Artemis Qt vs Pulsar

Artemis Qt is a free client for streaming from NVIDIA GameStream, Apollo, and Sunshine servers on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It decodes video with hardware acceleration and supports H.264, HEVC, AV1, HDR streaming, 7.1 audio, multitouch, and gamepad play for up to 16 players, including local co-op. The client adds clipboard sync, custom server commands, one-time-password pairing, and UUID-based app launching, with a fallback to legacy app IDs when UUIDs are unavailable. Its in-stream menu includes fractional refresh-rate control, resolution scaling, and virtual display control. The project describes it as optimized for handhelds such as Steam Deck, with touch and gamepad navigation and power-efficient rendering. Downloads include Windows x64 and ARM64 builds, a universal macOS binary, and Linux x64 AppImage and Flatpak packages. AV1 requires Sunshine and a supported host GPU; YUV 4:4:4 is listed for Sunshine only. The project is licensed under GPL v3, and custom app ordering and input-only streaming are planned.

Pulsar combines remote desktop control and low-latency game streaming in one free, open-source app. It is aimed at gamers and IT or support teams connecting to servers, client machines, or personal computers. Remote desktop tools include ID and one-time-password access, unattended access, file transfer, clipboard sync, session chat, multi-monitor support, and remote restart. Connections try peer-to-peer first and automatically use a relay if needed. For games, Pulsar supports hardware H.265 or AV1 encoding at up to 120 fps, HDR, ultrawide displays, multichannel audio, adaptive bitrate, and Xbox and PlayStation controller mapping. It is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android; the iOS App Store release is in development. The maker says no account is required and there are no ads or telemetry. Encryption keys are generated on user devices, and users can self-host a relay and device identity server with a Docker command. The plan is free, free forever.