Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs Horizon Cloud Service vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services comparison

Citrix and Omnissa are both solutions in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category. Citrix is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6, while Omnissa is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0. Citrix holds a 15.1% mindshare in VD, compared to Omnissa’s 3.1% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Omnissa users who would recommend it.

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...

Read 128 Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) reviews

9,164 Views
6,965 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Horizon Cloud Service

Read 11 Horizon Cloud Service reviews

1,443 Views
1,299 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...

Read 86 Microsoft Remote Desktop Services reviews

7,025 Views
3,302 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...

Horizon Cloud Service

Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service), Horizon Cloud Service, and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, Broadcom, Omnissa and others in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

March 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) is 15.1%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Horizon Cloud Service is 3.1%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is 5.9%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)	15.1%
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services	5.9%
Horizon Cloud Service	3.1%
Other	75.9%

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

Sorin Neacsu

Technical Lead on Virtual Desktop at Orange

Has delivered consistent desktop experiences across remote locations and has supported multimedia workloads efficiently

I have utilized the HDX protocol for compression and audio-video capabilities. When users need to conduct meetings with customers or colleagues, they can use Teams solutions and open a bridge where video and audio are encapsulated within the ICA protocol, which is protected by SSL and certificates for security. This provides secure communication at good quality through the HDX protocol. HDX protocol has improved application performance as it is specifically designed for multimedia applications. If processing audio or video files, such as in telecom where discussions are recorded and then prepared as video or audio, this does not consume excessive bandwidth during the operation compared to a normal remote desktop connection provided by Microsoft. Everything is compressed and provides sufficient bandwidth for multiple people to perform similar tasks without interruption or session disconnection. All multimedia-related activities, such as playing content on YouTube, deliver a better experience with this protocol overall. I use multi-factor authentication for opening sessions to the data center where users access their machines or software. Multi-factor authentication has helped secure applications because users typically have two-way authentication software on their phones. They use a password first and then authenticate themselves through their mobile application to grant access to resources. This approach is effective because if a hacker attacks a user, they need more than just the password and username. They must also possess the device that provides authentication. The device typically has facial recognition, a password, and provides better security overall.

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reviewer1970973

Virtual Desktop and Applications Offerings Global Offering Manager at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees

Cloud-based platform offers flexibility with robust protocol and exceptional user management

The main benefit of Horizon Cloud Service is that it is cloud-based, allowing our organization to leverage the service without having to manage all infrastructure directly. This offers significant flexibility and efficiency. Additionally, Horizon Cloud Service has a robust protocol, making app management straightforward. The scalability of Horizon Cloud Service is also excellent, and its stability is strong for our use cases.

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reviewer2795433

Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Secure remote access has protected sensitive country data and supports strict compliance needs

I understand from the IT team managing Microsoft Remote Desktop Services that it is complex to set up the multiple roles, certificates, and networks required. Networking is quite complicated. Even though on the data center side it is quite simple, maintaining the farm of other connections that connect to that server is the complex piece. I understand there are more modern systems replicating what this solution does, which are easier to use, such as Azure Virtual Desktop within Microsoft Azure Cloud or Amazon WorkSpaces, which I have used before. Rather than having to manage all the complex networking, you could abstract it away a little further in the cloud for easier use. I also understand that this tool is in an end-of-life state now, with Microsoft actively pushing people towards Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365. I do not believe further features will be rolled out due to its end-of-life state, making it a legacy solution now.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In the past, when we were using the presentation server from Citrix, login time was taking up to eight minutes, and XenDesktop reduced login time to less than two minutes."

"For the most part, overall stability is what you would expect."

"The feature that I like is that it is fast."

"You can try XenDesktop as an alternative to VMware View, and the Express edition allows you to use up to 10 machines or users."

"The whole organization is more productive because Citrix allows us to coordinate together and share information."

"Centralization and security are the most valuable features of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops."

"A Citrix environment can increase the security by centralizing and controlling the user environment."

"The solution has been in production for three years with no major problems; zero down time from the solution."

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) pros

"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."

"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."

"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."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is easy to use and the full development cloud is very good."

"The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is the ability to manage a great number of desktops at once and the remote access for users that are working from outside of the office or from different offices in the country."

"The product’s on-premise version has the ability to create an image of any updates or changes in the system."

"From the scalability perspective, that's one of the great things, because even with the basic setup, which has essentially very few components, you can run 10,000 desktops straight off the bat."

"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."

More Horizon Cloud Service pros

"The most valuable part of RDS is that it allows you to work from any location and check the server through a VPN connection."

"The main benefit is that it's easy for us to get the same desktop and do things in the same way regardless of our location."

"The initial setup was straightforward and the deployment took only two hours."

"Since the tool has a graphical user interface, it's easier for us to access the server."

"The solution is easy to deploy and there are many features available that you can turn on or off depending on your budget."

"It's simple and easy to use."

"The most valuable feature is ease of use."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is managing the remote desktop end user or remote server."

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services pros

Cons

"Their customer support can be improved a lot as it lacks a lot of knowledgeable help."

"Our experience of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is good, but the environment can become complex and difficult to manage at times."

"We're running into all kinds of speed issues and reliability issues. There are frequent disconnects, and we're not sure whether that's a problem with the product, with the way the product has been deployed, or with server capacity or bandwidth. Our IT department pays attention to that, but we are feeling the impact of that."

"Citrix Workspace Is difficult to deploy. The initial setup is very complex."

"When there are technical issues, sometimes we can't get on the cloud."

"Citrix's functionality depends on you having access to Microsoft Azure."

"The video conferencing feature needs to be improved."

"The solution needs some improvement to make it more flexible with an easier interface."

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) cons

"The cost of Horizon Cloud Service is high, however, it could be optimized. The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help."

"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."

"There should be more emphasis on the Workspace One access part of the solution."

"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."

"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."

"The licensing model needs to be adjusted, as a cloud license is currently required even for on-premises devices."

"The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help."

More Horizon Cloud Service cons

"The only problems that you're going to have with the remote desktop are going to be firewall ports, security, and NLA, which is a net network level access control, or TLS transfer layer security or some other SSL-type of security."

"If you are deploying it as a VDI solution, then it is very limited; the product is not very scalable."

"The user interface needs improvement."

"The solution is under the Microsoft infrastructure and therefore does not allow for service under other operating systems."

"There are times I get disconnected from the service and when one or two attempts to establish a remote connection. Microsoft should show where the problem is, I have to find it by myself."

"We'd like them to continue to improve on security."

"The product can be improved by ensuring that people can access it from anywhere and be leveraged on any kind of device virtually."

"Microsoft Desktop Services is stable but it takes up a lot of resources in the CPU. It's a bit heavier than some solutions."

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is a bit costly, but enterprise class features come with a cost."

"We are just now approaching the end of our initial purchase, which was an excellent price for us as an academic institution. We got a very good deal to get us on board. That license is up for renewal in about a year, and we are nervously waiting to see what the pricing will be."

"The price of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is approximately $300 for the new version called Dash and the license is approximately $900 annually."

"The tool is expensive."

"We recouped 60 to 70 percent of the hardware costs."

"The price of the solution could be less expensive. There are different versions to their solution and the price keeps increasing."

"I don't quite remember the specifics of what we had. I believe we had a 25-user license, and I don't recall it being overly expensive."

"If you look at cost, then you must look at the number of users that you are covering. If you are only using it for some users, then it is very expensive. However, if you have a massive amount of users, then it begins to be interesting to use Citrix. Because once you are managing thousands of servers with one guy, your maintenance costs decrease per user."

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) pricing and cost advice

"I rate VMware Horizon Cloud pricing a ten out of ten."

"There is a license required for the use of this solution and there are different tier levels available."

"Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is an expensive solution. This solution is approximately 30 percent more than Microsoft Azure Cloud. There can be extra costs."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is a low-cost solution. The model that they have is consumption-based. However, some features are expensive."

"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."

"I am aware that for Azure we do have an extra license because we are leveraging on different tenants."

"The solution is expensive. Since things are made to be a bit easier in the solution, the solution's cost is a bit on the higher side."

"It will probably cost about $500 USD to get the resources set up in the cloud."

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis. We're on the educational or academic license, and our terms are good. We're very happy with the pricing."

"It's not an expensive solution."

"The pricing could always be improved."

"Although not an expensive product, pricing is always something that can be improved."

"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is less expensive than some other solutions on the market."

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Media Company

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Government

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	69

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	34

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

My focus has primarily been on publishing virtual applications.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

I have found that Citrix DaaS is still a complex product, especially on the desktop side, which affects scalability. ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Horizon Cloud?

The cost is considered normal, not remarkable but not outrageous. In terms of expense, compared to other virtualizati...

See all answers

What needs improvement with VMware Horizon Cloud?

The licensing model needs to be adjusted, as a cloud license is currently required even for on-premises devices. Hori...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for VMware Horizon Cloud?

Our primary use case focuses on virtual desktop and application hosting. This is spread across different industries. ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?

The tool shares computer resources perfectly.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?

I was not involved in the pricing and licensing perspective, so I cannot speak too much on that. However, I know that...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?

I understand from the IT team managing Microsoft Remote Desktop Services that it is complex to set up the multiple ro...

See all answers

Comparisons

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 34% of the time

Horizon 8 vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 4% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 3% of the time

Amazon WorkSpaces vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 3% of the time

Nerdio vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 2% of the time

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) Competitors

Nerdio vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 11% of the time

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 10% of the time

Horizon 8 vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 9% of the time

VMware Workstation vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 6% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 5% of the time

More Horizon Cloud Service Competitors

Horizon 8 vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 8% of the time

TeamViewer vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 8% of the time

Rocket Exceed TurboX vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 5% of the time

VMware Workstation vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

March 2026

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) report

Download Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) product report

Buyer's Guide

Horizon Cloud Service

March 2026

Download Horizon Cloud Service product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

March 2026

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services report

Download Microsoft Remote Desktop Services product report

Also Known As

XenDesktop, XenApp (Citrix Virtual Apps), Citrix Workspace

VMware Horizon Cloud, VMware Horizon DaaS

Remote Desktop Services

Interactive Demo

Citrix

Demo not available

Omnissa

Demo not available

Microsoft

Overview

Enable secure, flexible work with the leader in virtual apps and desktops

Deliver desktop as a service (DaaS) from any cloud or datacenter

Get started with Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) in minutes to provide a familiar, high-performance digital workspace experience to your users. We’ll manage the infrastructure and security. You focus on your business.

Citrix

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.

Omnissa

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is a highly regarded remote access tool in addition to being a top-ranked Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution in the marketplace today.

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is a suite of valuable elements of the Windows operating system (OS) that serve specific desired objectives. Microsoft RDS integrates various features that allow approved users to gain access to graphical desktops and Windows applications remotely. Approved users are able to deploy applications or even a complete desktop without having to install anything on their devices. Everything remains in the cloud. This ensures that there are never any compatibility issues and keeps the organization's original network secure at all times. Administrators are also able to ensure that data cannot be stored in any unapproved location, such as the local device, unapproved drives, or any other location.

Microsoft RDS makes it easy for business organizations to access Windows Desktops and other Windows applications remotely to ensure today’s busy enterprise organizations are able to maintain the highest levels of productivity at all times. There are two basic ways organizations can effectively utilize RDS.

Microsoft Remote Desktop Component: This allows users to connect with various alternate desktops from their current device. Once the user has gained a secure connection based on the approved administrative permissions, the user can seamlessly access and interact with the remote desktop. Users have the feeling of having this new virtual desktop installed directly on their machine.

RemoteApp: Users are able to easily access cloud-based applications via their own personal desktop computers or other approved mobile devices. This application ensures overall application management is centralized and consistent throughout the entire business enterprise.

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Benefits

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has many benefits. Some of its most valuable benefits include:

Access Windows applications remotely from any device
Enhanced consistent application performance
Increased computing resources
Secure cloud-based data storage.
Streamlined management processes
Reduction in technical administrative resources
Reduction in hardware and device costs.
Improved employee productivity
Cost-effective
Improved Profitability
Reduce carbon footprint

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services makes it easy for busy enterprise organizations to stay productive and remain competitive in today’s aggressive marketplace. An organization's end-users can be given access to their own specific desktops from any location, anytime, using any approved device. Additionally, users can access Microsoft applications without having an effect on their device's resource capacity or performance.

Reviews from Real Users

“What I found most valuable in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is accessibility because the solution lets you take control of your computer remotely, and that's a good feature.” Pascal B., IT consultant at Secoptrial

“The most valuable features of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services are unification, central management, and accessibility.” Jan S. Solution Architect at a tech services company

“The most valuable features are that it is fast and cost-effective. I am not aware of a replacement currently on the market.” Ramon H. Director at Empaco

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Exelon, Aeronamic, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Alameda County Medical Center, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Aloysius Stichting, Amarchand Mangaldas, AmBev, Amnet Technology Solutions, Arval

Marriott, Sprint

Bank Alfalah Ltd.

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

March 2026

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