VMware Fusion vs VMware Horizon Cloud comparison

Cancel
You must select at least 2 products to compare!
VMware Logo
7,240 views|6,586 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
VMware Logo
2,501 views|2,100 comparisons
88% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between VMware Fusion and VMware Horizon Cloud 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 VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon Cloud Report (Updated: May 2024).
770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The most value that it provides is that it is versatile.""The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.""It is a highly stable solution.""The whole point of it is to run Windows VMs on a Mac. This is the most valuable feature. There is snapshotting, but we don't really use that. The Pro version allows me to actually attach to the Windows ESXi infrastructure at the backend, and I'm able to create a session that I can attach to the VMware hooks at the backend, so one is running a VM, and the whole operating system is running on the actual Mac. The other one is literally a frontend to the VMs that are running in the infrastructure at the backend. These are the two main features I use."

More VMware Fusion Pros →

"The interface is much easier to use compared to Microsoft and other VDI vendors that are well known on the market. I like VMware so much more than the others. With Horizon Cloud, you don't need to spend a lot of money upfront to buy the infrastructure. You can use it the on the cloud, so it lowers the barriers to entry. It's easier to test it and get started. Some clients stay in the cloud, but others prefer to go on-premise. It depends on the nature of the client.""The product’s on-premise version has the ability to create an image of any updates or changes in the system.""The tool remains pretty stable.""Its advanced management features are the most valuable, especially power management. One of the really important things was to be able to have power management in a consumption world. This means that unlike a Microsoft environment, you could actually turn off virtual desktops or have them start up and shut down. If you're consuming resources in the public cloud, you want to be able to do that because when you're not using those, such as at the weekend, you want to be able to turn them off. So, the advanced options for managing the BDIs are very important.""The product allows a VPN connection, adding extra value to its features.""The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is all of its capabilities together.""The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon Cloud is the ability to manage a great number of desktops at once and the remote access for users that are working from outside of the office or from different offices in the country.""I honestly liked the application itself because it was just like using a desktop. You could copy and paste, inside and outside, and you could use multiple monitors. You could access it anytime, anywhere, no matter whether you were in the office or out of the office. I could leave the office, go somewhere, go back in, and everything would be there. I could just leave it up and running. I absolutely love this feature in VMware Horizon Cloud."

More VMware Horizon Cloud Pros →

Cons
"The way they handle snapshotting can be improved. One time, I moved a machine from one to another, and I tried to pull it up on the second machine, but it didn't work. This was because I had not cleaned up the snapshot before I deleted it and moved it across. So, when I tried to pull it up, it wouldn't let me bring it up. The backups for the VMs themselves can also be improved. I pretty much have to rely on Windows backups and not something on VMware. That's where it needs improvement. I am able to upload from my Fusion into the ESXi easily. I'm able to spin something up on Fusion and push it into the big arena, but the reverse is not as easy, that is, trying to pull something down from that. I would love to have a functionality where I could pull something from the VMware infrastructure into Fusion, but I'm not sure if I can take something from ESXi and pull it into Fusion.""VMware Fusion's licensing cost needs improvement.""Its installation process could be simpler.""I would like to see newer and updated cloud functions."

More VMware Fusion Cons →

"The product has a lot of bugs.""The application remoting features have some room for improvement.""It can be very expensive to scale up because each part of scaling up requires you to have new components of the infrastructure.""There should be more emphasis on the Workspace One access part of the solution. This is essentially identity management provided with Horizon. There needs to be some kind of integration because you are able to have all of these desktops on any device, but you have to have this other component to make it easier from a single sign-on perspective. That's why there should be an emphasis on Workspace One access. It actually comes free with the product, but people don't really know how powerful it can be.""It is very expensive. Its price needs to be improved. They can do a better job with external resources such as a USB or a hard drive. When I tried to connect using these external resources, it failed a lot of times. I had to do a shared connection with a local laptop and then connect from a network standpoint, rather than through VMware Horizon point. They definitely have weaknesses with external connections. A lot of companies probably don't let people use external connections because it defeats the purpose of having a cloud solution and keeping the data in a secure area. You can copy to an external device, and you can lose the data. A lot of companies may not focus on this feature, but if you are providing it, you should make it work.""In the design phase, sometimes the tools for designing Horizon solutions have issues when they're calculating the number of nodes and platforms needed to support the VDI systems.""Logging into VMware Horizon Cloud could be made easier. Additionally, the VMs could be better in their performance."

More VMware Horizon Cloud Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Starting with version 12, it is now free on a Mac for personal use. Fusion Pro has a cost."
  • "The cost varies depending on the season and whether it is scaled up or scaled down, but I would guess that it's approximately $1,000 per month."
  • "I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced."
  • More VMware Fusion Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "It is too expensive as compared to other solutions because of which we don't use it that much. We tend to go more for Hyper-V or Azure just because VMware licensing is quite up there. We sway people away from VMware Horizon Cloud. We have some clients who already have it. They stay on it for a little while, and then most of them end up moving off when we provide them a better solution that isn't as license heavy cost-wise."
  • "For what you get, it is very compelling. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership of this type of piece of software in terms of being able to utilize it as a cloud service. I don't have to run everything on-premises. When you look at the total cost of just being able to use it and then being able to point it to any public or private cloud, it is very compelling. You have one less thing to manage."
  • "There is a license required for the use of this solution and there are different tier levels available."
  • "VMware Horizon Cloud is a low-cost solution. The model that they have is consumption-based. However, some features are expensive."
  • "VMware Horizon Cloud is an expensive solution. This solution is approximately 30 percent more than Microsoft Azure Cloud. There can be extra costs."
  • "I rate VMware Horizon Cloud pricing a ten out of ten."
  • "Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out."
  • More VMware Horizon Cloud Pricing and Cost Advice →

    report
    Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions are best for your needs.
    770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.
    Top Answer:I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced.
    Top Answer:The solution could be a little more stable.
    Top Answer:Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out. Though I find Citrix to be an expensive product compared to VMware Horizon Cloud because of all the feature… more »
    Top Answer:VMware Horizon Cloud's VDI stacks are being sold off. Considering VMware Horizon Cloud's VDI stacks complexity, even before its sell out, I feel Citrix can do a couple of pieces of infrastructure to… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    7,240
    Comparisons
    6,586
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    212
    Rating
    9.0
    Views
    2,501
    Comparisons
    2,100
    Reviews
    5
    Average Words per Review
    339
    Rating
    8.4
    Comparisons
    Learn More
    Overview
    VMware Fusion is a software hypervisor for Macintosh computers. VMware Fusion allows Intel-based Macs to run operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, NetWare, or Solaris on virtual machines, along with their Mac OS X operating system using a combination of paravirtualization, hardware virtualization and dynamic recompilation.

    The VMware Horizon Cloud Service delivers feature-rich virtual desktops and applications using a purpose-built cloud platform that is scalable across multiple deployment options, including fully managed infrastructure from VMware, public cloud infrastructure from Microsoft Azure, or on-premises hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI). The service supports a cloud-scale architecture that makes it easy to deliver virtualized Windows desktops and applications to any device, anytime. And, with a flexible subscription model and turnkey solutions, organizations can easily get up and running and scale quickly.

    Sample Customers
    NetApp
    Marriott, Sprint
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company13%
    University11%
    Educational Organization10%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company12%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    Government9%
    Comms Service Provider7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Midsize Enterprise57%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business44%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise44%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise64%
    Buyer's Guide
    VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon Cloud
    May 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon Cloud and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
    770,141 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    VMware Fusion is ranked 7th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 5 reviews while VMware Horizon Cloud is ranked 10th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 9 reviews. VMware Fusion is rated 9.0, while VMware Horizon Cloud is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of VMware Fusion writes "Robust software with efficient snapshot and cloning features". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware Horizon Cloud writes "Easy to use, stable, and scalable". VMware Fusion is most compared with Parallels Desktop, VMware Workstation, VMware Player, VMware Horizon View and VMware Horizon, whereas VMware Horizon Cloud is most compared with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, VMware Horizon, Citrix Workspace, Oracle VDI and Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service). See our VMware Fusion vs. VMware Horizon Cloud 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.