Horizon Cloud Service vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) comparison

Horizon Cloud Service vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Horizon Cloud Service

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (4th)

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

13th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Virtualization (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Horizon Cloud Service is 3.6%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is 3.3%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Horizon Cloud Service	3.6%
Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)	3.3%
Other	93.1%

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

SivaKuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

Centralized management enhances multi-cloud flexibility with cost efficiency improvements

The cost of Horizon Cloud Service is high, however, it could be optimized. The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help. Improvements in application performance, especially for resource-heavy applications like intensive 3D workloads, are needed. More built-in automation for routine tasks like patching and upgrading could reduce administrative effort.

Read full review

JohanSkibdahl

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Secure access across devices with cost-effective seamless integration

One valuable feature is the ability to securely use a wide range of devices to access the company's infrastructure. The inclusion of all necessary components, such as load balancer and gateways, in a monthly fee is also beneficial. In terms of Parallels Desktop, the coherence mode that allows Mac and Windows applications to run seamlessly side by side is highly regarded.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Its advanced management features are the most valuable, especially power management. One of the really important things was to be able to have power management in a consumption world. This means that unlike a Microsoft environment, you could actually turn off virtual desktops or have them start up and shut down. If you're consuming resources in the public cloud, you want to be able to do that because when you're not using those, such as at the weekend, you want to be able to turn them off. So, the advanced options for managing the BDIs are very important."

"The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is all of its capabilities together."

"The main benefit of Horizon Cloud Service is that it is cloud-based, allowing our organization to leverage the service without having to manage all infrastructure directly."

"The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is the ability to manage a great number of desktops at once and the remote access for users that are working from outside of the office or from different offices in the country."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is easy to use and the full development cloud is very good. The main features of VMware are included. It's a cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure software that allows you to permit the virtual desktops and applications to any device from the single unified management control. These are managed from the dedicated remote session desktop."

"I honestly liked the application itself because it was just like using a desktop; you could copy and paste, inside and outside, use multiple monitors, and access it anytime, anywhere, no matter whether you were in the office or out of the office."

"The interface is much easier to use compared to Microsoft and other VDI vendors that are well known on the market, and with Horizon Cloud, you don't need to spend a lot of money upfront to buy the infrastructure because you can use it on the cloud, which lowers the barriers to entry and makes it easier to test and get started."

More Horizon Cloud Service pros

"It has a very affordable price and the highest capabilities."

"It is robust."

"Thin client management (Windows 10 client) provides an easy way to lock down client connection to the remote infrastructure. Policies are very helpful for preconfiguring client behavior. Finally, client management is easy."

"I feel the product's pricing is of good value; we have reviewed pricing on other software products, Citrix and products like that, and we realized that for the same basic functionality, we're paying pennies on the dollar, so we do appreciate that pricing level."

"Client compatibility with many systems makes it very versatile. The reporting that is included is awesome."

"One valuable feature is the ability to securely use a wide range of devices to access the company's infrastructure."

"We use Cloudpaging to package and deploy the vast majority of our applications to our standard Windows 10 desktops. With the use of Parallels integration into Software2 AppsAnywhere hub, this means we can use the same packages to deliver Windows applications to almost any device - Windows, mac OS, iOS, Android, Linux, Xbox One, PS4 - just by ticking a box."

"Valuable features include the ability to set up security groups for accessing certain apps, and the ability to add apps easily and centrally without touching the servers they’re hosted on."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) pros

Cons

"The application remoting features have some room for improvement."

"It is very expensive. Its price needs to be improved. They can do a better job with external resources such as a USB or a hard drive. When I tried to connect using these external resources, it failed a lot of times. I had to do a shared connection with a local laptop and then connect from a network standpoint, rather than through VMware Horizon point. They definitely have weaknesses with external connections. A lot of companies probably don't let people use external connections because it defeats the purpose of having a cloud solution and keeping the data in a secure area. You can copy to an external device, and you can lose the data. A lot of companies may not focus on this feature, but if you are providing it, you should make it work."

"Our technical support of VMware is good, but the main problem is it takes a lot of time."

"It is too expensive as compared to other solutions because of which we don't use it that much."

"The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help."

"The cost of Horizon Cloud Service is high, however, it could be optimized. The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help."

"In the design phase, sometimes the tools for designing Horizon solutions have issues when they're calculating the number of nodes and platforms needed to support the VDI systems."

"The product has a lot of bugs."

More Horizon Cloud Service cons

"We have been working with the Parallels team on some printing issues and are hopeful they will be resolved in the next patch release."

"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."

"I would rate my experience with tech support as "middling" - difficult to open a ticket, and support is located on the opposite side of the world, so schedules don't mesh."

"It needs Windows scaling on Android/iOS devices. At present, the concept of delivering apps to Android and iOS devices is appealing, but the reality is the screen size on these devices is so small that, unless there is some scaling option, it is not really usable."

"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."

"The solution's application virtualization feature needs improvement."

"Delegation in 2X Console currently accepts user accounts only, please add delegation for AD groups."

"We use several gateways because access to our secret zone requires two-factor user authentication. It is a lot of hassle differentiating among users with or without two-factor. Of course, we could use two farms, but that would mean more management too."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For what you get, it is very compelling. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership of this type of piece of software in terms of being able to utilize it as a cloud service. I don't have to run everything on-premises. When you look at the total cost of just being able to use it and then being able to point it to any public or private cloud, it is very compelling. You have one less thing to manage."

"There is a license required for the use of this solution and there are different tier levels available."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is an expensive solution. This solution is approximately 30 percent more than Microsoft Azure Cloud. There can be extra costs."

"I rate VMware Horizon Cloud pricing a ten out of ten."

"It is too expensive as compared to other solutions because of which we don't use it that much. We tend to go more for Hyper-V or Azure just because VMware licensing is quite up there. We sway people away from VMware Horizon Cloud. We have some clients who already have it. They stay on it for a little while, and then most of them end up moving off when we provide them a better solution that isn't as license heavy cost-wise."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is a low-cost solution. The model that they have is consumption-based. However, some features are expensive."

"Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out."

"It is not that high. It is in the medium range. Of course, it could be lower, but the price is not the issue."

"The product is not expensive. I rate its pricing a three or four out of ten."

"I recommend testing Parallels and comparing it to your needs. Compare the prices against what you are able to do with the product and its alternatives. Parallels is not a cheap product."

"The pricing has always been competitive, and the new SPLA licensing model works great for our business and clients."

"It is inexpensive compared to one of its competitors."

"Pricing is a little steep."

"It justifies the price. In terms of licensing, initially when we got the product it was an unlimited licensing strategy. We knew would grow in the coming years. So initially, we took a plan which had no limit. After a year or so the strategy changed and we were being limited to 105 licenses, that was the minimum... If there was flexibility for increasing the number of licenses that would be great because you never know how much you are going to grow in the next year."

"It is very affordable."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Performing Arts

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Horizon Cloud?

The cost is considered normal, not remarkable but not outrageous. In terms of expense, compared to other virtualization products, I would rate it as a six.

What needs improvement with VMware Horizon Cloud?

The licensing model needs to be adjusted, as a cloud license is currently required even for on-premises devices. Horizon Cloud Service should continue improving their protocol and work with other h...

What is your primary use case for VMware Horizon Cloud?

Our primary use case focuses on virtual desktop and application hosting. This is spread across different industries. We have a large number of employees, and we are one of the largest GSIs globally...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?

The pricing for Parallels RAS is straightforward with a monthly fee for a minimum of 15 licenses. For Parallels Desktop, it is a yearly cost of a couple of hundred euros. No additional fees for mai...

What needs improvement with Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?

A potential improvement could be reducing the dependency on Microsoft solutions for Parallels RAS. As for Parallels Desktop, there is nothing specific that needs improvement.

What is your primary use case for Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?

The primary use case of Parallels is to offer it to customers as a hosted service. I help them to migrate from other solutions like VMware to Parallels RAS. I recommend it to companies that prefer ...

Nerdio vs Horizon Cloud Service

Comparisons

Compared 11% of the time

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 11% of the time

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 9% of the time

Horizon 8 vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 9% of the time

Inuvika vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 3% of the time

More Horizon Cloud Service Competitors

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 15% of the time

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 13% of the time

Parallels Desktop vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon WorkSpaces vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 7% of the time

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 4% of the time

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Competitors

Product Reports

Horizon Cloud Service

Download Horizon Cloud Service product report

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Download Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) product report

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) report

Also Known As

VMware Horizon Cloud, VMware Horizon DaaS

Parallels RAS

Overview

Horizon Cloud Service offers stable, flexible access to virtual desktops anytime, anywhere. Its centralized cloud management and scalable architecture support hybrid environments.

Horizon Cloud Service provides a cloud-based desktop solution ideal for businesses seeking remote access and power management. With features like centralized management and dynamic environment handling, it supports a seamless desktop experience. While offering remote accessibility and advanced management, it aids in reducing infrastructure costs through cloud-based scalability. However, improvements are needed in VM performance and external connection support, with current licensing complexities posing a challenge. Designed for VDI and application hosting across platforms such as Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS, it enables secure remote working with efficient workload management.

What are the main features of Horizon Cloud Service?

Centralized Cloud Management: Efficiently manage desktops from a unified platform.
Dynamic Environment Management: Customize environments to suit user needs dynamically.
Remote Access: Access desktops from anywhere with high reliability.
Multiple Monitor Support: Enhanced user experience with multi-screen compatibility.
VPN Connectivity: Secure connections for remote access users.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Infrastructure Cost Reduction: Lower costs with cloud-based scaling.
Seamless Desktop Experience: Consistent user interface across devices.
Hybrid Environment Support: Foster versatile deployment methods across clouds.
Flexible Deployment: Accommodate diverse business needs with adjustable solutions.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and education, Horizon Cloud Service facilitates secure remote operations and automates cloud-based machine generation, supporting hybrid workspaces for resource-efficient deployment.

Omnissa

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) offers efficient remote application and desktop delivery across diverse devices, providing businesses with easy management and robust performance, ensuring stable and secure access.

RAS simplifies remote access through its user-friendly design, encompassing app publishing, device compatibility, and management capabilities. Users benefit from its HTML 5 Client convenience and impressive speed. With features like security groups and client compatibility, RAS excels in providing a stable and flexible environment. Its scalability across platforms and affordability makes it attractive for many organizations. However, areas such as printing stability, customization, and performance monitoring could benefit from further enhancements.

What are the key features of Parallels RAS?

App Publishing: Provides simple and efficient application distribution across devices.
Device Compatibility: Supports devices including Macs, Windows, and Android.
HTML 5 Client: Enables convenient access via web browsers.
Security: Incorporates security groups and robust measures.
Integration: Compatible with platforms including Windows RDS and VMware.

What benefits do users gain from Parallels RAS?

Ease of Use: Simplifies setup and management processes.
Performance: Ensures swift and stable application delivery.
Cost-Effective: Offers an affordable solution for remote access needs.
Diverse Access: Promotes secure, seamless access from multiple devices.

Industry implementations of Parallels RAS include its use as a client gateway and an alternative to Windows RDS. With support for Macs, Windows, Linux, and Android devices, it facilitates application publishing and migration from platforms like VMware. Organizations employ RAS for remote control, VDI, and ERP solutions, improving remote workforce operations and geographic application distribution.

Parallels

Sample Customers

Marriott, Sprint

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

Horizon Cloud Service vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)