The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a method that includes establishing, by a processing device, a remote access session between a local computing device and a remote computing device connected by a network, receiving, by the remote computing device a request to execute an application, and determining, by a processing device, a remote efficiency value indicating estimated efficiency of executing the application on the remote computing device and a local efficiency value indicating estimated efficiency of executing the application on the local computing device. The method further includes comparing the remote efficiency value with the local efficiency value to determine whether to execute the application on the remote computing device or on the local computing device.