TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Chrome Remote Desktop

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AChrome Remote Desktop from Google is a cross-platform remote administration and remote desktop tool that requires the Chrome browser and an extension. It is free to use.

    $0

    VMware ESXi

    Score7.4 out of 10
    N/AA bare-metal hypervisor that installs directly onto a physical server. With direct access to and control of underlying resources, VMware ESXi partitions hardware to consolidate applications and cut costs.N/A
    Pricing
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    No answer on this topic
    VMware by Broadcom
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    98%
    Would buy again
    93 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    12 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    86 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    11 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    94 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    99%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    82 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    91 Answers
    Features
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Chrome Remote Desktop and VMware ESXi
    Feature
    Chrome Remote Desktop
    8.3
    21 Ratings
    5% above category average
    VMware ESXi
    -
    Ratings
    Screen sharing6.720 Ratings00 Ratings
    File transfer7.611 Ratings00 Ratings
    Instant message7.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.610 Ratings00 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session9.221 Ratings00 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile8.017 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations9.319 Ratings00 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard9.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Session record9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annotations9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control7.015 Ratings00 Ratings
    Server Virtualization
    Comparison of Server Virtualization features of Chrome Remote Desktop and VMware ESXi
    Feature
    Chrome Remote Desktop
    -
    Ratings
    VMware ESXi
    8.2
    128 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Virtual machine automated provisioning00 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
    Management console00 Ratings9.0128 Ratings
    Live virtual machine backup00 Ratings8.0112 Ratings
    Live virtual machine migration00 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
    Hypervisor-level security00 Ratings8.0117 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Small Businesses
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Proxmox VE
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    VMware vSOM (discontinued)
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    IBM PowerVM
    Score9.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.5
    (21 ratings)
    9.0
    (129 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (7 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    3.8
    (7 ratings)
    10.0
    (55 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.1
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Chrome Remote DesktopVMware ESXi
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    It is well suited in cases where your company/organization is looking for a low/no cost remote desktop solution, or is looking for something that can be used by most anyone right away. Most organizations don't want things to be too complex, especially with a remote desktop solution, which is generally not very complex software to begin with. It would be less appropriate in cases where the company/organization has already purchased licensing for a commercial product, and/or has been heavily using a commercial product for some time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    If you're looking for the industry standard in server virtualization, I would recommend ESXi. After decades of expertise in the field, VMware continues to provide a strong product, production-ready, with an easy-to-learn interface that allows for quick management along with less costly upfront onboarding and training. Grab the free personal-use license and install in your homelab to start!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • Unlike Microsoft's Remote Desktop, this program is the same across platforms, which is helpful for users.
    • This program also allows direct control over the desktop (like TeamViewer) and doesn't give you a simulated log on (like Remote Desktop). This is advantageous for seeing exactly what's on the screen but can make it a little laggy.
    • The interface is very nice and clear once it's set up. It's obvious which computer is which and it's just a couple of clicks from opening the program to a connection.
    • The mobile app is also really really well done.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • Resource management. The automatic load balancing works very well to ensure no host is taxed disproportionately compared to the others.
    • Templates and cloning. It is very easy to set up a template and spin up new servers based on a specific setup. This makes server management very streamlined.
    • VM management. The vSphere interface is very easy to use and navigate. Everything is responsive and it works when you need it to. The options are also robust while also being arranged in a straightforward manner.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • More fluid video rendering. Does a good job, but could use a more consistent framerate at times.
    • A way to easier switch between multiple monitors.
    • Adding an ability to zoom for multi-monitor display. Sometimes on a single screen it can get difficult to read if trying to view them all.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • VMware ESXi can improve on the UI that is installed on the bare metal machine. The menus can be hard to navigate when looking for simple configuration items.
    • VMware ESXi can improve on the stability of their overall hypervisor. There have been a few times we had to reinstall due to corruption of VMware ESXi.
    • I would like to see VMware ESXi do better at adding more standard free features in their consumer version of VMware ESXi. For example, having the ability to back up virtual machines is good practice and something that would be very nice if offered in their free version.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    A very easy lightweight tool that is completely scalable and deployed via google admin platform. The tool is free to use and works extremely well with the chrome devices we currently have deployed. Any organization using chrome or google suites should look into this tool as it's much easier to use then other remote software in the market
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    It is critical to our business, what started out as a way to do certain functions, it has now become core to ensuring our product is available to our customers and reducing our costs to operate and reduce our recovery time and provisioning servers. Their support is great and the costs to renew is reasonable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    Just a great product that has saved countless hours of commute to work and given the flexibility to be able to work from anywhere, whether at home or when away on holiday overseas. I love that it is a free product and is just as great as its competitors' products. It has also allowed me to prepare for work for the following day.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    The interface is fairly intuitive for most things, and the areas that are a little less obvious usually have fantastic documentation in the online knowledgebase. In 3-4 years of managing our ESXi hosts, I think that I have only opened 4-5 support cases for things that I could not figure out myself or find answers to on the website.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    VMware by Broadcom
    Without the need to patch the servers with bug fixes and enhancements we whave not experienced any downtime with VMware issues. Even the bug fixes and updates do not cause of downtime as we just migrate the servers to the opposite node and update the one and then move servers back. Very simple and painless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    VMware by Broadcom
    We do not notice any difference between a physical and virtual server running the same workload. In fact we can scale quicker with the virtual server than we can with the physical.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Google
    The only support I ever accessed were help files and web tutorials. I never tried to access personal support, mostly because I don't believe much of it is available. As a free service, my expectations for support are pretty low; that said, Chrome Remote Desktop is easy enough to configure and troubleshoot even with limited technical knowledge.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    I can't say enough good about VMware's support team. To an individual they take ownership of the case, provide thorough answers, and follow up regularly. On one occasion, a problem we experienced with NSX Endpoint was escalated to development for a permanent resolution after a workaround was found. In my experience, most companies would have tried to find a way to close a case like that instead of taking it all the way. Most importantly, when production is down and every second counts, they VMware teams understand that urgency and treat your issue as if it were the only one they had to deal with. You can't ask for better.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    None, its quick and easy
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    Jsut read and follow anything your storage provider may require to allow the integration of VMware with storage operations, outside of that VMware jsut works.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    Chrome Remote Desktop seems to be a an easy to use and efficient program. Such as TeamViewer, however TeamViewer offers more program features such as able to control a device's function (shutting down, restarting, audio input, cmd etc). With those added program features I believe Chrome Remote Desktop can almost be up to par with TeamViewer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    As long as you're using Nutanix AOS on Nutanix hardware and are paying their software support fees, AOS is a valid competitor to VMware and can save money due to not needing a license and having their server management system built into the base host management system. If you aren't using Nutanix hardware, however, VMWare is in most cases the best way to go. I cannot comment on HyperV, but most IT people I know either use it because they have to (most) or they like it better (not many).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    VMware by Broadcom
    it has been fair and easy to understand. I know VMware is looking at wanting to change from CPU to core pricing so we will see what that looks like when it happens.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    VMware by Broadcom
    We started out with a two-server cluster and adding a third or fourth is very straightforward and simple with no issues. You just need to be aware of the size of your Vcenter Server to handle the workload, but still the resources needed is very minimal
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • Using Chrome Remote Desktop, we've saved money on remote desktop software.
    • Using Chrome Remote Desktop, we've saved money by not needing to purchase additional hardware (monitors).
    • Using Chrome Remote Desktop has improved the productivity of my organization by allowing employees to work from anywhere.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • VMWare ESXi licensing is affordable for our business - and the licensing model is simplistic. Not like that of Microsoft with having to keep track of server licenses and CAL licenses for users.
    • VMWare ESXi also has hardware-monitoring built-in, so that further saves us money from having to be spent with another vendor.
    • As much as I hate the saying "a single pane of glass" does fit for this product. You can manage your servers, monitor hardware status, create and export backup snapshots, manage virtual NICs, connect to various storage devices. We're very happy with this product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Chrome Remote Desktop Screenshots

    Screenshot of the option to share a screen or access another computer in Chrome Remote Desktop.Screenshot of the screen to setup a remote connection.