Microsoft App-V vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) comparison

Microsoft and Parallels are both solutions in the Application Virtualization category. Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 9.3, while Parallels is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 22.7% mindshare in AV, compared to Parallels’s 16.5% mindshare. Additionally, 77% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Parallels users who would recommend it.

Microsoft App-V

Read 8 Microsoft App-V reviews

1,568 Views
627 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Read 25 Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) reviews

598 Views
395 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Microsoft App-V

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Microsoft App-V and Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) compete in the application virtualization category. Parallels RAS seems to have the upper hand due to its expanded feature set and ease of use.

Features: Microsoft App-V offers application isolation, centralized management, and seamless Windows integration. In contrast, Parallels RAS provides application delivery, desktop virtualization, and enhanced security features, positioning it as a robust solution for diverse environments.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft App-V could enhance user-friendliness and reduce complexity in setup. A broader platform support would be advantageous. Enhancements in cloud integration capabilities could be another area of focus. Parallels RAS might benefit from a more competitive pricing model, expanding integrations with non-Windows systems and simplifying its advanced feature configurations for easier implementation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Parallels RAS is known for its easy deployment and responsive customer support, making it simple for IT administrators to manage. Microsoft App-V integrates well within Windows ecosystems but can be more complex to set up initially, which might require more specialized knowledge.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft App-V offers a cost-effective option for Microsoft-based infrastructures, though its complexity might lead to hidden costs. Parallels RAS, while potentially higher in upfront cost, provides a comprehensive suite that can yield better long-term ROI by enhancing operational efficiencies, justifying the investment for many organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

June 2025

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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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Ranking in Application Virtualization

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Virtualization category, the mindshare of Microsoft App-V is 22.7%, down from 24.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is 16.5%, up from 14.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Virtualization

Featured Reviews

Francois Gotti

Senior Global Infrastructure Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

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.

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JohanSkibdahl

CEO at Etcetera Networks

Secure access across devices with cost-effective seamless integration

One valuable feature is the ability to securely use a wide range of devices to access the company's infrastructure. The inclusion of all necessary components, such as load balancer and gateways, in a monthly fee is also beneficial. In terms of Parallels Desktop, the coherence mode that allows Mac and Windows applications to run seamlessly side by side is highly regarded.

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

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

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

"I appreciate the process of being able to change or review my answers."

"The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance."

"Valuable features include the ability to set up security groups for accessing certain apps, and the ability to add apps easily and centrally without touching the servers they’re hosted on."

"The management capability from the RAS portal provides greater control than using pure MS inbuilt into RDS capabilities."

"One valuable feature is the ability to securely use a wide range of devices to access the company's infrastructure."

"We can publish apps and desktops on Terminal Servers and seamlessly share printers. We also combine Parallels with Deepnet Security to get two-factor authentication."

"Simplicity of the interface is a valuable feature."

"Its price and ease of use are the most valuable. It is simple and has good performance."

"The stability is ok - once I finished the setup, the system was quite stable."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) pros

Cons

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

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

"The reporting features could be improved."

"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. 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."

"HALB is not stable in our environment. When running two HALBs we have stability problems, so we use an active one and a passive for backup. Also, it would be nice to implement an upgrade of the environment without having to stop the servers. As it is, this must be done during off-hours."

"A potential improvement could be reducing the dependency on Microsoft solutions for Parallels RAS."

"It would be great if there were more sophisticated GPO templates/options."

"We would like to be able to re-label the OTP (One Time Password) popup so our users can easily recognize that they are to put in their DUO code on that line. Most users see OTP and ask what that is."

"Sometimes you need to understand how to use load balancing and the gateway in order to scale, which means the team may need some additional technical knowledge."

"The product does not utilize SQL for reporting purposes. Also, it does not support some hypervisors similar to Citrix. These particular areas need improvement."

"We use several gateways because access to our secret zone requires two-factor user authentication. It is a lot of hassle differentiating among users with or without two-factor. Of course, we could use two farms, but that would mean more management too."

"Opening a ticket should be available from the actual RAS console. It is cumbersome to go to a portal, hunt around for five minutes for a link to open a ticket, answer questions meant to direct you towards FAQs instead of live support, then fill out information (license #, version #, etc.) which could more easily be supplied by sending a ticket straight from the console with all of that information automatically specified."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of this product is competitive."

"Clients do not pay licensing fees."

"Parallels is a cost effective alternative to Citrix."

"It justifies the price. In terms of licensing, initially when we got the product it was an unlimited licensing strategy. We knew would grow in the coming years. So initially, we took a plan which had no limit. After a year or so the strategy changed and we were being limited to 105 licenses, that was the minimum... If there was flexibility for increasing the number of licenses that would be great because you never know how much you are going to grow in the next year."

"It is very affordable."

"It is not that high. It is in the medium range. Of course, it could be lower, but the price is not the issue."

"Work with the vendor, as this is a fairly new product and they want use cases. Deals can be made."

"I think the new pricing is a little bit high. If the price was lower, we could use it for many more customers. If there was one improvement to be made to this product, it would be a small-business version, at a much lower price point."

"Pricing is a little steep."

"It is inexpensive compared to one of its competitors."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft App-V?

I would like more server hardware in the cloud. Deploying more into the Azure ( /products/microsoft-azure-reviews ) architecture would be beneficial, and maintaining support for legacy applications...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft App-V?

I use Microsoft App-V ( /products/microsoft-app-v-reviews ) to deploy applications onto Windows platforms and environments. Instead of installing software on each user's PC or laptop, we associate ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?

The solution is powerful, and it has good speed and performance.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?

The pricing for Parallels RAS is straightforward with a monthly fee for a minimum of 15 licenses. For Parallels Desktop, it is a yearly cost of a couple of hundred euros. No additional fees for mai...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)?

A potential improvement could be reducing the dependency on Microsoft solutions for Parallels RAS. As for Parallels Desktop, there is nothing specific that needs improvement.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 63% of the time

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

Compared 27% of the time

More Microsoft App-V Competitors

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 29% of the time

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 24% of the time

Horizon 8 vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 11% of the time

Parallels Desktop vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 8% of the time

NComputing vSpace vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Virtualization

May 2025

Download Microsoft App-V product report

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

May 2025

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) report

Download Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) product report

Also Known As

App-V, MS App-V

Parallels RAS

Overview

Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) enables you to make applications available to end users without installing the applications directly on end user computers. App-V transforms applications into centrally managed services that are never installed and don't conflict with other applications.

Microsoft

ApplicationServer delivers applications, data and virtual desktops from a central location, providing continuous availability, resource-based load-balancing and complete network transparency.

Parallels

Sample Customers

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), GDDKiA, P&V, Etisalat Lanka, Hellenic Petroleum

Arsari Group _ PT Netmarks Indonesia, Izhevsk Elektromekhanicheskiy Zavod (IEMZ) _ Kupol, Abilene Diagnostic Clinic, Fylde Borough Council, YARSTROYREZE LLC, VSK Insurance House, Melenkovsky District of Vladimirskaya Oblast, Sofrigam SA, Antenna International, KingsGate Community Church, Norwegian American Hospital, Island Hotels Group, Medway Council, Medway Council, Voices of September 11th, MacDonald Training Center, Kansas Childrenês Service League, Scope,Next Generation Clubs, WTC Communications, Opera Australia, HSE Integrated, Danier, Bridgwater College, Kern County Mental Health, Tony Tiendas, Spears Manufacturing, Managed Insurance Services Inc., Intuitive Medical Software, M.J. Soffe, Mazda Motors, Israel Military Industries (IMI), Telfair, Upic Solutions, Teleflora, Fisher & Company

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

June 2025

Free Report: Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft App-V vs. Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

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