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Horizon 8 vs VMware Workstation comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

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

Horizon 8
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
114
Ranking in other categories
User Virtualization (1st)
VMware Workstation
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Horizon 8 is 7.8%, down from 13.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Workstation is 15.4%, up from 15.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad JunaidJawed - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps ensure data leaks do not occur from the base machine to VDI while multi-instance capabilities remain limited
I have been using Horizon for two years. It provides my DevOps team access to PAM and server through the provider The solution has helped ensure data leaks do not occur from the base machine to VDI, and it saves data through API copyright. The solution has data leak prevention features that…
Shambhu Narayan  Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-manage solution that has really good customer support compared to other market players
VMware Workstation makes it easy to manage all the resources that we are handling. VMware Workstation has reduced our infrastructure cost. If someone wants machines, I can create them easily using the solution. VMware Workstation is easier to manage than other workstations like Oracle Workstation. VMware Workstation is an easy-to-manage solution, and its support is really good compared to other market players. Overall, I rate VMware Workstation an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The app virtualizing is a great feature."
"The embedded features of the solution are valuable."
"The initial setup is very simple and straightforward."
"VMware Horizon View is easy to configure and deploy."
"I like VMware Horizon's ability and performance."
"I appreciate how simple and straightforward the operation of VMware Horizon View is."
"Great sorting feature to create UI on demand."
"The ease of customizing the terminal, including the ability to add or decrease memory."
"I have found this product excellent for test/dev environments. This is 90% of what I use this product for."
"Great at solving connection problems."
"VMware Workstation’s most valuable feature is virtualization technology."
"VMware Workstation has tons of third-party support, the largest partner ecosystem. VMware works with a ton of different vendors. They have plugins for almost everything. Other hypervisors lack the flexibility that VMware Workstation offers."
"The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up."
"The initial setup is simple and takes only five minutes to complete."
"VMware Workstation allows you to run a virtual machine."
"I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
 

Cons

"They could incorporate an application library for application learning and licensing."
"I would like to see more useful monitoring within users and a more useful help desk."
"Sometimes, the protocol itself gets a bit laggy. If you have less than optimal switching and routing, it can get kind of laggy."
"My deployment is complex and I hope it will only take a month."
"The storage expansion in the product is a bit difficult to manage, especially when I have to modify a storage requirement of a particular area since it comes across as a complex job."
"There is room for improvement in security features."
"Considering the tool's weaknesses, the product probably has scope for some improvement in the context of how the applications or Linux operating systems are delivered using VMware Horizon View."
"There are some licensing issues in VMware Horizon"
"I have had issues with the virtual network adapters in the past that has taken some time to troubleshoot."
"The solution can be expensive."
"The product’s virtual machine data backup feature needs upgrading."
"The tool can improve network storage technology."
"The product's integration capabilities are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"The product is outdated."
"VMware Player isn't downgradable, so if you have a later set of VMs, you need to upgrade it or figure out a workaround."
"It would be helpful if VMware Workstation included an in-built monitoring tool for monitoring things."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product cost a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is high price, and ten is low price."
"I cannot provide a detailed comment on the pricing; however, I can say that it is quite expensive."
"VMware Horizon's costs are high."
"There is a monthly subscription for the use of this solution and it is expensive."
"The solution is expensive."
"Horizon 7 is cheaper than some competitors, like Citrix, because it includes solutions for the server side, the VDI side, and the hypervisor side."
"The license for this product is paid on a monthly basis."
"We pay a monthly licensing fee for VMware Horizon."
"Licensing fees are paid on an annual basis."
"The pricing is a bit steep in my opinion for testing and there are other options."
"The product has a moderate price."
"VMware Workstation's costs are lifetime."
"It has the best licensing modules."
"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"I use the free version of VMware Workstation."
"It is an expensive solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial setup is easy, and the product is very stable and reliable. I think the fact th...
What do you like most about VMware Horizon 7?
VMware offers a friendly environment, and it's easy to provide the user with the package. It is a bundled solution that is readily deployable. The advantage lies in its simplicity, it requires mini...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Horizon 7?
We paid a lot of money for software that is not really fully operational out of the box. We had to have patches from VMware to get it into production. Hence, we lost a lot of time implementing the ...
Which VMware solution would you go with - Workstation or vSphere?
VM Workstation’s setup is so easy, you can use it almost instantly, it works well with Windows and Linux. We like VM Workstation primarily to test environments to determine how well a solution will...
What do you like most about VMware Workstation?
The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up.
What needs improvement with VMware Workstation?
The product's integration capabilities are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required.
 

Also Known As

VMware Horizon, VMware Horizon View, Mware Dynamic Environment Manager
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

LCMC Health
Akademiska Hus
Find out what your peers are saying about Horizon 8 vs. VMware Workstation and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.