We performed a comparison between Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and VMware Workstation based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: The main difference between the two solutions is that users of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services feel it should integrate with other operating systems and say they would like a notification feature, while VMware Workstation users say the solution’s interface needs improvement. In this comparison, VMware Workstation comes out slightly on top because it is low-cost and users report an ROI.
"We use cloud remote support because we need to assist our customers. It allows them to connect from the web. I"
"It's simple to set up."
"The product saves time."
"Good screen draw feature and ability to use two monitors."
"The most valuable feature is that it gives me full accessibility to my servers."
"What I found most valuable in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is accessibility because the solution lets you take control of your computer remotely."
"The product is stable."
"The most valuable features are the desktop session and desktop virtualization."
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is an easy-to-use product."
"VMware Workstation’s most valuable feature is virtualization technology."
"The tool’s GUI is very user-friendly."
"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."
"The solution's customer service is good."
"The simplicity of the deployment and the implementation, and the footprint for the hardware are some of the solution's valuable features."
"VMware Workstation is great for migrating and patching operating systems."
"The technical support is good."
"There could be some improvement in the integration of the solution."
"The pricing could be better."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having graphical acceleration."
"The solution should have better security."
"I want to connect easily from an external network even when I'm not in my enterprise or company. It should be easy to connect or integrate Microsoft Teams, for example, with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services."
"The product is not very scalable."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could improve by having a better application for managing multiple sessions. There used to be one but they stopped supporting it."
"Remote Desktop Services doesn't scale well."
"I need to buy a newer version of the tool to support Windows Server."
"I would want to see features included that make deployment easier."
"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 has some network limitations which could improve, it is not as flexible as VMware NSX. Additionally, it could support operating systems better. I only run some Linux versions and Windows at the moment but it would be nice to be able to take whatever operating system you want and run it."
"The solution should provide a guide on its installation."
"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."
"It could have more platforms and CPUs."
"Performance could be improved, it's somewhat clunky."
More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Pricing and Cost Advice →
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is ranked 1st in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 76 reviews while VMware Workstation is ranked 2nd in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 42 reviews. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is rated 8.0, while VMware Workstation is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services writes "Easy to set up and reliable, but needs an additional control panel". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware Workstation writes "An easy-to-manage solution that has really good customer support compared to other market players". Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is most compared with TeamViewer, VMware Horizon, Citrix Workspace, Parallels Access and Apache Guacamole, whereas VMware Workstation is most compared with Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, VMware Fusion, KVM and Parallels Desktop. See our Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs. VMware Workstation report.
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We monitor all Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) 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.