I think the Microsoft/Windows parallel to Avast Remote Assistance would be Windows Remote Assistance (not Remote Desktop per se). Avast Remote Assistance appears (to me at at this point at least) to require the use of a central server/service for both a) rendezvous/setup and b) relaying the remote assistance/desktop session data itself. IIRC, the Windows Remote Assistance does not require a or b. IIRC, the rondezvous/setup can be achieved through purely private channels and the remote assistance/desktop session data itself can be communicated directly between the requester and the provider machines. There is the newer Easy Connect *option* though, which I haven't investigated. I think the latter utilizes peer-to-peer name resolution and routing to facility rendezvous/setup. I'm not sure if, when using Easy Connect, the remote assistance/desktop session data itself is passed directly between the requester and provider machines though. TLDR: I don't think Avast Remote Assistance and Windows Remote Assistance fall into the same categories.