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

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Citrix DaaS
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, or XenDesktop) is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and application virtualization solution from Citrix.
$375
RDCMan
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
RDCMan, or Remote Desktop Connection Manager from Microsoft, creates a single location for IT administrators to organize, group and manage connections, allowing users to manage multiple desktops.
$199
Starting Price
Pricing
Citrix DaaSMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Editions & Modules
Virtual Apps
$375
1 User
$199.00
Starting Price
5 Users
$779.00
Starting Price
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Citrix DaaSRDCMan
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Citrix DaaSMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Considered Both Products
Citrix DaaS
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 …
RDCMan

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Citrix DaaSMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Citrix DaaS
-
Ratings
Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
8.1
3 Ratings
2% below category average
Screen sharing00 Ratings6.72 Ratings
File transfer00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Instant message00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Session record00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Citrix DaaSMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
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Score 8.4 out of 10
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Medium-sized Companies
VMware Fusion
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Score 8.4 out of 10
mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
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Score 8.4 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
Citrix DaaSMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(54 ratings)
10.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.2
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(6 ratings)
-
(0 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 DaaSMicrosoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
Likelihood to Recommend
Citrix
Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops is best in class for offering a great user experience in VDI, server-based sessions, or published apps. Using additional GPU allows uses like rich video, 3D apps, and great modern uses (MS Teams, Office 365, Zoom, etc.). Citrix products are very well integrated (Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops used with Citrix ADC is the best way to secure access and monitor everything).
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Microsoft
The RDCMan software is highly effective at allowing me to organize and manage a large number of servers, and desktop computers. It’s quick and easy to use. It’s also highly reliable. In all the years that I have used it, I have never once experienced a crash or any other sort of error.
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Pros
Citrix
  • 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.
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Microsoft
  • Quick
  • Easy
  • Minimal work on user end
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Cons
Citrix
  • 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.
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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).
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Likelihood to Renew
Citrix
Because it has been a mainstay of our business for many years.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Usability
Citrix
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.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Citrix
Xendesktop did a great job with HA of all the components.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Performance
Citrix
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.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Citrix
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.
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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.
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In-Person Training
Citrix
I was self trained
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Citrix
Easy to understand and learn at my own pace
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Citrix
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
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Citrix
I never had the chance to test other products like these since whenever I read and searched online during the first phase it was only popping up Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.... so we got in touch with the sales department and the rest is history. After the technical consultation, it was more obvious that the implementation would have been very easy and the security layers are very well for my company.
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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.
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Scalability
Citrix
Easily scalable
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Citrix
  • 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.
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Microsoft
  • One positive impact it's had was that it has made it easier to manage servers since this could be done from a central location and through only one program. This, in effect, has helped to increase efficiency and save the time of those doing server management.
  • Another positive impact was that it is a product that could be deployed/installed by almost anyone, and one that fits reasonably quickly. It also doesn't use a whole lot of system resources when running, so this, in turn, helps the IT/Server Administrators still be efficient in the other work they have to do.
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ScreenShots