You can share your screen for free with plenty of tools, but each free plan holds something back. Hosted options cap daily minutes, viewers or group calls, and often keep viewer control for higher plans. Self-hosted open source tools drop those caps, but you run the server. Decide on control, audience size and time first.
Picking free screen sharing software comes down to one decision: what does the person watching need to do? If they only need to see your screen, almost any free tool will work. If they need to take control, join in a group, or watch for longer than a quick demo, the free plan you choose has to allow it, and many don't.
Below are eight free tools in no particular order, with nothing crowned. Each line states the free plan's limits as the vendor or project lists them, as of Nov 2026, so you can match the limit to the job before you share a link with a client.
What free screen sharing plans hold back
Time is the limit people expect. The one they miss is who can do what. One hosted tool here shares your screen through a link on its free account, but won't let a viewer take control, and it caps both your daily minutes and the number of people watching. That's fine for a short walkthrough and no good for a support session where the other person needs to click.
Group size is the next wall. A team chat app on this list includes screen sharing in free huddles, but only one-to-one; group huddles sit on higher plans. A free meeting tier takes a big group but stops each meeting on a clock.
The tools without a time cap are mostly ones you host yourself. That's a fair trade if you've got the skills, but the limit doesn't vanish, it moves to your server, your domain and your own connection. So before you choose, settle two questions: will viewers need control, and how many will be watching?
Where each tool's free limit bites
- A clock or a viewer cap. Screenleap shares through a link with no install for viewers, within daily minutes and a small audience. Zoho Meeting takes large groups on free but ends each meeting on a timer. Slack keeps free huddles one-to-one.
- Hosted by you, so nothing caps you but the server. Screego is a developer tool for showing code and windows, run from Docker. MiroTalk P2P gives you peer-to-peer rooms on your own domain. Nextcloud Talk runs on a Nextcloud server, yours or a provider's, and its free accounts depend on that provider.
- Open source with no account. Jitsi Meet runs in the browser with no sign-up; its page states no usage cap, though the public service is shared, and a home page news item says meetings on it are now limited to 95 minutes. Jami is a private calling app with screen sharing, where both people need the app.
My advice: match the free plan to the viewer, not the presenter
For a quick demo to one or two people who only need to watch, a link-based hosted tool is the least effort and works well within its daily limit. For a colleague you already chat with, a one-to-one huddle in your team app is the simplest route and needs nothing new installed.
If you present to a room, pick a meeting tier with a big enough group cap and keep the session inside its timer. If you share screens all day inside a team, and someone's happy to look after a server, a self-hosted tool removes the vendor caps for good. And if viewers need to take control of your machine, test that on the free plan first, because that's the feature free tiers most often leave out.
Free limits at a glance
| Tool | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Jami | Private calling app | Encrypted calls and conferences between people who share the app |
| Jitsi Meet | Open source meetings | Browser meetings with desktop sharing and no sign-up |
| MiroTalk P2P | Self-hosted rooms | Peer-to-peer rooms with sharing, chat and a whiteboard |
| Nextcloud Talk | Self-host or provider | Window or full-desktop sharing inside your own Nextcloud |
| Screego | Self-hosted share | Developers showing code and windows to colleagues |
| Screenleap | Instant link sharing | Short link-based demos with no install for viewers |
| Slack | Team chat huddles | Quick one-to-one screen shares inside team chat |
| Zoho Meeting | Free meeting plan | Presenting your screen to a larger group |
The eight free screen sharing tools, in no particular order
Jami
Best for: Private calls and conferences with screen sharing and end-to-end encryption, the project says; both sides need its app, and contacts must be added or invited.
Jitsi Meet
Best for: Browser meetings with desktop sharing and no account needed, by the project's own account; the public service is shared, and running your own server is a separate job.
MiroTalk P2P
Best for: Self-hosted peer-to-peer rooms with screen sharing, chat and whiteboard, no downloads and no time limits, the repository says; you supply the server and domain.
Nextcloud Talk
Best for: Organisations on Nextcloud wanting window or full-desktop sharing with control over who may share, per the vendor; free accounts depend on your provider or your own server.
Screego
Best for: Developers showing code or windows to colleagues from their own Docker setup with a bundled TURN server; GPL-3.0 licensed, and built for sharing, not full meetings.
Screenleap
Best for: Link-based demos with no viewer install, the vendor says; free sharing stops at 40 minutes a day and 8 viewers, with 2 scheduled meetings and no control handover.
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Slack
Best for: Teams already chatting in one workspace who need quick one-to-one huddles with screen sharing, the vendor says; free message history covers 90 days and app connections stop at 10.
Zoho Meeting
Best for: Hosts presenting to larger groups, with screen sharing and a whiteboard in the free column; each free meeting stops at 60 minutes and takes up to 100 participants.
When you need remote control, not screen sharing
Screen sharing and remote access sound alike, but they're different jobs. Sharing shows your screen to someone else. Remote control lets them, or you, operate a computer from somewhere else, which is what support calls and fixing a relative's laptop usually need.
If that's your job, a sharing tool's free plan may not stretch to it, and a dedicated tool will serve you better. This list of free remote desktop tools covers that side, and our wider comparison of screen sharing software for teams includes options beyond the free tiers.
Do you make screen sharing software with a free plan? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share my screen for free without the viewer installing anything?
Yes. Several tools share through a link that opens in the viewer's browser, with no download. Check the free plan's daily time and viewer limits, because link-based free plans often keep both small.
Can a viewer take control of my screen on a free plan?
Not always. Free plans often let people watch but keep handing over control for higher tiers. If control matters, test it on the exact free plan before a support session, or use a remote desktop tool instead.
How many people can watch my screen on a free tool?
It varies widely. Some free plans allow only a handful of viewers or keep calls one-to-one, while free meeting tiers can take up to 100 people. Self-hosted tools depend on your server and connection.
Is self-hosted screen sharing free?
The software is free to use, but you supply the server, the domain and the upkeep. Some projects also offer a hosted option if you'd rather someone else ran it.
Is free screen sharing secure?
Some projects say their calls are end-to-end encrypted, and self-hosting keeps the stream on servers you control. Whatever you use, close private windows and turn off notifications before you share.
What's the difference between screen sharing and remote desktop?
Screen sharing lets others see your screen. Remote desktop lets someone operate a computer from elsewhere. Many free sharing plans don't include control, so pick the tool that fits the job.
