Parallels Desktop vs VMware Player comparison

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3,884 views|3,323 comparisons
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3,869 views|3,632 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Parallels Desktop and VMware Player based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Parallels Desktop vs. VMware Player Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Mark Hardy
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I like how, with Parallels, you can either boot into Mac or Windows to get better control over the resources of the laptops since you're sharing the resources in dual mode.""Parallels Desktop integrates seamlessly with macOS. It works better than VMware on Apple operating systems."

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"The solution's technical support team is excellent.""The most valuable feature of VMware Player is the ability to snapshot with or without memory.""VMware Player's best feature is the ability to run different OS's simultaneously.""It's really easy to build testing environments with VMware Player.""VMware Player helps you to virtualize and install Ubuntu or any other operating system, even on a Windows laptop."

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Cons
"There may have been some issues with device drivers on my Mac. Similarly, there are some issues with transferring data from Parallels to the Mac.""The biggest challenge is compatibility between VMware and Parallels because the two systems are incompatible. It can be challenging if you are switching between Windows and Mac. I recommend sticking with one product because there isn't good compatibility between the different products."

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"VMware Player isn't downgradable, so if you have a later set of VMs, you need to upgrade it or figure out a workaround.""The tool has limited scalability.""Its networking features need improvement.""When you go to work on a server, it opens up the whole window, and that causes an error inside VMware Player.""VMware Player should provide a cloud version with no limitations to hardware resources."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
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  • "It has the best licensing modules."
  • "The solution's pricing is almost the same as what Google Cloud, AWS, or Microsoft would charge you."
  • "With all its support and ease of use, VMware Player's pricing is fair."
  • More VMware Player Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:I like how, with Parallels, you can either boot into Mac or Windows to get better control over the resources of the laptops since you're sharing the resources in dual mode.
    Top Answer:If you want the standard version, it is more expensive but more advanced. You get what you pay for. These products cost money, and the company has to make a profit.
    Top Answer:There may have been some issues with device drivers on my Mac. Similarly, there are some issues with transferring data from Parallels to the Mac.
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature of VMware Player is the ability to snapshot with or without memory.
    Top Answer:When you go to work on a server, it opens up the whole window, and that causes an error inside VMware Player. You'll see it on your web front, and you'll be unable to change the resolution. You can't… more »
    Top Answer:We use VMware Player mostly to connect the server hosting the client. I use the solution more like a manager.
    Ranking
    Views
    3,884
    Comparisons
    3,323
    Reviews
    2
    Average Words per Review
    406
    Rating
    7.5
    Views
    3,869
    Comparisons
    3,632
    Reviews
    5
    Average Words per Review
    281
    Rating
    8.8
    Comparisons
    Learn More
    Parallels
    Video Not Available
    Overview
    Parallels Desktop Business Edition brings Windows and Windows applications to employees on Mac and enables integration of Mac computers into any work environment from education to financial services, technology, consulting, or medical. Optimized for Windows 10 and 7, macOS High Sierra, and Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. It can help employees to run business-critical applications without compromise: Microsoft Office, Visual Studio, Quicken and QuickBooks for Windows, Access, Project, Autodesk Revit and Inventor, CorelDRAW, ArcGIS, Visio, QuickBooks, Internet Explorer and Adobe Photoshop. Parallels Desktop restricts External Device Access that enforces policies on the use of USB devices, smart cards, and any other external devices plugged into a Mac, for use in Windows. It creates an Expiring Virtual Machines, time-bound and encrypted, that will automatically expire and lock at a defined time to ensure additional security when corporate data is shared externally. Also, Parallels Desktop Business Edition can be deployed through standard software deployment tools. Mass deployment is supported with Jamf Pro, Apple Remote Desktop, IBM Endpoint Manager, Parallels Mac Management for Microsoft SCCM, and other solutions.

    VMware Player, or VMware Player Plus, is described by VMware as the easiest way to run a virtual machine on Windows or Linux PCs in a commercial environment. If you want to deliver a managed desktop to your employees, customers, students, contractors, or partners, then this virtual desktop solution is the way to go.

    VMware Player provides the most advanced virtualization platform available, which is capable of supporting even extremely demanding applications. Even though the platform is so advanced, the user interface is simple and easy-to-use.

    There is seamless integration with Windows XP and Windows XP applications even if the machine itself is a Windows 7 PC, a Windows 8 PC, or even Linux-based. It also gives your IT person the capability of restricting the virtual machines by requiring runtime passwords, adding an expiration date, blocking USB devices, or encrypting the machines. By using VMware vCenter Converter, VMware Player can even convert old machines into virtual machines without you needing to re-configure or re-install any applications.

    Sample Customers
    Lytro, University of Washington, Slalom, Veeva Systems, Oklahoma Christian University
    Akademiska Hus
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Educational Organization10%
    University8%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    University9%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government8%
    Company Size
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business32%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise51%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business50%
    Midsize Enterprise33%
    Large Enterprise17%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise62%
    Buyer's Guide
    Parallels Desktop vs. VMware Player
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Parallels Desktop vs. VMware Player and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Parallels Desktop is ranked 10th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 2 reviews while VMware Player is ranked 8th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 10 reviews. Parallels Desktop is rated 7.6, while VMware Player is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Parallels Desktop writes "A great platform to develop interoperable code on". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware Player writes "A highly stable solution that has the ability to snapshot with or without memory". Parallels Desktop is most compared with VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation, NComputing vSpace, NVIDIA GRID and Oracle VDI, whereas VMware Player is most compared with VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation, VMware Horizon and Citrix Workspace. See our Parallels Desktop vs. VMware Player report.

    See our list of best Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) vendors.

    We monitor all Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.