VMware Fusion vs VMware Horizon View comparison

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7,210 views|6,514 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
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5,947 views|4,482 comparisons
89% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between VMware Fusion and VMware Horizon View based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon View Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,857 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
"The most value that it provides is that it is versatile.""The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.""It is a highly stable solution.""The whole point of it is to run Windows VMs on a Mac. This is the most valuable feature. There is snapshotting, but we don't really use that. The Pro version allows me to actually attach to the Windows ESXi infrastructure at the backend, and I'm able to create a session that I can attach to the VMware hooks at the backend, so one is running a VM, and the whole operating system is running on the actual Mac. The other one is literally a frontend to the VMs that are running in the infrastructure at the backend. These are the two main features I use."

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"The most valuable features are Instant Clones and AppStacks.""I use the solution in my company for the area of VDI, consisting of multiple applications and allowing users the flexibility to use the applications on mobile devices.""It's centralized management, and you have access gateway to enter the the VMs from outside.""The most valuable feature of this solution is the clone variant. We have been using the linked clone for the past five years, but I am willing to support and take on the function of the instant cloud.""Great sorting feature to create UI on demand.""The product helped us deploy complex applications.""Instant Clone instantly creates another VM with a Delta disk, which is just the VMware backend. This helps with scalability and management.""Users can log in from anywhere and from a variety of devices."

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Cons
"Its installation process could be simpler.""VMware Fusion's licensing cost needs improvement.""The way they handle snapshotting can be improved. One time, I moved a machine from one to another, and I tried to pull it up on the second machine, but it didn't work. This was because I had not cleaned up the snapshot before I deleted it and moved it across. So, when I tried to pull it up, it wouldn't let me bring it up. The backups for the VMs themselves can also be improved. I pretty much have to rely on Windows backups and not something on VMware. That's where it needs improvement. I am able to upload from my Fusion into the ESXi easily. I'm able to spin something up on Fusion and push it into the big arena, but the reverse is not as easy, that is, trying to pull something down from that. I would love to have a functionality where I could pull something from the VMware infrastructure into Fusion, but I'm not sure if I can take something from ESXi and pull it into Fusion.""I would like to see newer and updated cloud functions."

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"VMware Horizon View can improve by making it easier to use for first-time users. You should learn the whole concept of VMware to be able to use it.""Technical support could be better and faster.""The customer service and support team could be better.""We would like to see better performance with the product.""Considering the tool's weaknesses, the product probably has scope for some improvement in the context of how the applications or Linux operating systems are delivered using VMware Horizon View.""Using a printer with the VDI is not a straightforward process.""The initial setup was not difficult but there is room for improvement.""In the latest versions, the deployment of certificates on the console has been implemented. Although it is functional, it is not working as well as I would like. I hope this feature can be improved in the future."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Starting with version 12, it is now free on a Mac for personal use. Fusion Pro has a cost."
  • "The cost varies depending on the season and whether it is scaled up or scaled down, but I would guess that it's approximately $1,000 per month."
  • "I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced."
  • More VMware Fusion Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Licensing and hardware outsourcing is expensive, but can be cost-effective in the three to five-year range."
  • "This solution is expensive."
  • "This solution is expensive. A lot of companies in Mexico find that the price is too high."
  • "There is a monthly subscription for the use of this solution and it is expensive."
  • "Customers pay a licensing fee."
  • "The pricing can be relatively competitive, but sometimes you have to go back to VMware and ask for additional discounts. You can make it competitive If you're prepared to put in the work. The list prices and standard discounts may not be competitive, but if you push hard enough, you can get the price to where you need it to be."
  • "The solution can be costly for customers who do not run mission-critical applications or who have less than 50 users."
  • "I cannot provide a detailed comment on the pricing; however, I can say that it is quite expensive."
  • More VMware Horizon View Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.
    Top Answer:I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced.
    Top Answer:The solution could be a little more stable.
    Top Answer:The pricing could be improved. The tool is not cheap, but it is not too expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten. We get what we pay for.
    Top Answer:The solution must be faster and smoother.
    Ranking
    Views
    7,210
    Comparisons
    6,514
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    212
    Rating
    9.0
    Views
    5,947
    Comparisons
    4,482
    Reviews
    29
    Average Words per Review
    420
    Rating
    8.1
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Horizon View
    Learn More
    Overview
    VMware Fusion is a software hypervisor for Macintosh computers. VMware Fusion allows Intel-based Macs to run operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, NetWare, or Solaris on virtual machines, along with their Mac OS X operating system using a combination of paravirtualization, hardware virtualization and dynamic recompilation.

    VMware Horizon View is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution that helps organizations to provide virtual machines and applications to end-users that can be run on a variety of devices. With Horizon View, organizations are able to provide remote access to desktops, improve their security and compliance, and significantly reduce the costs and complexities of physical hardware management.

    Horizon View has an intuitive central management area for all virtual devices, which enables image creation and management, management of users, and access control. Horizon View users have the flexibility that allows them to access their virtual desktops and applications from any type of device and from any location.

    The solution has enhanced security abilities, including built-in encryption and secure communication between the devices and the virtual machines. These security measures help ensure the safety of sensitive data, even if the data is accessed from a non-secure device.

    Benefits of VMware Horizon View

    VMware Horizon View provides its users with several key benefits, including:


    • Enhanced security: VMware Horizon View’s virtual desktops are run from a secure data center, which reduces the risk of data loss or attacks.


    • High performance: Experience high levels of performance and stability, even with low-bandwidth connections.


    • Flexibility: Horizon View virtual machines can run on a wide range of devices, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Users are able to access their virtual desktops from any location.


    • Centralized management: Create and manage all of your virtual desktops from a single location.


    • Scalability: Scale your virtual machines up and down depending on your usage.


    • Reduced costs: Eliminate the usage of physical desktops and reduce hardware, maintenance, and energy costs.


    • Simple deployments: Horizon View automates the deployment and configuration of virtual desktops, making it faster and easier to roll out virtual desktops to users.


    VMware Horizon View features

    Some of Horizon View’s top features include:



    • Load balancing: Improve performance and stability by balancing workloads across multiple servers.


    • User management and access control: Create and manage user profiles, including their saved data and settings across virtual desktops. Control user access to virtual desktops based on multiple factors.


    • Multimedia optimization: Improve the performance of your applications that use audio and video by optimizing multimedia playback for virtual desktops.


    • Virtual application and machine sharing: Create and share pools of virtual desktops and applications between users, making them easy to maintain and manage.


    • Customizations: Enables IT to customize the user environment, including the desktop background, shortcuts, and start menu, to meet the needs of different users or departments.


    Reviews from Real Users

    VMware Horizon View stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Several major ones are its flexibility, powerful performance, and virtualizing capabilities.

    David G., a systems engineer at a tech services company, writes, “This product is great for desktop management. It enables you to update one golden image, save it and basically deploy it... It makes management a lot easier. There's also the huge savings. We've (used) it with the pandemic because everybody had to work from home. Even if there weren't enough laptops to go around, almost everybody has a home computer. It was just a matter of installing Horizon on your home computer and connecting to the office using two-factor authentication. They made it really simple.”

    Sample Customers
    NetApp
    Amway, Hertz International, Metro Health, North Carolina State University, Ottawa International Airport, Revlon, and Whirlpool.
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    University12%
    Educational Organization10%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm15%
    Government13%
    Computer Software Company13%
    University10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company12%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Government9%
    Healthcare Company8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Midsize Enterprise57%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business49%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise37%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise63%
    Buyer's Guide
    VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon View
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon View and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    VMware Fusion is ranked 7th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 5 reviews while VMware Horizon View is ranked 4th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 67 reviews. VMware Fusion is rated 9.0, while VMware Horizon View is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of VMware Fusion writes "Robust software with efficient snapshot and cloning features". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware Horizon View writes "User-friendly, reasonably priced, and simple to install". VMware Fusion is most compared with Parallels Desktop, VMware Workstation, VMware Player, VMware Horizon and Citrix Workspace, whereas VMware Horizon View is most compared with VMware Horizon, Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service), Citrix Workspace, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and Nerdio. See our VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon View report.

    See our list of best Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) vendors.

    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.