Parallels Desktop vs. TeamViewer

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Parallels Desktop
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Parallels Desktop is a virtual user session solution built to run Windows on Macintosh computers without rebooting. It is designed for OS X Yosemite with one-click tuning.
$49.99
per license
TeamViewer
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
TeamViewer provides software for both remote management and online collaborations. With TeamViewer, users have access to fully integrated online conference solutions for audio and video communication, including interactive screen sharing and remote access features.
$24.90
per month (billed annually)
Pricing
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
Editions & Modules
Parallels Desktop 16
$49.99
per license
Parallels Desktop Pro Edition
$49.99
per license/per year
Parallels Desktop
$79.99
per license
Parallels Desktop Pro Edition
$99
per license/per year
Parallels Desktop Business Edition
$99.99
per license/per year
Remote Access
$24.90
per month (billed annually) 1 Licensed User
Business
$50.90
per month (billed annually) 1 Licensed User
Premium
$102.90
per month (billed annually) 15 Licensed Users
Corporate
$206.90
per month (billed annually) 30 Licensed Users
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
Considered Both Products
Parallels Desktop
Chose Parallels Desktop
Parallels [Desktop] is more polished and has a friendlier interface than VMware Fusion. While the VMware Fusion licensing model is simpler Parallels [Desktop] innovates faster and optimizes their product more often and with more features that customers want. At their core they …
TeamViewer
Chose TeamViewer
TeamViewer is much faster and had fewer connectivity issues as well as configuration issues as compared to GoToMeeting and LogMeIn. TeamViewer also has a free version that can be used for non-commercial personal use that makes it easily accessible. TeamViewer is competitively …
Chose TeamViewer
The application works very well across all platforms - Windows, Windows Phone, Andriod, Linux, Mac, IOS. There is no doubt, that no matter the end users' OS or platform that we can confidently access their device for a quick and easy resolution. The TeamViewer application is …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
Parallels Desktop
8.2
26 Ratings
1% below category average
TeamViewer
8.2
431 Ratings
1% below category average
Screen sharing9.09 Ratings9.2418 Ratings
File transfer9.823 Ratings8.5401 Ratings
Instant message7.65 Ratings8.0368 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication6.44 Ratings7.9135 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers8.710 Ratings7.1271 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session8.99 Ratings8.9412 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile7.13 Ratings8.0329 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations7.15 Ratings8.7359 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management8.65 Ratings9.879 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard8.511 Ratings7.9278 Ratings
Session record8.87 Ratings8.3273 Ratings
Annotations6.56 Ratings6.788 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts8.98 Ratings7.7204 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control9.49 Ratings8.5328 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
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Score 9.8 out of 10
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Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG
Score 9.7 out of 10
mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.0 out of 10
Remote Desktop Services
Remote Desktop Services
Score 9.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
Likelihood to Recommend
9.4
(30 ratings)
8.4
(482 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(2 ratings)
9.6
(62 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(3 ratings)
9.2
(56 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(6 ratings)
8.9
(50 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.4
(41 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
6.1
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
Parallels DesktopTeamViewer
Likelihood to Recommend
Alludo
I often get asked, why not the "free" stuff (VirtualBox), and/or why not VMWare. VirtualBox, etc. are not as performant for interactive usage. I think they are fine for small applications, perhaps some enterprise app usage, but for developers, it's not good enough. VMWare has become too enterprisey and lacks some of the user-friendly stuff that Parallels focuses on. Ultimately, for developer types running OSes for deep tasks, Parallels is unrivaled.
Read full review
TeamViewer
TeamViewer has been essential for the past 10 years working in support with end users who need assistance with software issues or training. The fact that the software is easy to install and easy to get the correct information to log in quickly has made this my go to for all remote help issues.
Read full review
Pros
Alludo
  • File Transfer - You can easily transfer files between Parallels virtualized desktops and the host desktop either through Copy and Paste functionality, or Drag and Drop. You can also configure shared folders.
  • Switch Between Virtual and Host Desktop - You can configure swipe gestures on a MacBook Pro to be able to switch between the virtualized and host desktop. You can also launch apps from the OS X Taskbar.
  • Performance - Apps in Parallels run quite smoothly on my 2015 MacBook Pro, as of 2020. Considering they are running on a 5-year-old computer, I give Parallels top marks for performance.
Read full review
TeamViewer
  • Give us internationally active remote access to DIAMES servers at customer side for support issues.
  • Give us the opportunity to present our DIAMES solution live to potential new customers without physical visits.
  • Enable us with three business locations on three continents sharing a common IT environment without physical visiting another of our business location.
  • Gives us the opportunity sharing a life problem in our DIAMES application with software tool providers when we recognize a problem for which we need support.
Read full review
Cons
Alludo
  • The ability to do snapshots, backups, and other types of branching for VMs is a little confusing and takes a bit to get used to
  • The Parallels tools frequently pop up windows advertising functionality, while this is helpful at times it can also happen when you are doing a presentation or typing in a password.
  • Careful using the VMs on a shared cloud drive such as Dropbox or OneDrive, there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of files which are updated when running a VM and this can clog up your Dropbox or OneDrive sync for minutes to hours even on a 2gb connection.
Read full review
TeamViewer
  • Sometimes, it is taking a bit of time to start the session (the incoming connection to load), so that the initializing time of the session can be increased
  • There's no option to create own ID as Your ID. So, it will be user-friendly if we can generate our own TeamViewer ID in our desired way
  • When the network connection is changed (connected to a VPN while the session is active), the session gets disconnected, and sometimes have to restart the TeamViewer, so it's better if TeamViewer can identify the network connection changes automatically and automatically reconnect using the new network.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Alludo
Users are familiar with the application which will keep us going for a little while. However since we are seeing a decline for a need for the software, I wouldn't be surprised to find that this answer changes dramatically in the near future. We would probably keep it to some extent, but we would probably reduce our licensing count.
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TeamViewer
We will definitely renew our TeamViewer software license when the time comes. This service works and does not matter on what device you are trying to control (it depends on the license), and it is very responsive and does not seem to use up a lot of data.
Read full review
Usability
Alludo
It has a good integration, including the connection of peripherals. Taking files back and forth works well and I can attach my Home drive as a network drive in Windows. There is even integration with iCloud and other macOS services. There are also a few different display modes which are useful and fleixible (coherence, windowed, full-screen with multiple screens)
Read full review
TeamViewer
Compared to other products I've used (ConnectWise Control), TeamViewer is harder to set up and get connected. It is especially difficult to set up "permanent" unattended remote access, where you want to be able to connect to and control a remote computer without having to exchange codes and passwords every time you connect.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Alludo
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
Always available if setup correctly.
Read full review
Performance
Alludo
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
The application is built on VNC which is a very stable technology.
Read full review
Support Rating
Alludo
So, this rating is a little skewed toward older behavior from Parallels, as I haven't had to contact them recently. However, in an older version of Parallels, an "update" included pop-ups urging users to upgrade to the latest version, implying that their current version wouldn't work for the latest MacOS. I found it very frustrating to be getting ads for a new version of the software in a version I had already paid for. I contacted support about this and got a generic, uncaring response. It was pretty disappointing.
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TeamViewer
the few times i have had to contact teamviewer support, they were very responsive and give me quick answers and seemed to understand my problems quickly and easily. I did not have to sit on the phone for hours on hold or get passed around to multiple phone support techs before finding a solution to my issues, so i would rate their support very highly.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Alludo
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
As expected without any problem! Alternate in-person training is another efficient way to learn how a product works. There are many third party supporters for TeamViewer courses available that can give additional ideas how to use TeamViewer for specific functions and features as we did require in respect of our usage.
Read full review
Online Training
Alludo
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
I have never used the online training either. I have watched a few informational videos that were helpful when learning how to do a specific procedure within TeamViewer and get the most out of the software by utilizing one of the many features that are available with the software. Again, 5 if for neutral.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Alludo
The only advice I can provide is think about who is using the product and build the image based on the true needs of the user.
Read full review
TeamViewer
No nothing that really sticks out. For the most part I have only had to uninstall and reinstall application a couple of times when I hit a glitch. I will say that on a MAC it is a little harder to implement due to Apple's Permissions that need to be set. Sometimes it needs the client to intervene to get those permissions set.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Alludo
Main two features that made the balance decission go to the Parallels Desktop were the possibility to pause the Windows partition easily (allowing to consume less resources in Mac and save battery) and the other one is the user interface feature called "Coherence" with allows you to show the Windows application windows as if they were native to the macOS, allowing for a better user experience.
Read full review
TeamViewer
Horses for courses they say but all around, TeamViewer is the best software for remote management, period. Pulseway's remote desktop can work well on the phone app but on a desktop, it is often unreliable and drops connections. AnyDesk is not appropriate for our business and is only good on a case-by-case basis.
Read full review
Scalability
Alludo
No answers on this topic
TeamViewer
Stay up working. Easy to connect and disconnect. easy way to transfer files to another desktop
Read full review
Return on Investment
Alludo
  • Avoid extra costs: majority of users have a Mac, so if they needed to dod something that is Windows related, it will require to users have an extra computer to do that tasks, and this have a lot of costs
  • Developers have more concerns how websites behaves on Windows only browsers, which increased the satisfaction of users
Read full review
TeamViewer
  • Our travel has decreased significantly, saving a bunch of money but also wear and tear on our fleet vehicles
  • Immediate satisfaction from our customers has greatly increased
  • We now have a significantly higher amount of time available in the office to work on pressing issues.
Read full review
ScreenShots

TeamViewer Screenshots

Screenshot of Connect to devices and provide remote support.Screenshot of All devices are a few clicks away.Screenshot of Monitor and manage devices proactively.Screenshot of Screenshot of Gain visibility into IT by tracking assets.