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Anbox Cloud vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Anbox Cloud
Ranking in Application Virtualization
7th
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Parallels Remote Applicatio...
Ranking in Application Virtualization
4th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Application Virtualization category, the mindshare of Anbox Cloud is 1.2%. The mindshare of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is 14.9%, down from 16.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Virtualization Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)14.9%
Anbox Cloud1.2%
Other83.9%
Application Virtualization
 

Featured Reviews

David Titus - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Vice President at Zinsa Technologies
Cloud testing has replaced physical devices and delivers faster, more collaborative Android workflows
The shift to Anbox Cloud has contributed to both the aspects of workflow. It has expedited the delivery aspect as well as the team collaborations. As we don't have to be dependent on physical devices, it directly impacts the organization's architectural expenses, which have been reduced. That is cost cut, for one. Second, when we don't have to rely on the devices, it means we don't have to wait for them to be available in the organization, leading to better collaboration, better availability of the teams, and the tasks they can perform. The first feature which I love is the ARM embedded execution, ensuring that 100% compatibility is there with the Android apps without any kind of translation overhead. Secondly, it provides us with a web-based dashboard that allows our teams to manage the virtual devices without writing complex deployment scripts, and it does not require any heavy architecture. Thirdly, I love the LXD containerization that runs Android in containers instead of full virtual machines, allowing us to pack more virtual phones onto a single cloud server, saving a lot on cloud server costs, OCP costs, and physical device costs. Additionally, I love the automated testing integration that easily plugs into our existing deployment pipelines and automates app testing at a very high level scale. The automated testing integration in Anbox Cloud has reduced our testing time by 90%, decreased defect density by 87%, and also helped identify any zero-day vulnerabilities earlier, ensuring that the testing is complete and all edge cases have been covered in that automated testing run.
JohanSkibdahl - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It helps run Android and system containers using Ubuntu Pro."
"We have an excellent experience with support from Canonical, as they provide great support and our experience with the support team has been excellent."
"The automated testing integration in Anbox Cloud has reduced our testing time by 90%, decreased defect density by 87%, and also helped identify any zero-day vulnerabilities earlier, ensuring that the testing is complete and all edge cases have been covered in that automated testing run."
"The management capability from the RAS portal provides greater control than using pure MS inbuilt into RDS capabilities."
"It has allowed us to centralize the software location so we don't have to update the software client on 70 computers."
"Parallels Desktop allows me to run both Mac and Windows operating systems on a single machine, eliminating the need for separate Windows hardware."
"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."
"Without Parallels, we'd either be spending a lot more money or our business would not exist anymore."
"Very fast, easy to setup and manage."
"Client compatibility with many systems makes it very versatile. The reporting that is included is awesome."
"With Parallels, I just install it once into one location and the client does the work for me, providing ease of use and minimizing the man-hours that go into installation and the maintenance of IT."
 

Cons

"In Brazil, it is difficult to find technical professionals with OpenStack or this technology skills."
"A potential improvement could be reducing the dependency on Microsoft solutions for Parallels RAS."
"We have been working with the Parallels team on some printing issues and are hopeful they will be resolved in the next patch release."
"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."
"The customization of the web interface could possibly use some improvement. Little things, like being able to place a background image instead of just choosing from a palette of colors, would be nice."
"The main issue we have with all of our users is printing. Randomly, a printer will disconnect or someone won't connect to it and I will have to reset the print service and then nobody can print. That's the big headache we've had over the course of the five years."
"All areas of the product could be improved especially for the IT department, facilitating the deployment of applications and their maintenance."
"Delegation in 2X Console currently accepts user accounts only, please add delegation for AD groups."
"I think tech support needs to be improved because whatever support I get is through email, so it takes a very long time for them to reply."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"It is not that high. It is in the medium range. Of course, it could be lower, but the price is not the issue."
"It is inexpensive compared to one of its competitors."
"Just compare it to Citrix and you will see the value in it."
"Work with the vendor, as this is a fairly new product and they want use cases. Deals can be made."
"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."
"The product is not expensive. I rate its pricing a three or four out of ten."
"Parallels is a cost effective alternative to Citrix."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Insurance Company
72%
Construction Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Transportation Company
2%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Anbox Cloud?
We have three clouds: one production, one for production, and one lab. We have a license supporting a specific number of hosts and update it each year, making the contract simple with them. It is n...
What needs improvement with Anbox Cloud?
There are a couple of areas for improvement regarding Anbox Cloud. One is around more granular monitoring out of the box. Right now, the default metrics are good, but we had to supplement with cust...
What is your primary use case for Anbox Cloud?
One of the main use cases we've been focusing on is enabling secure access to a legacy Android app for a large enterprise client. The client had a critical business app that was only available on A...
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 ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Parallels RAS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, Microsoft, Parallels and others in Application Virtualization. Updated: May 2026.
899,125 professionals have used our research since 2012.