Have you ever been someplace where your computer isn’t, only to find you needed some information or a program from it? Unless you do all of your computer activities on a portable laptop or tablet computer, chances are you’ve experienced the frustration of not having access to your files. There are a number of services that make it possible to access y our computer remotely – with two of the most popular programs being GoToMyPC and LogMeIn. Which program will suit your needs in the GoToMyPC VS LogMeIn comparison?
GoToMyPC
With GoToMyPC, you pay $9.95 a month to give one user access to one computer. Once the software is installed on the host computer, you must leave it on and connected to the internet. Then you can log into your account on GoToMyPC.com from any computer, tablet or mobile device with internet access, and access your computer remotely. Information exchanged between your computers is encrypted. If trying to access your computer from a public computer – like at the library for example, you may run into problems because you may be unable to download the small file required to use GoToMyPC remotely.
The LogMeIn service works almost identically to GoToMyPC remote access service except it offers a free version. In the free version, you can remotely access one computer from any device with an internet connection and a browser. The free version of LogMeIn does not allow you to transfer files between the two computers or to print remotely – so if you’re working with files on your host computer and want to print it from your current location, you can’t. For $13 per month, you can add both of those services to your LogMeIn account.
GoToMyPC VS LogMeIn
Both services allow users to access a computer remotely without having to set up a Virtual Network or deal with firewalls and network complexities.
LogMeIn can be used from any Windows computer or Pocket PCs but not Macs.
GoToMyPC requires that the host computer runs Windows, but you can use any browser that supports Java to connect to it, including Macs (AAPL ) and even Pocket PCs.
The problem for both LogMeIn and GoToMyPC on Pocket PCs and smaller mobile device access is that the screens are so small that you will have a hard time accessing your remote computer on the display.If you need to access files on a computer remotely once in awhile, the LogMeIn free version may be all you need provided you don’t need to print or physically transfer files from the remote computer to your current location. If you intend to access the services more often and need printing and file transfer access – you may be better off with GoToMyPC at $9.95 a month VS LogMeIn’s paid service at $13 a month.
