Horizon Cloud Service vs VMware Workstation comparison

Omnissa and Broadcom are both solutions in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category. Omnissa is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0, while Broadcom is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5. Omnissa holds a 4.6% mindshare in VD, compared to Broadcom’s 9.5% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Omnissa users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Horizon Cloud Service

Read 11 Horizon Cloud Service reviews

2,866 Views
2,665 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

VMware Workstation

Read 57 VMware Workstation reviews

14,558 Views
8,152 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Horizon Cloud Service

VMware Workstation

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

VMware Workstation and Horizon Cloud Service operate within the virtualization market, each meeting distinct requirements. VMware Workstation stands out for its user-friendly nature and cost-effectiveness, whereas Horizon Cloud Service is highlighted for its scalability and advanced functionality, appealing to businesses seeking comprehensive cloud-based solutions.

Features: VMware Workstation offers powerful virtual machine management, simultaneous multi-OS operation, and hardware device compatibility including USB and Bluetooth. Horizon Cloud Service provides seamless virtual desktop integration, scalable cloud infrastructure, and support across various platforms.

Room for Improvement: VMware Workstation could enhance its technical support and explore cloud capabilities for broader deployment. Horizon Cloud Service might improve its initial deployment process, simplify its configuration steps, and optimize pricing tiers for small to medium enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Workstation is easy to install on local machines, favored by individual users and small teams for its minimal setup complexity. Horizon Cloud Service, though requiring detailed initial configuration due to its cloud reliance, excels in providing extensive customer support particularly beneficial for larger organizations with complex needs.

Pricing and ROI: VMware Workstation is typically more affordable up front, appealing to smaller operations or personal users. In contrast, Horizon Cloud Service has higher initial costs but offers greater ROI for enterprises leveraging its scalable cloud functionalities, making it a sound investment for robust virtual desktop infrastructure needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Horizon Cloud Service vs. VMware Workstation Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Horizon Cloud Service vs. VMware Workstation

June 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 908,834 peers since 2012

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

Horizon Cloud Service

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (3rd)

VMware Workstation

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Horizon Cloud Service is 4.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Workstation is 9.5%, down from 15.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
VMware Workstation	9.5%
Horizon Cloud Service	4.6%
Other	85.9%

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

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.

Read full review

Gary Comorau

Director of IT at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

Creating and destroying test machines has simplified our operations and reduced manual recovery time

The Snapshot feature has helped with workflows by allowing us to more easily reconstruct something if we lose it or need it. We've been making Snapshots on a consistent basis, mainly of servers. The VX Rail has worked effectively because we can create machines as we need them. It's helpful for resetting and has helped with our operations because I had set up failover servers on Vertex, but we don't have to do that anymore since VMware will just create a new machine immediately if we have a problem. We're doing our domain servers on there, and we've been very happy with that. We appreciate that we can create machines simply to test things out and then destroy them. I use it for a test machine for checking emails, so if the email has a virus in it, we can just destroy the machine and create a new one. We're slowly moving into the VMware environment, although the pricing with Broadcom has been a disaster.

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

"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."

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

"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 most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is all of its capabilities together."

"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."

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

"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."

"The tool remains pretty stable."

More Horizon Cloud Service pros

"VMware Workstation keeps working and it makes my day every time I have to use it because it starts, it runs, and it makes my life easier."

"VMware Workstation allows you to run a virtual machine."

"If you have a small-to-middle-sized environment, VMware Player is a good choice."

"The most valuable features of VMware Workstation are the speed of access and quality of upgrade. Those are the more important and pertinent aspects as far as we were concerned. Functionality and features were relevant for the customers. What a customer chose, we had to make sure that it operated."

"VMware Workstation is easy to manage and understand."

"It's really easy to build testing environments with VMware Player."

"The most valuable feature of the VMware Workstation is the ease to create a development environment. When you have different ongoing developments, you often need to create a lot of different development environments. With this workstation solution, you can have a development environment for all the things you develop."

"The simplicity of the deployment and the implementation, and the footprint for the hardware are some of the solution's valuable features."

More VMware Workstation pros

Cons

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

"The application remoting features have some room for improvement."

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

"It is too expensive as compared to other solutions because of which we don't use it that much."

"Our technical support of VMware is good, but the main problem is it takes a lot of time."

More Horizon Cloud Service cons

"If you have a big environment with thousands of servers, VMware Player can have problems, and migrations can be extremely slow."

"For some virtual machine configurations, you have to go to the text editor and make the configuration changes, which could be improved."

"The price of VMware Workstation is an area of concern where improvements are needed."

"Installing VMware Workstation isn't so easy. It's highly complex compared to Windows. I rate it four out of 10 for ease of installation. Setting up a remote desktop only takes a minute or so, but the Workstation itself takes some time."

"Customer Service: I think support is an issue for VMware - they only offer support for this product once you purchase more than 10 licenses. This is a show-stopper for smaller organizations like us."

"I have had issues with the virtual network adapters in the past that has taken some time to troubleshoot."

"VMware Workstation has some network limitations which could improve, it is not as flexible as VMware NSX."

"VMware Player has a very high memory footprint and requires a lot of memory for running multiple operating systems under a single host system."

More VMware Workstation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"VMware Workstation is an expensive solution in Asian countries."

"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being expensive."

"The pricing is a bit steep in my opinion for testing and there are other options."

"The licensing costs are cheap. I pay approximately $100 per year."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"With all its support and ease of use, VMware Player's pricing is fair."

"VMware is expensive. Licensing can be tricky. For example, I recently had a client running VMware vSphere Essentials and wanted to migrate to a more scalable solution. However, they had no choice but to purchase a completely new license and deploy a completely new instance of VMware."

"Licensing costs are paid on a yearly basis."

More VMware Workstation pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Performing Arts

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

12%

University

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	33
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	18

Questions from the Community

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 virtualization products, I would rate it as a six.

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. Horizon Cloud Service should continue improving their protocol and work with other h...

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. We have a large number of employees, and we are one of the largest GSIs globally...

See all answers

Which VMware solution would you go with - Workstation or vSphere?

VM Workstation’s setup is so easy, you can use it almost instantly, it works well with Windows and Linux. We like VM Workstation primarily to test environments to determine how well a solution will...

See all answers

What needs improvement with VMware Player?

Here's what happened with us regarding the prices for VMware Workstation: we purchased everything through Dell, and as is common, we got busy and didn't get everything activated. By the time we tri...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for VMware Player?

I have a bunch of VMware servers set up, including our domain servers, our data servers, and some test machines on VMware. We're not really using VMware Workstation as workstations. We've got a cou...

See all answers

Comparisons

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

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 9% of the time

Nerdio vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 9% of the time

Amazon WorkSpaces vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 7% of the time

Inuvika vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 4% of the time

More Horizon Cloud Service Competitors

VMware Fusion Pro vs VMware Workstation

Compared 18% of the time

Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation

Compared 12% of the time

Azure Virtual Desktop vs VMware Workstation

Compared 7% of the time

KVM vs VMware Workstation

Compared 7% of the time

Oracle VM VirtualBox vs VMware Workstation

Compared 7% of the time

More VMware Workstation Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Horizon Cloud Service

August 2026

Download Horizon Cloud Service product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Workstation

July 2026

Download VMware Workstation product report

Also Known As

VMware Horizon Cloud, VMware Horizon DaaS

No data available

Overview

Horizon Cloud Service offers stable, flexible access to virtual desktops anytime, anywhere. Its centralized cloud management and scalable architecture support hybrid environments.

Horizon Cloud Service provides a cloud-based desktop solution ideal for businesses seeking remote access and power management. With features like centralized management and dynamic environment handling, it supports a seamless desktop experience. While offering remote accessibility and advanced management, it aids in reducing infrastructure costs through cloud-based scalability. However, improvements are needed in VM performance and external connection support, with current licensing complexities posing a challenge. Designed for VDI and application hosting across platforms such as Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS, it enables secure remote working with efficient workload management.

What are the main features of Horizon Cloud Service?

Centralized Cloud Management: Efficiently manage desktops from a unified platform.
Dynamic Environment Management: Customize environments to suit user needs dynamically.
Remote Access: Access desktops from anywhere with high reliability.
Multiple Monitor Support: Enhanced user experience with multi-screen compatibility.
VPN Connectivity: Secure connections for remote access users.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Infrastructure Cost Reduction: Lower costs with cloud-based scaling.
Seamless Desktop Experience: Consistent user interface across devices.
Hybrid Environment Support: Foster versatile deployment methods across clouds.
Flexible Deployment: Accommodate diverse business needs with adjustable solutions.

In industries like finance, healthcare, and education, Horizon Cloud Service facilitates secure remote operations and automates cloud-based machine generation, supporting hybrid workspaces for resource-efficient deployment.

Omnissa

VMware Workstation offers virtualization with a user-friendly approach, allowing multiple OS to run on a single machine. It supports snapshots, backups, and comes with high-quality graphics and USB support, ideal for development and software testing.

VMware Workstation is known for its ease of use, making it a popular choice for both educational and professional environments. Its support for multiple platforms, user-friendly setup for virtual machines, and third-party software compatibility provide a reliable solution for running diverse operating systems simultaneously. Users benefit from features like network virtualization, resource allocation, and folder sharing, providing a streamlined approach to workload management. While it excels in creating isolated virtual environments ideal for testing and development, areas of improvement include resource management, pricing strategies, and comprehensive documentation for non-expert users. Enhancements in performance, stability, and network configuration compatibility, particularly with macOS, could further elevate its standing.

What are the key features of VMware Workstation?

Virtualization: Run multiple operating systems on one machine efficiently.
Snapshots and Backups: Safe rollback to previous states with ease.
High-Quality Graphics: Excellent rendering for graphic-intensive applications.
USB Device Support: Seamless connectivity for USB devices across platforms.
Network Virtualization: Simplifies network setup within virtual machines.

What benefits do users find in VMware Workstation?

Versatility in Testing: Effective environment for developing and testing applications.
Ease of Use: Intuitive interface reducing the learning curve for new users.
Enhanced Productivity: Efficiently manage multiple workloads in a single setup.
Educational Resource: Demonstrates system features effectively in learning setups.

Many industries implement VMware Workstation to create streamlined testing environments and manage virtual machines for various development needs. Companies use it to deploy specific configurations securely, offering a robust setup for application testing and management of legacy systems. In education, it allows instructors to showcase system functionalities efficiently, supporting diverse learning objectives.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Marriott, Sprint

Akademiska Hus

Buyer's Guide

Horizon Cloud Service vs. VMware Workstation

June 2026

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