensed under GPL 3.0, it aggregates functionality found across several paid tools—CleanMyMac, AppCleaner, DaisyDisk, and iStat Menus—into one binary.
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Frequently asked questions
Is RustDesk or Mole more popular?
RustDesk has 123,854 GitHub stars and Mole has 67,621. RustDesk has the larger community by that measure.
Are RustDesk and Mole free?
Both are open source. RustDesk is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mole under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between RustDesk and Mole?
RustDesk is written in Rust and Mole in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, RustDesk or Mole?
Choose RustDesk if you want the larger community (123,854 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Mole if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.