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Horizon 8 vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Horizon 8
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
111
Ranking in other categories
User Virtualization (1st)
Parallels Remote Applicatio...
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
11th
Average Rating
8.8
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Application Virtualization (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2024, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Horizon 8 is 11.3%, down from 14.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is 2.5%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

SH
Feb 6, 2024
Comprehensive support and documentation are readily available to aid in setting up the environment
VMware offers a friendly environment, and it's easy to provide the user with the package. It is a bundled solution that is readily deployable. The advantage lies in its simplicity, it requires minimal expertise. There are instances where Microsoft RDP outperforms due to its integration with the backend operating system. Yet, deploying and managing a Microsoft environment necessitates a specific skill set, typically that of a knowledgeable system administrator. On the other hand, Horizon offers a more user-friendly experience; you can quickly deploy applications, access simple documents, and navigate without needing specialized expertise. Additionally, comprehensive support and documentation are readily available to aid in setting up the Horizon environment.
DD
Jun 3, 2018
Minimizes the man-hours that go into application installation and IT maintenance
The connection is compressed so we don't need a lot of resources to run it. Also, the ease of use. Initially, before using Parallels, we had to manually install whatever applications we were using. So if I had, for example, five users, and three software programs, I had to install three install applications on each of the five laptops. That took more man-hours, and all my resources would get into it. But with Parallels, I just install it once into one location and the client does the work for me. So it provides ease of use and minimizes the man-hours that go into installation and the maintenance of IT.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"We use VMware Horizon to provide remote access for remote users."
"VMware's technical support is good."
"VMware is a hyper-converged infrastructure model. Therefore, for scaling it you just add more servers to it in the inputs. It's rather straightforward."
"I find the product to be quite stable...It is a scalable solution...The documentation of VMware Horizon View is quite good."
"We use VMware Horizon to digitalize environments."
"I appreciate how simple and straightforward the operation of VMware Horizon View is."
"VMware Horizon View is an easy-to-use solution."
"From my standpoint, the desktop is the most valuable feature."
"Client compatibility with many systems makes it very versatile. The reporting that is included is awesome."
"Simplicity of the interface is a valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature is the ease with which you can publish applications to different groups of users, by integrating with Windows Active Directory."
"The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance."
"The management capability from the RAS portal provides greater control than using pure MS inbuilt into RDS capabilities."
"It is robust. We have some 75 users using it and it doesn't lag. It's very speedy."
"It permits us to control the applications that our users are able to get to, in a seamless manner. We're able to distribute applications to users' desktops, just like those applications are on each user's computer, but they're not."
"It provides flexible access to Windows applications from many types of devices."
 

Cons

"Using a printer with the VDI is not a straightforward process."
"VMware Horizon could be improved with more integration. It is also very costly for Enterprise Plus, which is a drawback. The renewal costs for the license are very, very high."
"I would highlight the challenges related to integrating with Microsoft Azure services. Specifically, there are issues with MDM-managed devices and the necessity for MDM-managed compliant devices. In the non-persistent horizon model, there's a delay before each new desktop becomes compliant. Users can access these desktops before fully onboard into the MDM solution."
"I would like to see the VDP or other features for backing up the VMs."
"In the next release, I would like to have more support when optimizing the master templates for PDI. There are tools that are available to be used but they are not supported at the moment and are more, "use at your own risk.""
"There is room for improvement in support. The response time could be faster."
"Lacks sufficiently robust audio redirections."
"The most important feature that is missing is the ability to do some remote support on the client itself. For example, if somebody has a Horizon client installed on his machine, there should be a way to support his local machine as well. That's because most of the problems can't be solved very often due to the computer or the setup that someone is using on his personal machine. Because a Horizon client is already installed on the machine to access the environment, it would be nice if the client itself possessed some sort of remote control tool in it so that if needed, we could support both the virtual setup and the actual setup of the machine. It pretty much does everything well. It is mostly the support aspect that can be improved. You have perfect control over your in-house environment. You have a solution that can pretty much be used anywhere, but you have no control over the machine that's being used to access your environment. Definitely, that's where most of the features are lacking. There should be an option for remote control and maybe some options for conformity."
"If the solution crashes, then all the customers connected through that agent, lose their session."
"Since I've been here less than a year, I have had to upgrade the system three times. The first time was the major upgrade but they have upgraded twice since, and I think that's too many times in that time span."
"Sometimes you need to understand how to use load balancing and the gateway in order to scale, which means the team may need some additional technical knowledge."
"We would like the ability to provide a popup message, such as a maintenance notification. That same notification on the Parallels client would be awesome."
"It would be great if there were more sophisticated GPO templates/options."
"The main issue we have with all of our users is printing. Randomly, a printer will disconnect or someone won't connect to it and I will have to reset the print service and then nobody can print. That's the big headache we've had over the course of the five years."
"A web-based management interface for administration and reporting would be nice, instead of needing to log into a remote server."
"The solution's application virtualization feature needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license for this product is paid on a monthly basis."
"VMware Horizon View is an expensive product. My company needs to opt for a subscription-based pricing model when it comes to the licensing costs attached to the product."
"There is a monthly subscription for the use of this solution and it is expensive."
"We pay for the solution annually at a cost of approximately 10,000 HKD."
"VMware Horizon View pricing is high compared to other solutions. I rate it two out of ten. Its licensing costs are monthly."
"The solution can be costly for customers who do not run mission-critical applications or who have less than 50 users."
"It is an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license."
"The license is very costly, as well as the renewal cost."
"The product is not expensive. I rate its pricing a three or four out of ten."
"Pricing is a little steep."
"It is inexpensive compared to one of its competitors."
"Comparable performance to Citrix for our use case at a significantly lower cost. Pricing is clear and there are relatively few options or other pricing considerations when compared to similar products. Just be sure not to forget the Microsoft licensing that goes along with a Parallels deployment."
"Just compare it to Citrix and you will see the value in it."
"Parallels is a cost effective alternative to Citrix."
"The pricing has always been competitive, and the new SPLA licensing model works great for our business and clients."
"I don't like the subscription model because it feels like I have to pay every month. If Parallels could go back to the professional license, it would be much better."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial setup is easy, and the product is very stable and reliable. I think the fact th...
What do you like most about VMware Horizon 7?
VMware offers a friendly environment, and it's easy to provide the user with the package. It is a bundled solution that is readily deployable. The advantage lies in its simplicity, it requires mini...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Horizon 7?
We paid a lot of money for software that is not really fully operational out of the box. We had to have patches from VMware to get it into production. Hence, we lost a lot of time implementing the ...
What do you like most about Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?
The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?
The product is not expensive. I rate its pricing a three or four out of ten.
What needs improvement with Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?
Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is an expensive solution, and its pricing could be improved.
 

Also Known As

VMware Horizon, VMware Horizon View, Mware Dynamic Environment Manager
Parallels RAS
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

LCMC Health
Arsari Group _ PT Netmarks Indonesia, Izhevsk Elektromekhanicheskiy Zavod (IEMZ) _ Kupol, Abilene Diagnostic Clinic, Fylde Borough Council, YARSTROYREZE LLC, VSK Insurance House, Melenkovsky District of Vladimirskaya Oblast, Sofrigam SA, Antenna International, KingsGate Community Church, Norwegian American Hospital, Island Hotels Group, Medway Council, Medway Council, Voices of September 11th, MacDonald Training Center, Kansas Childrenês Service League, Scope,Next Generation Clubs, WTC Communications, Opera Australia, HSE Integrated, Danier, Bridgwater College, Kern County Mental Health, Tony Tiendas, Spears Manufacturing, Managed Insurance Services Inc., Intuitive Medical Software, M.J. Soffe, Mazda Motors, Israel Military Industries (IMI), Telfair, Upic Solutions, Teleflora, Fisher & Company
Find out what your peers are saying about Horizon 8 vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) and other solutions. Updated: September 2024.
801,394 professionals have used our research since 2012.