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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 July 2026, in the Application Virtualization category, the mindshare of Microsoft App-V is 12.2%, down from 22.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Virtual Server is 8.1%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Virtualization Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft App-V12.2%
Microsoft Virtual Server8.1%
Other79.7%
Application Virtualization
 

Featured Reviews

Francois Gotti - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at IQEQ
Streaming has impressed but integration and support require improvement
The problem with Microsoft App-V is that there is no choice since Microsoft has decided to stop it, and we are searching for alternatives. Microsoft App-V needs to evolve, possibly with better integration with other solutions, particularly since we use Citrix and want to integrate App-V packages more efficiently. The management of packages should be easier, possibly through a web console for visibility in versioning, and options to convert packages when changing technologies. Many companies avoid using tools like Admin Studio due to high costs. Additionally, Microsoft App-V has been slow, and users experience delays when launching applications, which presents significant challenges.
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

"I would recommend Microsoft App-V for its simplicity and efficiency."
"From my point of view, it reached a maturity where we can consider it to be perfect."
"I appreciate the process of being able to change or review my answers."
"Microsoft App-V is a simple, very good working product that just works."
"We can deploy applications incredibly fast."
"From my experience with Microsoft App-V, the feature I liked the most is the streaming."
"It is very easy to use from an administration point of view."
"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."
"It is easy to use. It offers good compatibility with other operating systems. That's one of the reasons I used it."
"It has proven to be most effective for workloads associated with running web portals."
"The greatest aspect of the solution is its capability to be available from anywhere."
"The product provides flexibility."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to share folders and run Active Directory."
"Sussex County is envisioning the future of computing and communications technologies, anticipating a new path to business process management."
"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."
"The tool is perfectly stable."
 

Cons

"Microsoft App-V is more suited for legacy software usage, and trying to make it work in that context usually feels tricky and unreliable."
"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."
"Regarding pricing, I believe flexibility would help retain customers. Costs could be more adaptable to meet varying budgets."
"The reporting features could be improved."
"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."
"There is definitely room for improvement with Microsoft App-V, especially in terms of enhancing troubleshooting resources and user guidance."
"The process was streamlined but didn't make our work simple. We encountered an issue with the person responsible for designing the website."
"I would give technical support from Microsoft a seven because some advanced technical support is not free."
"Microsoft Virtual Server should improve its network performance."
"The tool must provide more freedom to the customer."
"Server security can always be improved."
"Microsoft Virtual Server needs to improve its stability."
"In terms of what could be improved, pricing is always too high of course."
"There is room for improvement in the user interface, which could be more user-friendly."
"The solution's user interface could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 product is expensive."
"It is an expensive product."
"Microsoft Virtual Server is a low-cost solution."
"Microsoft Virtual Server’s licensing is expensive."
"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."
"Some of the licensing costs are monthly, and others are yearly."
"The price of this product could be better."
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902,588 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Healthcare Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Government
6%
Construction Company
23%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

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...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Virtual Server?
I am using Microsoft Virtual Server as an end-user. I am using Microsoft Virtual Server Discovery and Microsoft Virtual Server ITSM, which is a basic tool, not a development or discovery tool. I am...
 

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: June 2026.
902,588 professionals have used our research since 2012.