Microsoft App-V vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft App-V and Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Virtualization solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Report (Updated: May 2024).
772,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Dan Patriche
AJ Hartenberg
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It is very easy to use from an administration point of view.""We can deploy applications incredibly fast.""The most interesting and powerful feature for us is the fact that we can upgrade any kind of app instantly."

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"Client compatibility with many systems makes it very versatile. The reporting that is included is awesome.""Simplicity of the interface is a valuable feature.""It is a stable solution.""We use RAS to publish cloud desktops to our clients. The ability to easily publish resources to a subset of users is what we find most valuable.""Setup was straightforward. Our particular use case involved an Active Directory forest involving two data centers and three domains. User authentication against Active Directory was the easiest to set up and validate of any application installed in the last three years.""Its price and ease of use are the most valuable. It is simple and has good performance.""Allows us to publish applications accessible by current-generation HTML5 browser or OS-specific client (Windows, Android, iOS), and it supports popular single sign-on and multi-factor authentication protocols.""The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance."

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Cons
"The reporting features could be improved.""The downside is that Microsoft bought this product and they are going to discontinue it in 2026. This is worrisome for us.""If it were possible to integrate App-V with a cybersecurity solution then we could implement a documentation registry, which would be useful."

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"Opening a ticket should be available from the actual RAS console. It is cumbersome to go to a portal, hunt around for five minutes for a link to open a ticket, answer questions meant to direct you towards FAQs instead of live support, then fill out information (license #, version #, etc.) which could more easily be supplied by sending a ticket straight from the console with all of that information automatically specified.""It would be great if there were more sophisticated GPO templates/options.""Currently in the RD Session Hosts – Sessions section, I can see what server a user is logged into but not what app he is using. Being able to do so would be immensely helpful when a non-technical user is complaining of issues, but I can’t tell which app he is using, and he is actually logged into multiple servers since they serve multiple apps.""Improvement is needed in performance monitoring of the client's endpoint, and automatic re-connection of the client in the event of circuit disruptions (this works well generally but can present challenges).""A web-based management interface for administration and reporting would be nice, instead of needing to log into a remote server.""If the solution crashes, then all the customers connected through that agent, lose their session.""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."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The pricing of this product is competitive."
  • "Clients do not pay licensing fees."
  • More Microsoft App-V Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing has always been competitive, and the new SPLA licensing model works great for our business and clients."
  • "I think the new pricing is a little bit high. If the price was lower, we could use it for many more customers. If there was one improvement to be made to this product, it would be a small-business version, at a much lower price point."
  • "Work with the vendor, as this is a fairly new product and they want use cases. Deals can be made."
  • "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."
  • "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."
  • "We currently use Parallels side-by-side with an Azure cloud-hosted solution. This may be from a lack of product knowledge on my part, but we still need to work out the most effective way to shut down servers outside of hours, thereby reduce hosting costs. I am not entirely convinced Parallels does this well yet."
  • More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
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    Top Answer:The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance.
    Top Answer:The product is not expensive. I rate its pricing a three or four out of ten.
    Top Answer:Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is an expensive solution, and its pricing could be improved.
    Ranking
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    Views
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    Rating
    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    App-V, MS App-V
    Parallels RAS
    Learn More
    Parallels
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    Overview
    Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) enables you to make applications available to end users without installing the applications directly on end user computers. App-V transforms applications into centrally managed services that are never installed and don't conflict with other applications.
    ApplicationServer delivers applications, data and virtual desktops from a central location, providing continuous availability, resource-based load-balancing and complete network transparency.
    Sample Customers
    The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), GDDKiA, P&V, Etisalat Lanka, Hellenic Petroleum
    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
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Computer Software Company11%
    Government11%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Government15%
    Construction Company15%
    University15%
    Local Government8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Government8%
    Educational Organization7%
    Company Size
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise64%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business52%
    Midsize Enterprise8%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise55%
    Buyer's Guide
    Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    772,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Microsoft App-V is ranked 2nd in Application Virtualization with 3 reviews while Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is ranked 5th in Application Virtualization with 24 reviews. Microsoft App-V is rated 9.6, while Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of Microsoft App-V writes "Enables organizations to deploy applications incredibly fast and reduces delivery time". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) writes "Provides good scalability and a secure environment". Microsoft App-V is most compared with VMware ThinApp, Numecent, Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) and Systancia Workplace, whereas Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is most compared with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, Citrix Workspace, Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service), Parallels Desktop and NComputing vSpace. See our Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) report.

    See our list of best Application Virtualization vendors.

    We monitor all Application Virtualization reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.