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Microsoft App-V vs Microsoft Virtual Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

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

Microsoft App-V
Ranking in Application Virtualization
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Virtual Server
Ranking in Application Virtualization
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Application Virtualization category, the mindshare of Microsoft App-V is 18.0%, down from 22.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Virtual Server is 5.9%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Virtualization Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft App-V18.0%
Microsoft Virtual Server5.9%
Other76.1%
Application Virtualization
 

Featured Reviews

SN
Technical Lead on Virtual Desktop at Orange
Legacy software is maintained effectively, offering cost savings and integration flexibility
I believe there is no room for improvement in Microsoft App-V since it is officially at the end of life. Microsoft does not negotiate extensions for their end-of-life solutions. It has been a great tool over the years, but the company has managed to write most applications to bring them up to date, many written from scratch or as web-based applications. It's highly likely that we will decommission the Microsoft App-V solutions next year, keeping backups for a period until the new applications stabilize. I'm confident that once they transition to newer versions, they will phase out Microsoft App-V just like they do with operating systems. When Microsoft decides to close a version, such as Windows 10-22H2 or 21-H2, it happens. Paying for extended support is costly and, in the end, not worth it. Organizations must think of alternatives, possibly leaning towards MSIX, although MSIX doesn't support very old software used on Windows XP or 2000, which raises doubts about what can truly be improved. It's clear they won't introduce anything new; they will only provide security patches as they approach the end-of-life timeline.
UdaySiddu - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Virtual machines have improved cost savings and now provide safe, fast, snapshot-based recovery
Virtual Servers are valuable to us. We have been using Microsoft Virtual Server for the last five years. We use it for common applications and server applications. Microsoft Virtual Server machines are good compared to on-premises infrastructure. You can take a snapshot whenever we require it, and we can rebuild it. The data is safe, easily accessible, fast, and scalable. For snapshots, whenever we do any maintenance activity, the admin team takes snapshots. If there are any issues or upgrade problems, they revert back to the old one.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft App-V is a simple, very good working product that just works."
"We can deploy applications incredibly fast."
"It is very easy to use from an administration point of view."
"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."
"From my point of view, it reached a maturity where we can consider it to be perfect."
"From my experience with Microsoft App-V, the feature I liked the most is the streaming."
"From a technical point of view, it meets most of the customers' needs."
"I appreciate the process of being able to change or review my answers."
"The performance, pricing, and PowerShell commands are valuable features."
"The product is reliable."
"The greatest aspect of the solution is its capability to be available from anywhere."
"The most valuable feature is the stability of the solution."
"It is a scalable solution...I followed some online tutorials, because of which I did not face any technical issues or the need to contact the solution's technical support."
"Security, integration, and interface are the best features of Microsoft Virtual Server."
"The tool is perfectly stable."
"We use the solution for internal business purposes."
 

Cons

"The downside is that Microsoft bought this product and they are going to discontinue it in 2026. This is worrisome for us."
"If it were possible to integrate App-V with a cybersecurity solution then we could implement a documentation registry, which would be useful."
"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."
"The downside is that Microsoft bought this product and they are going to discontinue it in 2026."
"If it were possible to integrate App-V with a cybersecurity solution then we could implement a documentation registry, which would be useful."
"There is definitely room for improvement with Microsoft App-V, especially in terms of enhancing troubleshooting resources and user guidance."
"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 platform’s dashboard features could be better."
"One feature I would like to see is better compatibility with macOS. Due to business policies, macOS isn't currently available in the Azure Marketplace. Microsoft should come to agreement with it."
"The platform could provide more integration and stability."
"The response time from technical support could be faster."
"It would be good if the tool's integration improved."
"The response time from technical support could be faster."
"There could be more security features included in the product."
"In the future release, I would like to see more automation. Moreover, improvements related to recovery could be beneficial."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of this product is competitive."
"Clients do not pay licensing fees."
"The price of this product could be better."
"Compared to the other products in the market, I believe that the prices of Microsoft Virtual Server are on the higher side."
"There is no need for me to pay anything towards the solution's licensing costs."
"The tool's cost has been taken care of with the help of Microsoft Fabric and with a consolidated or unified interface, where the entire product serves as a SaaS offering for the user."
"The pricing must be improved."
"It is an expensive platform. I rate its pricing an eight out of ten."
"Some of the licensing costs are monthly, and others are yearly."
"Microsoft Virtual Server is a low-cost solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft App-V?
Regarding pricing, I believe flexibility would help retain customers. Costs could be more adaptable to meet varying budgets.
What needs improvement with Microsoft App-V?
There is definitely room for improvement with Microsoft App-V, especially in terms of enhancing troubleshooting resources and user guidance.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft App-V?
I have been using Microsoft App-V for quite some time, and I can describe my use cases, which include various applications that enhance productivity.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Virtual Server?
I am not involved much in cost-related matters but heard from management that it is a better choice.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Virtual Server?
For improvements, sometimes users use service accounts to log into the server. Identifying the server owner or the virtual machine owner is a difficult task for admins. Manually, someone needs to u...
 

Also Known As

App-V, MS App-V
Virtual Server, MS Virtual Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), GDDKiA, P&V, Etisalat Lanka, Hellenic Petroleum
Paylocity, ASELSAN, Sochi Organizing Committee, Supervisor of Elections, Orange County, Florida, Netgem, Nav Canada, The British & Irish Lions
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft App-V vs. Microsoft Virtual Server and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.