Moonlight Game Streaming vs Parsec
Moonlight Game Streaming
moonlight-stream.org
Parsec
parsec.appSide by side
| Figure | Moonlight Game Streaming | Parsec |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 6 |
| Spec score · Game Remote Play Software | 8.7 (#3) | 9.0 (#1) |
| Licence | Moonlight client code is published on GitHub under the GPLv3 licence. | Parsec is proprietary software rather than an open-source project. |
| What it does | Moonlight streams games, applications, or a complete PC desktop from a gaming computer to another supported device over local networks or the Internet. | Parsec is a proprietary desktop-capture and video-streaming application for low-latency remote gaming and remote work. |
Plans
Parsec
- Individuals (Warp)$8.33 a month
- Teams$30 a month
- Enterprise$45 a month
- Personal UseFree
- Personal Use (free)Free
- Guest Access credit$25, paid once
In their own words
Moonlight Game Streaming
Moonlight Game Streaming sends games from a gaming PC to supported devices for remote play. It is a free, open-source implementation of NVIDIA's GameStream protocol; the listed plan costs nothing, with no subscriptions or paid versions with extra features. Clients are available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV, ChromeOS, Steam Link, and Raspberry Pi. On a capable client, Moonlight can stream a full Windows desktop at up to 4K with HDR. Its PC client supports up to 120 FPS and can disable V-Sync for lower latency. Users can host their own gaming server using options such as port forwarding, IPv6, ZeroTier, Tailscale, and NordVPN Meshnet. Moonlight recommends Sunshine as a host; GeForce Experience is also listed as compatible, though NVIDIA is discontinuing its GameStream feature. Wolf can stream games and applications running in Docker containers. There is no pure web client because the protocol requires raw TCP and UDP sockets that browsers do not support. The project began as a 2013 hackathon project by Case Western Reserve University students.
Parsec
Parsec is a remote access app for connecting to computers from another device for work, games, or time with friends. It supports Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, Android, and a Chromium web client; listed system requirements include Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+, and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Desktop. Its gaming design targets 60FPS UHD play with low latency, with keyboard mapping, gamepad support, and advanced settings. Users can share a link so another person can observe or control a computer. Native-app peer-to-peer traffic is encrypted end-to-end with a shared 128-bit AES key; web-client sessions use DTLS. Accounts support multi-factor authentication, and Teams can enforce SAML 2.0 single sign-on. Personal Use and Individuals are licensed for personal, non-commercial use; commercial use requires Teams or Enterprise. Individuals (Warp) costs $8.33 per user per month, billed annually; Teams costs $30 per user per month, billed annually; Enterprise costs $45 per user per month, billed annually only. A free plan and 14-day trial are listed.