While there are a handful of ways to access your PC from another device remotely, few can come close to the low-latency methods offered by Parsec and Moonlight/Sunshine setups. From getting your everyday tasks done to streaming full-fledged PC games to other devices, both are excellent options when you need to gain control of your desktop from another system.

That said, there are several differences between the two. So, in this article, we’ll pit Sunshine + Moonlight against Parsec to help you determine which software is better for your needs.

Pricing

Winner: Moonlight and Sunshine, easy

Before we head to the features and technical aspects of the apps, it’s worth noting that Parsec is a freemium software. Although the Free tier should be enough for the average user, the app has a paid tier that offers more features, including multi-monitor setup, and 4:4:4 encoding, among others. Moreover, Parsec requires users to sign up before they can use the application, regardless of whether they’re on a client machine or a host system.

Meanwhile, Moonlight and Sunshine are free, open-source programs. So, you don’t have to worry about spending money to unlock more features. Nor do you need to rely on an external server like Parsec for the sign-up and authentication processes, making the combo of Moonlight and Sunshine better for privacy-oriented users.

Ease of installation (and remote access)

Winner: Parsec, by a longshot

Parsec has an extremely painless installation process, as all you have to do is install the platform-specific application on your host and client machines, before signing in to the same account on both. Everything else is handled by Parsec, including streaming to systems on different networks. This means, you won’t need to set up port forwarding or mess with the router settings if you want to access the PC from a network outside your home LAN.

As you can guess, a Sunshine + Moonlight server requires you to install two apps instead of one. On the server side, you’ll have to set up the Sunshine web UI, while the client systems need the Moonlight application to connect to the host machine.

While it’s slightly more complex to set up both apps on a local network, the difficulty increases exponentially if you wish to enable streaming to devices connected to external networks. If you’re not familiar with port forwarding and firewall rules, ZeroTier provides a relatively simpler alternative, though it’s far easier to set up Parsec if you want to enable remote streaming to clients across multiple networks.

Hardware compatibility

Winner: Sunshine + Moonlight

When it comes to support for client systems, Moonlight is compatible with a plethora of devices with different operating systems. Besides supporting Windows, macOS, Android and Linux distros, Moonlight can also run on iOS and ChromeOS. Heck, you can set up Moonlight on the PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, and Wii-U via Homebrew apps! In comparison, Parsec’s client app can only support the newer versions of Windows, macOS, Android, and Ubuntu.

The situation is the same when it comes to the host machine, as Sunshine is compatible with Windows, macOS, and some Linux distros, while Parsec only supports hosting on the first two operating systems.

Performance in remote desktop workloads

Winner: Parsec

If you simply need a low-latency tool for general desktop usage, Parsec is easily the better alternative. The application has an on-screen keyboard built into it, and you can easily perform most non-gaming tasks and even productivity work with Parsec. I also found the app to work slightly better than Moonlight and Sunshine when using external KB+M connected to my client machines.

Unfortunately, Moonlight and Sunshine isn’t as impressive for your everyday tasks as Parsec. The Moonlight client application doesn’t have a virtual keyboard, meaning you’ll need to change the accessibility settings on your phone to gain access to an on-screen keyboard.

Latency, artifacts, and gaming performance

Winner: Sunshine and Moonlight

Having used both Parsec and Sunshine/Moonlight to access my main system from my smartphones and another PC, the latter setup always provided fewer artifacts and latency. I first tested all my games by running them on another computer connected to the same network as my host PC. In this setup, Parsec had slight microstutter and barely noticeable input delay, and the Sunshine + Moonlight setup was slightly better.

But the compression, input lag, and latency were more evident when I switched to my smartphones and iPad. Despite connecting it to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network, both apps had taken a hit on the latency front, though the combination of Sunshine and Moonlight provided better results. I also had this issue with Parsec where I had to manually lower the resolution of certain games to get them to run on my Poco F5 and Poco M6 Pro, while Moonlight/Sunshine worked fine as long as I set the streaming resolution lower than the mobile's display on the client app.

Once I’d switched to another network for my client devices, the performance was even worse, but I blame that on my slow Internet speed rather than the apps themselves. Either way, using Moonlight to access the Sunshine server not only made the visuals look better, but it also led to a smoother performance than Parsec.

Which one should you use?

Sunshine + Moonlight for gaming; Parsec for remote work

While your performance may vary depending on your hardware and network conditions, the Sunshine and Moonlight setup will usually fare better than Parsec when it comes to game streaming. It’s also open-source, and despite requiring more time and effort to set up, it can provide a smoother experience when streaming games.

That’s not to say Parsec isn’t good for gaming. With its simple installation process and easy means to allow other users to connect to your system, Parsec is still a decent option if you want to use your PC as a personal game-streaming hub. However, its strength lies in providing a robust remote desktop connection, and you’re better off running all gaming-oriented and performance-heavy tasks via Sunshine and Moonlight. It's also a good idea to try both setups out yourself, as Sunshine, Moonlight, and Parsec can be set up free of charge on your devices.