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Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services vs Horizon 8 comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

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

Dell Virtual Desktop Infras...
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
15th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
2.2
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Hosted Virtual Desktop Services (1st)
Horizon 8
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
117
Ranking in other categories
User Virtualization (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services is 1.2%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Horizon 8 is 6.8%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Horizon 86.8%
Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services1.2%
Other92.0%
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

SA
IT Lead at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Centralized virtual desktops have boosted secure client access and daily productivity
Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services is hosted centrally in data centers where I log in to the virtual desktop interface to work on client applications. I get access to all client applications on a daily basis, including application permissions and working access, all related to client applications with the help of a VPN network. Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services has had a huge impact on getting connected to a customer's application. It provides seamless access to the client's network, and with the help of a VPN, I connect to the client system and take a remote session to work on daily tasks. It has increased productivity significantly, and Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services is stable and scalable. It has been able to grow with our needs.
SF
Architect at Softcat plc
Architects have improved desktop environments and now optimize operations for diverse clients
From my perspective, there is significant room for improvement in Horizon 8. Many customers are actively seeking alternatives to VMware due to recent licensing changes after Broadcom's acquisition, necessitating upgrades or bundles that they often do not require. Given that Omniser builds on VMware technologies, this creates a negative perception, pushing customers to consider different brands or solutions.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Dual E5-2600 v3 Xeons, DDR4 memory and the best storage potential makes the PowerEdge T630 a highly versatile server."
"It has increased productivity significantly, and Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services is stable and scalable."
"The local hardware pass-throughs are valuable. I like being able to have access to local hardware."
"The solution has good performance and functionality. However, if the network connection was poor we noticed a decrease in performance."
"sdfgdfg"
"I think the tool is very useful for attracting new people, either new hires or consultants. Remote usage is also a significant benefit. VMware Horizon's security features depend on the customer and what they want. Of course, if they have multi-factor authentication, VMware Horizon supports that. It depends on their policies, but it works with pretty much anything."
"The ability to spin up desktops as quickly as possible; you just build one image and then set multiple images and be ready quickly."
"The most valuable feature is that VMware User Environment Manager works with virtualization and works with physical systems as well."
"VMware has a lot of experience in virtualization — they are the pioneers in virtualization."
"The app virtualizing is a great feature."
 

Cons

"The service needs to work on strong integration with the VMware ecosystem and improve vendor support."
"I would like to see simple load-balancing for smaller environments that lack large solutions like F5, or NSX; it should be redundant or unavailable but in a simple way. Perhaps limited to only two components; if more are required, a paid load balancing solution can be used. Load balancing for simple environments, or simple redundancy, is sorely lacking."
"There are some licensing issues in VMware Horizon"
"The system is not designed to allow the client to log in easily and multiple passwords are required."
"The customer service and support team could be better."
"Along with the high pricing, the profile synchronization mechanism also needs improvement."
"App volumes introduces longer login times, printer mapping issues (print spooler crashes), and short cut configuration timing issues."
"We have seen and face notable challenges in the configuration aspect specifically while creating and assigning groups which have proven to be a very cumbersome and tiring process. Apart from this the Reliance on the Active Directory as the only directory has its own limitation, which include the requirement to purchase a windows server for an environment outside the standard set up."
"The tool is not future-proof anymore."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We pay a monthly licensing fee for VMware Horizon."
"For long-term use, perpetual licenses are more cost-effective, and for short-term use, subscription-based would be more cost-effective."
"The VMware Horizon 7 license is for three months. We are in the testing stage, we are still evaluating the product. We are sure now that we need to buy a license for the production environment."
"I don't know about the price. I know there are different tiers with the license, but I'm not sure exactly what it costs anymore."
"The solution can be costly for customers who do not run mission-critical applications or who have less than 50 users."
"The pricing could be improved."
"We are happy with the price."
"Customers pay a licensing fee."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business63
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise45
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services?
Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services can be improved by integrating more features with AI and incorporating an AI bot. Additionally, it should have strong integration with the VMware ...
What is your primary use case for Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services?
Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services functions as a peripheral for virtual desktop infrastructure that I use similarly with Citrix Virtual Desktop apps to work in a customer environme...
What advice do you have for others considering Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services?
Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services works on multifactor authentication to authenticate each user according to their MFA access, which secures registered users and gives permission t...
How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial setup is easy, and the product is very stable and reliable. I think the fact th...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware User Environment Manager?
Regarding the pricing aspect of Horizon 8, I find it currently quite acceptable. After VMware was bought by Broadcom, the pricing was ridiculous, but now that Onmises has VMware Horizon 8, the pric...
What is your primary use case for VMware User Environment Manager?
I have experience with products from Horizon 8, and I am currently working with Omniser version. I have been working with Horizon 8 from Omniser for nearly two years now. I am currently working in ...
 

Also Known As

Dell Hosted Virtual Desktop Services
VMware Horizon, VMware Horizon View, Mware Dynamic Environment Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Royal Opera House, University of the Sciences, Noritz America, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), Fulton County
LCMC Health
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Services vs. Horizon 8 and other solutions. Updated: November 2026.
920,939 professionals have used our research since 2012.