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Horizon 8 vs VMware Workstation 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)
VMware Workstation
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Number of Reviews
53
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

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 VMware Workstation is 16.7%, up from 13.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

RH
Dec 8, 2023
Software updates are easier to roll out and has good performance
I work in a public school where some teachers and staff work from home. We use the product in the home office.  I like the tool's security. It is also easier to roll out the software updates.  I like VMware Horizon's ability and performance.  VMware Horizon needs to integrate with Azure, Teams,…
SalimAhmed - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 28, 2023
A tool useful for testing purposes in the production environment that needs to reduce its usage of resources like CPU
I rate the initial setup a six and a half out of ten. The initial setup of the solution is not complicated, but it may not be stable or as good as it should be if you use the tool without VMware Workstation's license or licensed software. The solution is deployed by enabling virtualization on my laptop. The time taken for the deployment depends on the size of your operations. The installation of VMware Workstation only takes around 20 to 30 minutes. For deployment steps, download the free version of VMware Workstation for all the licenses, and then by clicking the next options available after clicking the EXE file, we can install the solution. You get around 60 days to use the free version of the solution, after which you need to pay for VMware Workstation.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have found the link loans for desktops most valuable."
"We can stop the end user from taking data out of the desktops."
"We don't have to pay for HyperFlex. The solution's speed gives a nice user experience."
"We like that VMware is the top competitor in virtualization."
"Horizon 7 is scalable - we can add more machines or servers easily."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"We use VMware Horizon to digitalize environments."
"The most valuable features are Instant Clones and AppStacks."
"VMware Workstation allows you to run a virtual machine."
"Great at solving connection problems."
"Because the setup is so easy, this is a solution that can be used at a moment's notice."
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is an easy-to-use product."
"VMware Workstation is great for migrating and patching operating systems."
"Technical support is very good."
"It will not harm any of the computer settings to run a specific program. For example, if a program needs a specific security policy, we don't have to use the shared configuration. We have an individual copy of Windows installed on the virtual machine, so anybody can access that. It helps us a lot."
"I like that it's easy to use. It's easy to deploy virtual machines. You have to insert your ISO and the image of your OS and configure it. They provide a step-by-step guide, and you have to follow it. In the end, you have to start the machine, and that's all you have to do. I liked that they synchronized the mouse, keyboard, and everything. When you finish the installation, it directly links to your laptop. This makes copying and pasting things from my laptop inside the virtual machine easy."
 

Cons

"Along with the high pricing, the profile synchronization mechanism also needs improvement."
"My deployment is complex and I hope it will only take a month."
"In the next release, the performance, the speed, and the price need to be improved."
"The standard license does not include certain features."
"The product's initial setup process could be easier."
"The storage expansion in the product is a bit difficult to manage, especially when I have to modify a storage requirement of a particular area since it comes across as a complex job."
"The support team's technicalities and the pricing of the solution need improvement."
"The setup of VMware Horizon 7 is easy. However, we have a lot of experience with VMware Horizon 7."
"The tool has limited scalability."
"The product’s virtual machine data backup feature needs upgrading."
"The product's integration capabilities are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"The big issue that we've always had with VMware, was the disparity between what was presented for a Windows-based client and a Linux-based client. The Windows client was always two or three releases ahead of the Linux client. We always wanted VMware to change and improve the feature sets between the client connector on Linux and on Windows."
"VMware Workstation’s scalability could be improved."
"The price of VMware Workstation could improve."
"Installing VMware Workstation isn't so easy. It's highly complex compared to Windows. I rate it four out of 10 for ease of installation. Setting up a remote desktop only takes a minute or so, but the Workstation itself takes some time."
"My experience with Workstation is limited, so I don't know all the functionalities of this tool. Maybe Workstation could add some more compatibility with other vendors."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It falls on the more expensive end in terms of cost."
"Horizon 7 is cheaper than some competitors, like Citrix, because it includes solutions for the server side, the VDI side, and the hypervisor side."
"Customers pay a licensing fee."
"The license for this product is paid on a monthly basis."
"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. Pricing can be an obstacle for smaller businesses. Pricing is fixed, and there are no additional costs."
"This solution is expensive. A lot of companies in Mexico find that the price is too high."
"There are different editions available at different cost points."
"It is hard to know for sure. It is definitely in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. It is quite expensive, but you do save money on desktop power, desktop upgrades, etc. You're able to extend the useful life of your previous desktops. Previously, we used to change desktops regularly, and now we just change them when they break."
"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"The price of the solution per workstation is approximately 200 Francs annually. We pay a total of 800 francs. Everything is included in the price such as the support."
"You need to pay for a license, but I don't think it costs that much. I think it's a one-time payment."
"VMware Workstation's costs are lifetime."
"VMware is expensive. Licensing can be tricky. For example, I recently had a client running VMware vSphere Essentials and wanted to migrate to a more scalable solution. However, they had no choice but to purchase a completely new license and deploy a completely new instance of VMware."
"It is an expensive solution."
"VMware Workstation is an expensive tool. I rate the product's price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low or good price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
 

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 ...
Which VMware solution would you go with - Workstation or vSphere?
VM Workstation’s setup is so easy, you can use it almost instantly, it works well with Windows and Linux. We like VM Workstation primarily to test environments to determine how well a solution will...
What do you like most about VMware Workstation?
The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up.
What needs improvement with VMware Workstation?
The product's integration capabilities are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required.
 

Also Known As

VMware Horizon, VMware Horizon View, Mware Dynamic Environment Manager
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

LCMC Health
Akademiska Hus
Find out what your peers are saying about Horizon 8 vs. VMware Workstation and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.
800,688 professionals have used our research since 2012.