Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) vs VMware Horizon Cloud vs VMware Player comparison

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2,321 views|1,518 comparisons
96% willing to recommend
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2,640 views|2,217 comparisons
88% willing to recommend
VMware Logo
3,801 views|3,556 comparisons
83% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS), VMware Horizon Cloud, and VMware Player based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, VMware, Citrix and others in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Report (Updated: April 2024).
768,740 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It is robust. We have some 75 users using it and it doesn't lag. It's very speedy.""The connection is compressed so we don't need a lot of resources to run it.""The most valuable feature is the ease with which you can publish applications to different groups of users, by integrating with Windows Active Directory.""Client compatibility with many systems makes it very versatile. The reporting that is included is awesome.""The stability is ok - once I finished the setup, the system was quite stable.""Ease of use in publishing apps and installing the agent. The Interface is fairly intuitive after some tinkering. Although I inherited the app only two-thirds deployed, I was able to complete the deployment and service it over the last year without referring to any documentation.""You have the opportunity to virtualize applications in different locations. Everything is in one pane or one window, which is quite good.""We can provision the servers without the need for another third-party solution."

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"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.""I honestly liked the application itself because it was just like using a desktop. You could copy and paste, inside and outside, and you could use multiple monitors. You could access it anytime, anywhere, no matter whether you were in the office or out of the office. I could leave the office, go somewhere, go back in, and everything would be there. I could just leave it up and running. I absolutely love this feature in VMware Horizon Cloud.""The interface is much easier to use compared to Microsoft and other VDI vendors that are well known on the market. I like VMware so much more than the others. With Horizon Cloud, you don't need to spend a lot of money upfront to buy the infrastructure. You can use it the on the cloud, so it lowers the barriers to entry. It's easier to test it and get started. Some clients stay in the cloud, but others prefer to go on-premise. It depends on the nature of the client.""The tool remains pretty stable.""The product allows a VPN connection, adding extra value to its features.""The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is all of its capabilities together.""The product’s on-premise version has the ability to create an image of any updates or changes in the system.""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."

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"VMware Player helps you to virtualize and install Ubuntu or any other operating system, even on a Windows laptop.""VMware Player's best feature is the ability to run different OS's simultaneously.""It's really easy to build testing environments with VMware Player.""The solution's technical support team is excellent.""The most valuable feature of VMware Player is the ability to snapshot with or without memory."

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Cons
"If the solution crashes, then all the customers connected through that agent, lose their session.""We would like to be able to re-label the OTP (One Time Password) popup so our users can easily recognize that they are to put in their DUO code on that line. Most users see OTP and ask what that is.""Generally, it is a very good solution. The main thing that I would improve is their presence here in Mexico. They don't have strong local support here in Mexico. They should have a worldwide presence so that we don't have to do everything through the people in the US. The initial setup was a little bit complex because we were migrating from Citrix. For customers who are migrating from another platform like VMware or Citrix, it would be great if they can provide an automated migration solution.""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.""A web-based management interface for administration and reporting would be nice, instead of needing to log into a remote server.""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).""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.""The solution's application virtualization feature needs improvement."

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"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.""The product has a lot of bugs.""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 application remoting features have some room for improvement.""It can be very expensive to scale up because each part of scaling up requires you to have new components of the infrastructure.""Logging into VMware Horizon Cloud could be made easier. Additionally, the VMs could be better in their performance.""There should be more emphasis on the Workspace One access part of the solution. This is essentially identity management provided with Horizon. There needs to be some kind of integration because you are able to have all of these desktops on any device, but you have to have this other component to make it easier from a single sign-on perspective. That's why there should be an emphasis on Workspace One access. It actually comes free with the product, but people don't really know how powerful it can be."

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"Its networking features need improvement.""VMware Player should provide a cloud version with no limitations to hardware resources.""When you go to work on a server, it opens up the whole window, and that causes an error inside VMware Player.""The tool has limited scalability.""VMware Player isn't downgradable, so if you have a later set of VMs, you need to upgrade it or figure out a workaround."

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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 →

  • "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."
  • "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 a low-cost solution. The model that they have is consumption-based. However, some features are expensive."
  • "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."
  • "Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out."
  • More VMware Horizon Cloud Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It has the best licensing modules."
  • "The solution's pricing is almost the same as what Google Cloud, AWS, or Microsoft would charge you."
  • "With all its support and ease of use, VMware Player's pricing is fair."
  • More VMware Player Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    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.
    Top Answer:Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out. Though I find Citrix to be… more »
    Top Answer:VMware Horizon Cloud's VDI stacks are being sold off. Considering VMware Horizon Cloud's VDI stacks complexity, even… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature of VMware Player is the ability to snapshot with or without memory.
    Top Answer:When you go to work on a server, it opens up the whole window, and that causes an error inside VMware Player. You'll see… more »
    Top Answer:We use VMware Player mostly to connect the server hosting the client. I use the solution more like a manager.
    Ranking
    Views
    2,321
    Comparisons
    1,518
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    283
    Rating
    8.0
    Views
    2,640
    Comparisons
    2,217
    Reviews
    5
    Average Words per Review
    339
    Rating
    8.4
    Views
    3,801
    Comparisons
    3,556
    Reviews
    5
    Average Words per Review
    281
    Rating
    8.8
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Parallels RAS
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    Parallels
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    Overview
    ApplicationServer delivers applications, data and virtual desktops from a central location, providing continuous availability, resource-based load-balancing and complete network transparency.

    The VMware Horizon Cloud Service delivers feature-rich virtual desktops and applications using a purpose-built cloud platform that is scalable across multiple deployment options, including fully managed infrastructure from VMware, public cloud infrastructure from Microsoft Azure, or on-premises hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI). The service supports a cloud-scale architecture that makes it easy to deliver virtualized Windows desktops and applications to any device, anytime. And, with a flexible subscription model and turnkey solutions, organizations can easily get up and running and scale quickly.

    VMware Player, or VMware Player Plus, is described by VMware as the easiest way to run a virtual machine on Windows or Linux PCs in a commercial environment. If you want to deliver a managed desktop to your employees, customers, students, contractors, or partners, then this virtual desktop solution is the way to go.

    VMware Player provides the most advanced virtualization platform available, which is capable of supporting even extremely demanding applications. Even though the platform is so advanced, the user interface is simple and easy-to-use.

    There is seamless integration with Windows XP and Windows XP applications even if the machine itself is a Windows 7 PC, a Windows 8 PC, or even Linux-based. It also gives your IT person the capability of restricting the virtual machines by requiring runtime passwords, adding an expiration date, blocking USB devices, or encrypting the machines. By using VMware vCenter Converter, VMware Player can even convert old machines into virtual machines without you needing to re-configure or re-install any applications.

    Sample Customers
    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
    Marriott, Sprint
    Akademiska Hus
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Government15%
    Construction Company15%
    University15%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Government8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company12%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Government9%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government9%
    University9%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business52%
    Midsize Enterprise8%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business29%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise56%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business44%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise44%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business21%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise64%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business50%
    Midsize Enterprise33%
    Large Enterprise17%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business26%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise61%
    Buyer's Guide
    Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
    April 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, VMware, Citrix and others in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Updated: April 2024.
    768,740 professionals have used our research since 2012.