TigerVNC ViewerLinux
vs
UltraVNCWindows
TigerVNC Viewer as a Linux alternative to UltraVNC
Updated
Our verdict
TigerVNC Viewer is a solid replacement for UltraVNC on Linux. It handles the core tasks UltraVNC users need: connecting to VNC servers, encrypting sessions via TLS, sharing the clipboard, and supporting multiple monitors with scaling options. It also runs as a daemon and offers a command‑line interface for scripting, which is useful for occasional remote support. Users who rely on UltraVNC’s file‑transfer feature will need an additional tool, but otherwise TigerVNC covers the majority of use cases.
Feature parity
- License
- GPL-2.0-or-later
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 1.14.0 (July 24, 2024)
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Both clients connect to VNC servers and support multiple monitors
- Both provide TLS encryption for secure sessions
- Both allow clipboard sharing between local and remote machines
- Both support configurable scaling and color depth
What is different
- TigerVNC lacks a built‑in file‑transfer protocol; UltraVNC includes a dedicated file‑transfer feature
- UltraVNC can run as a Windows service; TigerVNC runs as a Linux daemon but requires separate configuration
- UltraVNC is Windows‑only; TigerVNC is cross‑platform but the Linux version is native
- UltraVNC uses its own proprietary extensions for certain features; TigerVNC follows standard VNC/TightVNC specifications
Opening your UltraVNC files
UltraVNC does not use any special configuration files that TigerVNC can import; connection details must be entered manually or via a generic VNC URI. No export or import of UltraVNC‑specific settings is available.
Switching from UltraVNC to TigerVNC Viewer, step by step
- Install TigerVNC Viewer from your distribution’s package manager (e.g., apt install tigervnc-viewer).
- Open the application and enter the VNC server address (hostname or IP).
- If you used UltraVNC’s encryption, enable TLS in TigerVNC’s connection settings.
- Test the connection, adjust scaling or monitor settings as needed.
- If you need file transfer, install a separate tool such as WinSCP or use the VNC file‑transfer extension if available.
Key features of TigerVNC Viewer
- Supports Tight encoding accelerated by libjpeg‑turbo
- TLS encryption for secure sessions
- Clipboard sharing between local and remote
- Multi‑monitor handling
- Configurable scaling and color depth
- Keyboard layout translation
- Cross‑platform client (Linux, Windows, macOS)
- Command‑line options for scripting
How to install TigerVNC Viewer on Linux
Flatpak (Flathub)
flatpak install flathub org.tigervnc.vncviewerUbuntu / Mint
sudo apt install tigervncDebian
sudo apt install tigervncFedora
sudo dnf install tigervncArch / Manjaro
sudo pacman -S tigervncopenSUSE
sudo zypper install tigervnc4 other alternatives to UltraVNC
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