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Citrix DaaS vs. Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Citrix DaaS

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ACitrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, or XenDesktop) is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and application virtualization solution from Citrix.

    $375

    RDCMan

    Score7 out of 10
    N/ARDCMan, or Remote Desktop Connection Manager from Microsoft, is a utility for managing multiple remote desktop connections. Once shut down due to a vulnerability in version 2.7, RDCMan is now updated and part of the Sysinternals family of tools. The 2.8 release fixes CVE-2020-0765, the XML parsing vulnerability. As of May, 2025, RDCMan is in version 3.1.

    $0

    Pricing
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Editions & Modules
    Virtual Apps
    $375
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Considered Both Products
    Cloud Software Group
    Chose Citrix DaaS
    VMware
    Incentivized
    Chose Citrix DaaS
    We have tried two alternates, one of which is not listed in this web sites database. Normal MS Remote Desktop Services/Terminal Services and 2X Applications Services. Both had similar offerings to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (formerly XenDesktop), but both had the same …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    22 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    21 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    22 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    16 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    17 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Citrix DaaS and Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
    Feature
    Citrix DaaS
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
    6.4
    6 Ratings
    21% below category average
    Screen sharing00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
    File transfer00 Ratings5.36 Ratings
    Instant message00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings5.03 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session00 Ratings7.55 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile00 Ratings5.04 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations00 Ratings9.36 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management00 Ratings7.34 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Session record00 Ratings4.93 Ratings
    Annotations00 Ratings4.03 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings7.74 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Small Businesses
    VMware Fusion
    Score7.4 out of 10
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    VMware Fusion
    Score7.4 out of 10
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    VMware Workstation Player
    Score9.9 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (55 ratings)
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.2
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    7.7
    (3 ratings)
    Availability
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.4
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.9
    (8 ratings)
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    2.4
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.2
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    5.2
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Citrix DaaSRDCMan
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cloud Software Group
    DaaS is ideal in large-scale environments that require centralized, secure management. Remote workforces at large organizations. Highly regulated industries like finance. It allows for easy security and monitoring over one aspect instead of multiple remote machines. DaaS is not ideal for organizations with small budgets due to the pricing and organizations with lousy network connectivity. This would make the end-user experience terrible.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    As a IT specialist we have some servers we need acces to. I like to use Remote Desktop Connection Manager because it feel like you are on the computer. Is feel very trusted. Some colleagues use the Azure remote desktop version but I always recommend the windows integrated option. We also have our primary business application running on a server so they use a remote desktop connection too to log on to the server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cloud Software Group
    • Enables remote access anywhere, to any device which eliminates managing the endpoints how traditional VPN would require.
    • Integrates well with modern applications to offer optimized user experiences similar to native applications which increases user acceptance.
    • Extremely flexible in how policies are applied to different use cases to ensure the appropriate security mitigations are in place with minimal effort.
    • Easy to maintain and expand environments to fit business needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • I can see previews of all the machines working at the same time.
    • Having all password in one place.
    • Organization of devices based on purpose, configuration, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cloud Software Group
    • A single console to manage the environment.
    • The configuration is a bit complicated and we have hired Citrix administrators. But it's a good solution.
    • User profiles need improvement. They could use more stability and more functionality as well as user profile redirection.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • When trying to connect to a server/machine, and it doesn't connect, there is a "Disconnected" message that is displayed in the thumbnail. There is no information beyond this that explains why the server/machine did/could not connect. It would be helpful to the IT Administrator to know this information, even if Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) kept a log somewhere where this information can be analyzed.
    • There doesn't seem to be an option for connecting to a server that is usually only able to be accessed from a jump server. This will not connect if the server is set up as a server/machine within RDCman. This would be a beneficial feature to have within RDCman. Maybe one of the missing options is to be able to set this in the prospects for the jump server (within the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) window).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cloud Software Group
    Because it has been a mainstay of our business for many years.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Cloud Software Group
    Getting the environment setup took me three months of off and on work, with 3 complete rebuilds of the environment. Utilizing the WebUI to access the environment had presented so many random issues that we had to require end users to use the Citrix Reciever App. As it was the only stable solution. Aside from that, it hasn't required much admin intervention since the stand-up was completed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    As alluded to in previous responses it is a very functional tool. It allows me to do my job quickly and efficiently every single day. There are little to no issues using the connection on a day to day basis. It handles everything you need from a remote connection perspective.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Cloud Software Group
    Xendesktop did a great job with HA of all the components.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Cloud Software Group
    The performance of XenDesktop is the best in the industry because of the fine-tuned protocol and years of updating. Overall, I don't think there is a better performer on the market. The question is if the added complexity of running XenDesktop is really worth the performance gain. While the latest version of XenDesktop is the easiest to deploy so far, it is still more challenging than the competitors.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Cloud Software Group
    The support is great when you get an engineer that knows what they are doing but getting that individual sometimes takes a while. Overall, they are professional and polite and competent in their knowledge. Sometimes the cases are open for an extended period of time which becomes very frustrating when dealing with critical issues.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Plenty of information and support online, and with many things it's pretty straight forward for the average tech to navigate and work with. But with most things online you're not the only person that's had the issue before, and using a search engine you should be able to figure it out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Cloud Software Group
    I was self trained
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Cloud Software Group
    Easy to understand and learn at my own pace
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Cloud Software Group
    Take it slow and read the directions each step of the way. If you are not familiar with Citrix products, use a reseller or other experienced engineer to assist you in the setup of your environment
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Cloud Software Group
    Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops is platform agnostic (we can use any underlying hypervisor technology) and really flexible for any use case. Using a golden image and provisioning it (with Machine Creation Services or Provisioning Services) is powerful and really straightforward, compared to the complexity in Microsoft RDS of maintaining a coherent farm, or the limitation of VMware Horizon to run on VMware Products.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    RDCMan outshines TeamViewer in every possible way. It’s fast, more reliable, and easier to use. I have had frequent crashes and issues when using TeamViewer, while none with RDCMan. Screen responsiveness also seems much better with RDCMan versus TeamViewer. I would often experience lag issues when using TeamViewer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Cloud Software Group
    Easily scalable
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Cloud Software Group
    • XenApp has allowed us to continue support of legacy applications and all access of those applications to users across the globe with any device.
    • XenApp can also manage software licenses by restricting number of users, number of concurrent sessions, or combination of both to required specification.
    • While initial investment in XenApp can be costly, continuing support and upgrade are very cost effective and product stability is excellent.
    • While there are competing products from Microsoft and VMware, when it comes to remote application access, XenApp is the best of breed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • its less time consuming for IT engineers because they have everything on one please
    • less FTE for the tasks
    • Lack of MFA option
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    RDCMan Screenshots

    Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.81