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

"Citrix is one of the companies that is delivering virtual apps and desktops in a big way. They are mature enough to understand the level of stability required and deliver it."

"Citrix offers a range of products that can be used straight out of the box."

"From my perspective, the most valuable feature is the manageability."

"I found the ease of deployment, scalability, and security to be to our benefit when supplying virtual applications to our clients."

"The most valuable feature of Citrix Workspace is the virtual desktop that we can use anywhere, at any time, and without taking our laptop."

"The most beneficial feature is seamless remote access, particularly for applications rather than full endpoints. Security features include full data encryption and integrated SSL VPN through NetScaler for secure access."

"It allows us to mute users who adhere to a policy of not allowing direct VPN access for security reasons. It is easy to use."

"In terms of scalability, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops have a lot of technologies baked in there that allow an organization to scale up or down, as required. Further, leveraging Azure for scalability has added value to our organization. For example, pre-COVID-19, we had very few resources in Azure. We had some Virtual Desktops and no application servers. When COVID-19 came along, we knew people were going to be home. We knew that we had to ramp up very quickly. We fully leveraged MCS to be able to scale. Being able to take a single image and build 400,000 Virtual Desktops, all within minutes, was second to none in terms of any other technology out there that we could have used. The scalability to be able to do that in Azure, where we really don't have to worry about storage and compute power because Microsoft does that for us, was fantastic. It was almost like giving our environments steroids. It has been amazing in terms of that scalability. Now, as people start coming back to the office, we can just as quickly scale down so the compute and resource costs in Azure aren't so great anymore."

"We can deploy applications incredibly fast."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft App-V that I found is the possibility to bring old software back to life and publish it for users to do their jobs using those applications."

"The most interesting and powerful feature for us is the fact that we can upgrade any kind of app instantly."

"It is very easy to use from an administration point of view."

"I would recommend Microsoft App-V for its simplicity and efficiency."

"From my experience with Microsoft App-V, the feature I liked the most is the streaming."

"It is easy to scale. You can quickly deploy additional instances. Rollbacks are easy because there is an automatic backup every hour. Deploying the application is straightforward and efficient."

"Microsoft App-V is a simple, very good working product that just works."

"It has proven to be most effective for workloads associated with running web portals."

"The most valuable features are monitoring, and the self-service that they have for a customized environment."

"The most valuable feature is the tool's cheap cost."

"It is easy to use. It offers good compatibility with other operating systems. That's one of the reasons I used it."

"Microsoft Virtual Server is a highly scalable solution."

"You can detach and reuse the storage drive without disrupting the virtual server, which is quite useful. Additionally, it provides options like network security groups to protect virtual machines from unauthorized access."

"The solution is good at allowing end users to connect anytime and anywhere."

"The product is easy to set up."

"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."

"The cost of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is high and has room for improvement."

"Tech support can be slow if you do not receive help from the US representatives."

"Citrix should consolidate the multiple tools currently required into a single platform."

"The initial setup has room for improvement."

"There are a lot of shortfalls with supporting printing over XenApp."

"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."

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

"There is definitely room for improvement with Microsoft App-V, especially in terms of enhancing troubleshooting resources and user guidance."

"If it were possible to integrate App-V with a cybersecurity solution then we could implement a documentation registry, which would be useful."

"The downside is that Microsoft bought this product and they are going to discontinue it in 2026. This is worrisome for us."

"Regarding improvements in Microsoft App-V, I would appreciate seeing the successor, MSIX, work better, as nothing is going to be implemented anymore since it is end of life by the end of the year."

"The process was streamlined but didn't make our work simple. We encountered an issue with the person responsible for designing the website."

"Microsoft App-V is more suited for legacy software usage, and trying to make it work in that context usually feels tricky and unreliable."

"Microsoft App-V has been slow, and users experience delays when launching applications, which presents significant challenges."

"The reporting features could be improved."

"Server security can always be improved."

"In the future release, I would like to see more automation. Moreover, improvements related to recovery could be beneficial."

"Sometimes, it can cause a lag. It depends on the operating system and the working machine."

"The product must reduce the cost by 40%."

"The product must provide better data analytics."

"The security performance and cost."

"While I am generally satisfied with the solution, it could slightly improve its stability."

"The main thing that could be improved is the licensing cost."

"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."

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

"You can buy an on-cloud or on-prem license. You can switch between on-cloud users and on-prem users. Its licensing is cheap. It is from $8 to $15 per user. It is not that expensive when you compare the cost of buying new hardware with the cost of the license. For example, at $15 per user, it costs around $180 for a year, which is cheaper than buying a $600 PC that at a certain stage, you will again have to change because its hardware is not supported. It may also get damaged or stolen. So, you can compare the cost of the actual hardware that you have to buy and the time spent in supporting the clients with the cost of its license."

"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."

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

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

"We are seeing a return on investment with Citrix Workspace."

"You have to do some hard work in order to get the suitable licenses."

"The pricing of this product is competitive."

"Clients do not pay licensing fees."

"The solution has a yearly license. If we switch to a yearly subscription plan for Microsoft Virtual Server, it would be cheaper in the long run. The price per month would be higher, but the overall cost for the year would be lower."

"The pricing must be improved."

"The cost can also be optimized by changing the size of the implementation."

"Microsoft Virtual Server is a low-cost solution."

"It is an expensive platform. I rate its pricing an eight out of ten."

"There is no need for me to pay anything towards the solution's licensing costs."

"Microsoft Virtual Server is an expensive solution."

"Some of the licensing costs are monthly, and others are yearly."