Parallels Access vs ScreenConnect comparison

Parallels and ConnectWise are both solutions in the Remote Access category. Parallels is ranked #23, while ConnectWise is ranked #17. Parallels holds a 1.7% mindshare in VUS, compared to ConnectWise’s 3.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Parallels users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of ConnectWise users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

Parallels Access and ScreenConnect are in the remote access solution category. ScreenConnect seems to have an upper hand due to its robust features and scalability, making it more appealing for complex business needs.

Features: Parallels Access provides excellent mobile accessibility and application control across various devices, making it ideal for users focused on mobility. ScreenConnect offers extensive customization and integration capabilities, including unattended access, remote management of machines, and the ability to tune video connections, which are beneficial for comprehensive remote support.

Room for Improvement: Parallels Access could enhance scalability for larger businesses and further improve advanced security measures. Some users may also seek more extensive customization options and deeper integration capabilities. ScreenConnect might benefit from simplifying the initial learning curve and offering more competitive pricing. Improved user interface upgrades and streamlined complex deployments could also enhance user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Parallels Access offers straightforward setup, perfect for efficient, quick deployments, especially for smaller teams. ScreenConnect, with its more complex deployment model, compensates with enriched customer service designed for IT professionals needing more intricate support solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Parallels Access provides a cost-effective solution with a competitive initial setup cost, appealing to budget-conscious buyers. ScreenConnect has higher pricing but justifies this with advanced capabilities that can lead to higher ROI for enterprises seeking comprehensive functionalities. Parallels Access is attractive for those watching initial costs closely, while ScreenConnect provides strong long-term investment value.

To learn more, read our detailed Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect

June 2026

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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 Intune

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Remote Access category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 6.3%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parallels Access is 1.7%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ScreenConnect is 3.1%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Remote Access Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune	6.3%
ScreenConnect	3.1%
Parallels Access	1.7%
Other	88.9%

Remote Access

Featured Reviews

OluwashileAdeniyi

Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees

Centralized endpoint security has improved and supports hybrid work and BYOD policies

Regarding what I dislike about Microsoft Intune and its downsides, I would say that more Mac controls are needed because we have limited Mac and Linux control. When comparing controls and policies between Windows, Mac, and Linux, Windows has almost everything you can think of, while Mac and Linux have limited types of control. You cannot implement certain things on Mac and Linux that you can on Windows. The limited controls are a major issue. Additionally, if Microsoft could find a way to embed servers into Microsoft Intune, that would be beneficial. Microsoft Intune is not really designed for servers or Windows servers. It is more tailored towards Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems. Windows servers are not fully supported. Enterprise organizations usually have both servers and endpoints, which are users' workstations. For servers, most people look for other solutions such as SCCM, which is Configuration Manager. However, SCCM is what Microsoft Intune is trying to replace. Both SCCM and Microsoft Intune belong to Microsoft. Microsoft is trying to transition organizations into Microsoft Intune, the native cloud solution. However, because this update is still in process, servers are not fully compatible with Microsoft Intune and cannot be managed by it. The current policy that has emerged from issues with clients is what they call co-management, which is relatively new, and I do not know if adoption is significant. Many legacy or older customers who have been using these products for decades still have SCCM. When it is time for them to manage their Windows devices, they use what is called cloud attach. Cloud attach is a term whereby your SCCM is connected to your Microsoft Intune. Most people do not know about it, but I have deployed it for several organizations. Cloud attach and co-management work together so that your device is in SCCM, but some policies are pushed from Microsoft Intune. It is like two different solutions working hand in hand. That is what they call co-management. Microsoft Intune does not bring all of your endpoint and security management tools into one place, which is the goal and how it should be. However, as I mentioned, servers are not included. If we talk about end users, Microsoft Intune does bring all your devices together. In a typical enterprise environment, you have end users with workstations, laptops, company-issued phones, and bring your own devices. You can create policies for all of these. However, for the backend, your servers do not have much coverage. Servers are not really covered by Microsoft Intune in that way.

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Binish Parikh

Vice President at ARK Infosolutions Pvt Ltd

Easy-to-deploy and good for small as well as large setups

There is room for improvement in the pricing policy. The price point is pretty aggressive. Since it is not very resource hungry, it doesn't require dedicated servers like high-end solutions do, so it's easier for customers to integrate it into their own solutions. In future releases, maybe more support for Macs and Unix so that customers with setups on those platforms can also benefit from the solutions.

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Todd Blake

Senior IT Specialist at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees

Simple to set up, reasonable pricing, and useful remote control capabilities

I'm on the latest version of the solution. I just updated it yesterday. While we have the solution on-premises at this time, we'll likely move to the cloud later this year. They have a trial version that you can try. They have a free version that you can try as well. I use it myself to support my family. I would try the free version or the trial version depending on your business. They can set you up and you can get to see all the features. I would also advocate going to the cloud version. Don't bother with the on-prem. It's just easier to jump to the cloud. I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution saves us a lot of time once it's implemented."

"The product has eased the deployment of Microsoft apps to the devices. We can manage it properly. We can control it and push the updates. Another company helped us with the deployment. However, we can do it internally."

"On the cloud, you can manage everything; you can push policies, maintain patches, and maintain security because everything interacts on the cloud and a VPN is not required."

"The most important part is that they're fast in implementing and integrating with the Windows operating system, as well as how it integrates with other Office 365 products."

"It is helpful for managing devices anytime and any place without requiring dependency on the local networks."

"The ability to push applications on devices is valuable. You do not have to manually install applications one by one. If you like to use ten different applications, you do not have to manually go and download them one by one. Intune can compile a package for you, and then you can just push them from the admin center."

"Its security is most valuable. It gives us a way to secure devices, not only those that are steady. We do have a few tablets and other devices, and it is a way for us to secure these devices and manage them. We know they're out there and what's their status. We can manage their life cycle and verify that they're updated properly."

"The solution is fully integrated with the Microsoft platform and the Autopilot feature, which is a unique feature."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"The application used to publish for mobile devices is very good and the desktop publishing is very, very good."

"Parallels Access has flexible licensing policies, which is beneficial for customers who have intermittent usage or users who are on and off the system."

"What seems to be the most valuable from the customer side is the ease of operation, and the overall experience they have."

"It's great that the total deployment can happen completely remotely."

"Parallels Access gives me full access and control of the computer, and I can do anything I want remotely."

"It's got a very easy-to-use interface."

"We don't have problems with stability. Everything is good."

"The remote management piece is the most valuable aspect of the solution for us due to the fact that we can support our clients after hours."

"Compared to what's out there the pricing is probably a good value."

"In terms of pricing, this has been the most affordable, reliable and convenient remote assistance software/service that I have come across."

"it gives me the ability to remotely connect to machines that I manage without user intervention."

"Remote support is efficient and easy for our end users to receive support."

"It's very easy to use. Provides connections that are always on. It was nice to be able to see a list of end-points and see whether or not they were connected so I could troubleshoot any network issues I had."

"The product works well and is quite reliable."

"Offers more security than TeamViewer, Google Remote Desktop, and Zoom. It's a stable, feature-rich solution that's easy to set up and easy to scale."

More ScreenConnect pros

Cons

"Sometimes, the process is unsuccessful when we attempt to reset a device and wipe the data using Intune."

"Microsoft Intune has potential for improvement; I would like to see a lot more customization in the reporting tools."

"China blocks Google and Google Play Store, which makes installation challenging. Microsoft Intune is a company software, which has to be installed to the app portal or Microsoft Software Center."

"Regarding mobile devices, Intune is good, but there are other services that I would say are ahead of Intune from an administration and reporting point of view."

"Deploying an app can be a complex process due to dependencies."

"The solution's app deployment needs to be improved."

"It's the granularity: 'Is your firewall on? Is BitLocker on?' It's not amazing granularity. But I've looked into other products, like Duo, and they're all similar."

"It would be better if Microsoft can reduce the cost of the license, as we know the Intune device subscription is licensed per device at a cost of $2 a month, but for the best enhanced security and features we must add an add-on license or buy or upgrade to a bundling license such as M365E5."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"They could improve the reporting."

"The solution may not scale well for enterprises."

"One challenge we do notice is that the application is limited to Windows servers only. If a customer has a Linux server, things get complicated. They should open it up a bit to be more compatible with different types of servers."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing policy. The price point is pretty aggressive."

"When you want to transfer a file from your iPad or remote device to the computer, the copy-and-paste feature doesn't always work."

"The scalability is great for small or medium-sized businesses. However, it may not scale well for enterprise-level entities."

"Reporting could definitely use improvement. With LogMeIn Rescue, I used to be able to, for instance, at the end of the month, pull off a report of every session. It was very simple... I could see the name that was typed in, the IP address to the computer that it was connected to, if it was running Windows... It just doesn't seem - there might be but I haven't found it - to be a way of pulling that information out of ConnectWise."

"The recent redesign has made it slower and basically worthless."

"If it had Chrome capability, that would be great; being able to use it on a Chrome device. Right now, I can't use it on my Chrome device."

"An option I would want would be to have a shortcut on my desktop, to click on it, and immediately be able to select which system I wanted to access and which computer in that system I wanted to access, and have fewer steps that I would have to physically go through to do so."

"My immediate supervisor said it was lacking in documentation and had too many words to describe how to use the product when crafting instructions to send to our third party consultant who was going to connect to our system behind our firewall."

"What we need this product to do is to be able to control Windows Updates. LogMeIn Central allowed us remote access but also allowed to push and install Windows Updates, and third-party updates... When we made the switch to ConnectWise we lost the ability to do patching. That forced us, for our larger clients, to move to WSUS. We had to set up a VM on those larger clients to push Windows Updates and patches into the network."

"On a Linux machine, there are different limitations that are not there on a Windows Server. Much more limitations exist on Linux deployments."

"There could be improvement to the remote command line tools."

More ScreenConnect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a part of Microsoft 365 and E5 licenses. Microsoft's strategy of making every feature in Microsoft Intune paid needs optimization. Remote control is one of the basic features, not a luxury feature, yet we must pay for it. I"

"The price of Intune is included with the license for Office 365, so we don't have to pay anything extra for it."

"The purchase of the product was handled by someone else."

"Our enterprise agreement includes Microsoft Intune at no additional cost."

"Every customer used to purchase licenses based on their needs."

"My team members bundled it together with their Microsoft solutions, including Microsoft 365 and related products."

"As a partner, we always look for how we can generate more revenue from a consulting point of view, but I do not see any complaints from the customer side regarding pricing, so they are satisfied with it."

"They have categorized the licenses according to the size of the business. So, if it's a smaller organization, we can choose the license accordingly. If it's a big organization, then we can choose accordingly. Everything is clearly mentioned, and we can decide. It's suitable for all kinds of infrastructure, and that's very goo"

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"The licensing costs are about $100 per user."

"ConnectWise Control is not an overly expensive tool. Its pricing is reasonable."

"I think the product's pricing is a good value. I paid $600 a year and that was fine for me. It was about $50 a month. Licensing is all very straightforward."

"We pay $3,000 USD for the service, yearly upfront."

"For the price we pay, we definitely feel it's worth it, but there are some contenders in the market that are coming out now, whose products are as good; they are offering more features and the price is actually less than ConnectWise. All things considered, the biggest thing is the lack of patching in ConnectWise. If they could integrate that into the product, that would be a game changer, if offered at the same price point."

"Their licensing model is good, their pricing model is good, their service is good; bandwidth is excellent. They're consistent."

"Pricing is fair for Control and the licensing is simple."

"I download the product for free with ConnectWise RMM's license."

"The cloud version is relatively inexpensive, but the on-premise version is expensive if you do not need three technicians, only one or two for concurrent sessions."

More ScreenConnect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

University

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Transportation Company

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	192
Midsize Enterprise	62
Large Enterprise	185

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	7

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Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

June 2026

Download Microsoft Intune product report

Buyer's Guide

Remote Access

June 2026

Download Parallels Access product report

Buyer's Guide

ScreenConnect

May 2026

Download ScreenConnect product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

No data available

ConnectWise Control

Overview

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed for device management, security, and compliance. It supports automation and facilitates endpoint management for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, ensuring data protection and efficient policy enforcement.

Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with tools like Windows Autopilot to automate device setup and deployment. Integrated with Azure Active Directory, it enhances policy management while providing robust reporting and analytics tools for compliance tracking. Despite its intuitive interface aimed at simplifying navigation and device security management, there are challenges such as compatibility issues with Linux and Mac, limited policy support for Android, and demands for better third-party integration. It's widely used for both corporate-owned devices and BYOD scenarios in dynamic IT environments.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Windows Autopilot: Automates device setup for rapid deployment.
Azure Active Directory Integration: Enhances user policy management.
Reporting and Analytics: Improves compliance visibility.
Mobile Application Management: Ensures app security without compromising personal data.
Cloud-Based Management: Allows management from any location.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Time Efficiency: Automation reduces time in policy enforcement and configuration updates.
Enhanced Security: Ensures data protection across corporate-owned and BYOD devices.
Improved Compliance: Advanced reporting tools enhance compliance visibility.
Flexible Management: Cloud-based nature supports management from any location.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturing sectors utilize Intune for managing a distributed workforce across global locations, while educational institutions employ it to secure and manage devices in learning environments supporting both students and faculty.

Microsoft

Parallels Access is a fast and reliable remote access software, enabling users to connect to computers from anywhere. It streamlines operations by allowing access to applications, files, and multiple computers seamlessly.

Parallels Access provides a stable, user-friendly platform with superior desktop and mobile capabilities. Designed for both small and large businesses, it emphasizes ease of use and secure remote access, enhancing user independence, particularly for those with physical limitations. However, it faces challenges including scalability issues for enterprises and aggressive pricing. Reporting and compatibility particularly with Linux and Unix servers need enhancement, alongside integration issues like the copy-and-paste function between iPads and computers.

What are the key features of Parallels Access?

Remote Deployment: Facilitates easy setup for businesses.
Scalability: Supports small to large business needs.
User Independence: Assists users with physical limitations through enhanced control.
Mobile Publishing: Offers superior capabilities for mobile users.
Secure Platform: Ensures high-level security for remote operations.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Operational Efficiency: Offers flexibility by controlling computers via iPads.
Centralized Management: Saves hardware resources.
Application Publishing: Allows independent application deployment.
Use Case Flexibility: Supports CAD and ERP applications.

Entities integrate Parallels Access into their services for remote application access, focusing on efficiency through centralized management. It supports industries such as engineering and education with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure solutions, enabling flexibility and enhancing operational efficiency. Companies work alongside system integrators and channel partners to tailor offerings to customer needs.

Parallels

ScreenConnect enables seamless remote access to desktops and mobile devices with robust security features, minimizing customer downtime and safeguarding interactions.

ScreenConnect stands out with its customization options, allowing users to white-label their software and showcase brand identity in every support interaction. With AES-256 encryption and two-factor authentication, security is integral. The Support Premium edition includes ScreenConnect View, allowing real-time troubleshooting via mobile camera streams. Configurability and granular permissions ensure tailored access for team members, while unattended access and session persistence enhance usability and productivity. Integration capabilities and tool-sharing optimize efficiency, making it ideal for IT service providers.

What features make ScreenConnect unique?

Robust Remote Access: Facilitates seamless connectivity across devices.
Unattended Access: Allows remote management without user presence.
Customization: Offers white-labeling to match brand identity.
Session Persistence: Maintains connections across reboots.
File Transfers: Enables easy exchange of files during sessions.
Integration Capabilities: Enhances software functionality through third-party connections.
Session Groups and Triggers: Organizes sessions efficiently.

What benefits should users look for?

Stable Connectivity: Ensures consistent remote access.
Security: Features robust encryption and authentication measures.
Efficiency: Optimizes IT support processes and resource management.
Customization: Tailors the software to individual brand needs.
Ease of Use: User-friendly interface for straightforward operation.
Scalability: Adapts to the growing demands of organization.

Organizations use ScreenConnect for remote support, providing IT teams with a tool to assist clients efficiently from anywhere. Managed service providers leverage features like unattended access to troubleshoot and manage IT issues across multiple devices. ScreenConnect's adaptability makes it suitable for companies with remote employees, ensuring seamless support and connectivity.

ConnectWise

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

Gilt Groupe K.K.

Jon Rosen Systems

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect

June 2026

Free Report: Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect

Find out what your peers are saying about Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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