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 #3 with an average rating of 8.5, while Omnissa is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.0. Citrix holds a 13.7% mindshare in VD, compared to Omnissa’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Omnissa users who would recommend it.

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...

Read 127 Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) reviews

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6,359 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Horizon Cloud Service

Read 11 Horizon Cloud Service reviews

1,175 Views
999 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...

Read 80 Microsoft Remote Desktop Services reviews

7,448 Views
3,575 Comparison Views

86% 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 Broadcom, Citrix, Omnissa and others in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Report (Updated: October 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

October 2025

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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 October 2025, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) is 13.7%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Horizon Cloud Service is 2.0%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is 6.2%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)	13.7%
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services	6.2%
Horizon Cloud Service	2.0%
Other	78.1%

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

Mohd Abdul Aziz Shah Sulaiman

Endpoint & Digital Workplace Management at Telekom Malaysia

High security has ensured safe access that's very lightweight

The security layer is very high because I cannot copy-paste outside of the VDI. Screenshots are not possible, as everything will appear black. Within the VDI, users are focused on their specific tasks. It is a lightweight application that incorporates multi-factor authentication. It allows contact centers to work from home, using the VDI for application access while ensuring the person accessing the machine is the one doing the work. The security layer is robust, preventing copy-pasting outside the VDI or screenshotting.

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SivaKuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

Centralized management enhances multi-cloud flexibility with cost efficiency improvements

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. Improvements in application performance, especially for resource-heavy applications like intensive 3D workloads, are needed. More built-in automation for routine tasks like patching and upgrading could reduce administrative effort.

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Terje Romen

CEO & Owner at Mono AS

Accessing the same desktop experience from anywhere but user template creation needs improvement

Mostly we are quite happy with it. However, some of us want a more powerful desktop. When not present, we use a remote tool called Splashtop, which is a good solution for some users. We have about ten licenses for those who need a powerful workstation at the office. We have not used many different tools. We are never in contact with Microsoft. These are quite basic configurations, to be honest. It's not complicated. AI is coming to or is already in some applications we are using. Not system-wise, however, it might be good. I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It's quite good, yet certainly not perfect.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"First of all, the manageability of the applications for publishing is valuable. Second, it is about being able to run the applications on all main platforms. Third, its licensing is valuable. You can either switch to the cloud and keep on-prem. You can work with this hybrid scenario."

"Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is a stable solution."

"The most valuable feature is the automatic software upgrades because they take place on only three or four servers, rather than on 50 or 60 machines."

"In terms of Citrix Workforce features, the most valuable for managing our remote workforce is security, especially AppProtect. Users cannot simply copy and paste data to their local devices. This prevents data breaches, as data can't be copied to OneDrive or Google Drive. Screenshots from local PCs are also blocked, though data can still be manually copied using a phone."

"The most valuable feature is the watermark because most of the time our employees connect from a remote location. In case they photograph the DDA or some data, the watermark will show which user did so and from which IP they connected. That makes it more secure."

"The ease of access and the confidentiality and security that it provides is what we like best."

"XenDesktop has helped our users to work remotely with a better user experience."

"The user experience when using the solution's technology remotely is definitely superior to our VPN and/or Windows Remote Desktop. It's a much better user experience for those folks."

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

"Horizon Cloud Service provides deployment flexibility across multiple clouds with a scalable architecture that easily scales virtual desktops and applications up or down based on demand."

"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 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."

"The product allows a VPN connection, adding extra value to its features."

"Horizon Cloud Service provides deployment flexibility across multiple clouds with a scalable architecture that easily scales virtual desktops and applications up or down based on demand."

"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."

"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."

More Horizon Cloud Service pros

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is its security and simple configuration."

"The most valuable features are availability and security."

"The solution works well as a remote desktop."

"We use cloud remote support because we need to assist our customers. It allows them to connect from the web. I"

"It works fine, and it is largely issue-free."

"It's scalable enough for our needs and very reliable."

"It allows employees to log on to corporate resources remotely."

"The solution performs well and is easy to use."

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services pros

Cons

"The monitoring and management is in need of improvement."

"We would like to be able to provide VDI, a full desktop, to each of our users."

"Latency is also a major problem when adopting Citrix for video editing software or 3D editing software, especially editing 4K video or large file size. The Citrix virtualized solution becomes too slow, so we cannot use the VDI."

"The product is currently not working well in hosting conferencing software like Zoom, Team, and Salon."

"There are many latency and slowness issues, which are things looked after by Citrix."

"I have to re-enter my user password when I am not using the tool for some time around ten minutes. I want to also improve the need to download other Citrix apps."

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

"It would help if it were a little simpler. It's a bit complicated and we have hired Citrix administrators. But it's a good solution."

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

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

"Logging into VMware Horizon Cloud could be made easier. Additionally, the VMs could be better in their performance."

"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 product has a lot of bugs."

"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."

"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."

"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."

More Horizon Cloud Service cons

"The biggest reason we don't use the solution for our company's clients is the solution's prices."

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

"The training profiles could be better."

"I would like to see a web-based interface, instead of client installation to refresh the UI through HTML."

"The performance of Remote Desktop Services could be better."

"Lacks a notification feature when internet is down."

"It could offer better security for enterprises."

"In a future release, they could improve by providing more advanced technology and better buffering for if the connection is degraded or lost."

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Citrix licensing is expensive."

"In terms of pricing with the Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, I think it has gotten better over the years. Citrix has found more dynamic ways to be able to revive licensing models that fit many different scenarios that organizations have. We have been able to evolve our own licensing over the years to accommodate our situations between concurrent versus user device licenses. Now, when we move into the Citrix Workspace realm, we definitely have some awesome options there."

"It's costly in the market. But it is not expensive for the company. For the company, it's relatively inexpensive because the core of the work is compensated with the price."

"The purchase price was around $300,000 USD and then the maintenance fees were 20%. There are no other additional fees."

"Implementing Citrix DaaS with thin clients, rather than physical laptops, has resulted in savings of 27% to 29%. Additionally, moving 1,000 users from physical laptops to thin clients and VDI solutions can save around 40,000 kilograms of carbon emissions, benefiting both the environment and the company's economy, provided thin clients are used."

"If one is a high price and ten is a low price, I rate the tool's price a three."

"The product, XenServer, is free to use, and XenApp has a one month free license."

"Their licensing model used to be on a per-year basis, where you would negotiate the cost per user for a year. For instance, if you had 25,000 users, you could negotiate the cost accordingly. However, they are transitioning to a subscription-based model where the cost is incurred monthly."

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."

"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."

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

"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."

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

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

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

"The tool's pricing is high in the Slovenian market. I rate it a nine out of ten."

"The solution comes free with Microsoft Windows."

"There is a licensing cost."

"The pricing is moderate."

"The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable."

"The solution has a pretty comparable pricing."

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

"It's not an expensive product."

More Microsoft Remote Desktop Services pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Manufacturing Company

10%

Performing Arts

10%

Media Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	43
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	68

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	39
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	30

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 do you like most about VMware Horizon Cloud?

The tool remains pretty stable.

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 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?

In limited use cases, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is free as it is defaulted by any Microsoft license. The paid...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?

The only problem I see is that when I am connected, there is a certain lag because of the network.

See all answers

Comparisons

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

Compared 52% of the time

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

Compared 6% of the time

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

Compared 3% of the time

Rocket Exceed TurboX vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 3% of the time

Microsoft App-V vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 1% of the time

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

Horizon 8 vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 16% of the time

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 13% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 11% of the time

VMware Workstation vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle VDI vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 6% of the time

More Horizon Cloud Service Competitors

Horizon 8 vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 16% of the time

Apache Guacamole vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 10% of the time

TeamViewer Business vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 8% of the time

Parallels Access vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Compared 7% 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)

October 2025

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

October 2025

Download Horizon Cloud Service product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

October 2025

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)

October 2025

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