Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) vs Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops comparison

Parallels and Red Hat are both solutions in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category. Parallels is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0, while Red Hat is ranked #14 with an average rating of 6.0. Parallels holds a 2.1% mindshare in VD, compared to Red Hat’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Parallels users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 50% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Read 25 Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) reviews

1,511 Views
336 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Red Hat Enterprise Virtuali...

Read 2 Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops reviews

408 Views
239 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Red Hat Enterprise Virtuali...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops and Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) compete in virtualization solutions. Parallels RAS seems to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and perceived value for the price.

Features: Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops values robust security, scalability, and integration with existing Red Hat infrastructure. Parallels RAS stands out with ease of use, application delivery, and versatility across various devices and environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Parallels RAS offers a straightforward deployment model and strong customer service. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops has powerful management tools integrating with existing Red Hat systems, suitable for companies invested in the Red Hat ecosystem.

Pricing and ROI: Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops offers competitive pricing for businesses using Red Hat services, focusing on long-term cost-effectiveness. Parallels RAS presents a higher upfront cost but is considered worth the investment due to advanced features and faster time to value.

To learn more, read our detailed Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) vs. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) vs. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops

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

Parallels Remote Applicatio...

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

10th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Virtualization (4th)

Red Hat Enterprise Virtuali...

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

14th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

2.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) is 2.1%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

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.

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RobertThompson 1

Information Security Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Free version available but hard to understand

Personally, I don't think it has any commendable features. The biggest thing about it is that, compared to what you can do with VMware and Horizon, it just seems like there's an awful lot of extra work involved with the Red Hat virtualization. It doesn't just work out of the box. You have to read through about six different documents, and everybody's experience is different. So it's kind of annoying. That would be the main thing. If you're not a Linux geek, it's very hard to understand. And it's probably because I came out of the Windows world. I learned this as part of my cross-training, but I just found the way that it happens with VMware and all that stuff to be easier to use.

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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

"We use Cloudpaging to package and deploy the vast majority of our applications to our standard Windows 10 desktops. With the use of Parallels integration into Software2 AppsAnywhere hub, this means we can use the same packages to deliver Windows applications to almost any device - Windows, mac OS, iOS, Android, Linux, Xbox One, PS4 - just by ticking a box."

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

"It is robust. We have some 75 users using it and it doesn't lag. It's very speedy."

"Ease of use in publishing apps and installing the agent. The Interface is fairly intuitive after some tinkering. Although I inherited the app only two-thirds deployed, I was able to complete the deployment and service it over the last year without referring to any documentation."

"It is a stable solution."

"It permits us to control the applications that our users are able to get to, in a seamless manner. We're able to distribute applications to users' desktops, just like those applications are on each user's computer, but they're not."

"We can provision the servers without the need for another third-party solution."

"Thin client management (Windows 10 client) provides an easy way to lock down client connection to the remote infrastructure. Policies are very helpful for preconfiguring client behavior. Finally, client management is easy."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) pros

"The most valuable features are automated deployment and transparent movement for virtual machines over all our locations."

"There's lots of good support out there in the community."

"The improvement to our organization is managing all our KVM-based virtual machines in a management environment."

Cons

"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."

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

"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."

"Generally, it is a very good solution. The main thing that I would improve is their presence here in Mexico. They don't have strong local support here in Mexico. They should have a worldwide presence so that we don't have to do everything through the people in the US. The initial setup was a little bit complex because we were migrating from Citrix. For customers who are migrating from another platform like VMware or Citrix, it would be great if they can provide an automated migration solution."

"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."

"It needs Windows scaling on Android/iOS devices. At present, the concept of delivering apps to Android and iOS devices is appealing, but the reality is the screen size on these devices is so small that, unless there is some scaling option, it is not really usable."

"We have had significant, ongoing issues with printing. It would be great to have a best practice for dealing with printing that we can offer to our customers."

"The customization of the web interface could possibly use some improvement. Little things, like being able to place a background image instead of just choosing from a palette of colors, would be nice."

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) cons

"The best improvement for oVirt 4.2 is to enable backup features for major backup products of virtual machines."

"The biggest thing about it is that, compared to what you can do with VMware and Horizon, it just seems like there's an awful lot of extra work involved with Red Hat virtualization."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The pricing has always been competitive, and the new SPLA licensing model works great for our business and clients."

"I don't like the subscription model because it feels like I have to pay every month. If Parallels could go back to the professional license, it would be much better."

"It is very affordable."

"Comparable performance to Citrix for our use case at a significantly lower cost. Pricing is clear and there are relatively few options or other pricing considerations when compared to similar products. Just be sure not to forget the Microsoft licensing that goes along with a Parallels deployment."

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

"I use the free developer stuff right now."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

University

20%

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops?

I use the free developer stuff right now.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops?

I've used it more as a user than as an administrator setting it up. Just mainly getting access to legacy systems and programming that's not Windows 11 compatible.

See all answers

Comparisons

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 12% of the time

Parallels Desktop vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 8% of the time

VMware Workstation vs Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

Compared 6% of the time

More Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) Competitors

Horizon 8 vs Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops

Compared 45% of the time

Oracle VDI vs Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops

Compared 40% of the time

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops

Compared 16% of the time

More Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS)

May 2025

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) report

Download Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) product report

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

May 2025

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops report

Download Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops product report

Also Known As

Parallels RAS

Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops

Overview

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

Parallels

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops complete desktop environments are hosted virtually. Users connect to these virtual desktops using either inexpensive thin clients or re-purposed PCs. No data is actually stored on the thin client - it's stored in a secure centralized location and can be accessed from anywhere. Red Hat Virtualization is an open, software-defined platform that virtualizes Linux and Microsoft Windows workloads. Built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), it features management tools that virtualize resources, processes, and applications providing a foundation for a cloud-native and containerized future.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

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

Casio, Telef‹nica, British Airways

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) vs. Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops

June 2025

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