Marc-Andre MoreauAt Devolutions, we believe the strongest commercial software is built on healthy, well-funded open-source projects — especially when they are designed to enable collaboration rather than fragmentation.
Today, we’re proud to announce a major 2-year sponsorship of ControlR, an MIT-licensed open-source remote control platform created and maintained by Jared Goodwin, the original author of Remotely.
This sponsorship enables Jared to work on ControlR full time, accelerating development and long-term sustainability. It also allows Devolutions to integrate ControlR directly into Remote Desktop Manager (RDM) — something that is difficult or impossible with many existing remote control projects for technical or licensing reasons.
What is ControlR?
ControlR is an open-source, self-hostable remote control and device management platform designed for IT teams and support organizations that need full control over their infrastructure.
It enables secure remote access to Windows, macOS, and Linux devices through a browser-based interface, using a centralized web server and agents installed on managed systems. This architecture allows organizations to deploy ControlR in a straightforward, self-hosted manner without relying on third-party cloud services.
All ControlR communication occurs over standard HTTPS and secure WebSocket (WSS) connections on port 443, avoiding firewall traversal techniques such as TCP or UDP hole-punching. This design reduces false positives in security tools and simplifies deployment in locked-down enterprise environments.
- Remotely view and control desktops with full keyboard and mouse support
- Access PowerShell, file systems, and system information from a unified interface
- Organize and manage devices using tags and role-based access control
- Self-host the entire platform to meet security, compliance, and data residency requirements
Because ControlR is built on standard web technologies and a unified backend, it avoids the fragmentation of separate viewer applications and simplifies both deployment and ongoing operations.
Permissive by design, open for collaboration
ControlR is released under the MIT license, enabling meaningful collaboration between open-source projects and commercial software vendors.
Permissive licensing removes legal and technical friction, allowing companies to *nvest, integrate, and contribute without complex constraints, while keeping the project open and accessible.
By contrast, some popular remote control projects — such as RustDesk, which is licensed under the AGPL — impose licensing restrictions that limit how commercial vendors can embed or tightly integrate the software. At Devolutions, we regularly receive customer requests for deeper, more native integration with projects like RustDesk inside RDM, but due to these AGPL constraints, we cannot deliver the level of integration our customers are asking for.
- Fully open source
- Vendor-neutral
- Designed for native embedding
In short, open for business.
Sponsorship, not ownership
This sponsorship is not an acquisition. ControlR remains an independent open-source project, with Jared retaining full control over its technical direction. Devolutions’ role is that of a strategic sponsor and collaborator.
“We strongly believe in coopetition in open source. This is a non-zero-sum game. Multiple companies benefit more by collaborating on shared foundations than by building isolated solutions.”
— Marc-André Moreau, Chief Technology Officer at Devolutions
This sponsorship is non-exclusive, and Devolutions welcomes other companies interested in supporting and building on ControlR.
Built with experience, backed by expertise
Beyond sponsorship, Devolutions brings real-world experience building and operating remote control software, along with deep, long-standing open-source expertise. Through years of hands-on development of its own remote access technology and active involvement in open-source communities, Devolutions has gained valuable insight into the architectural, performance, and operational challenges involved in this space.
This commitment to strengthening open-source foundations was also central to Devolutions’ Avalonia sponsorship, where we invested heavily to secure a native, cross-platform future for Remote Desktop Manager — following the same philosophy now applied to ControlR.
“Having a sponsor that understands the realities of shipping remote control software makes a huge difference. Devolutions brings not just funding, but experience that helps keep ControlR strong and sustainably open.”
— Jared Goodwin, Creator of ControlR
Open source is a non-zero-sum game
Devolutions views ControlR as a shared foundation that benefits from multiple stakeholders. Collaborating on a common open-source core enables faster innovation, higher quality software, and better outcomes for users — while still allowing companies to compete at the product level.
What this means for Devolutions users
- Native ControlR integration inside Remote Desktop Manager (RDM)
- A more cohesive and reliable remote control experience
- Faster response to customer feedback and feature requests
A continued commitment to sustainable open source
This sponsorship follows the same philosophy behind Devolutions’ Avalonia sponsorship and other open-source investments. Our goal remains simple: support open-source projects in a way that keeps them open, sustainable, and collaborative.
To learn more about ControlR, visit https://controlr.app/
Steven Lafortune
