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Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop

Overview

What is Parallels Desktop?

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.

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Recent Reviews
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 14 features
  • File transfer (23)
    9.8
    98%
  • Screen sharing (9)
    9.0
    90%
  • Access to sleeping/powered-off computers (10)
    8.7
    87%
  • Centralized management dashboard (11)
    8.5
    85%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Parallels Desktop 16

$49.99

On Premise
per license

Parallels Desktop Pro Edition

$49.99

On Premise
per license/per year

Parallels Desktop

$79.99

On Premise
per license

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac - VM Explorer Demo

YouTube
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Features

Remote Administration

Remote administration software is used to control a computer from a remote location.

8.2
Avg 8.3
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Product Details

What is Parallels Desktop?

Parallels Desktop Video

How to Run Windows on Mac : Parallels Desktop for Mac

Parallels Desktop Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Reviewers rate File transfer highest, with a score of 9.8.

The most common users of Parallels Desktop are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(84)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 30)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
March 26, 2024

Ultimate Decision Yes or No? YES!

Joshua O'Hazza | TrustRadius Reviewer
Joshua O'Hazza
Founder & CEO
WE APPIT LLC (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Ive only had the solution for 2 months and i'am hooked and i have more to explore and learn about this solution as well as the other resources they have for me to utilize. I think it was pretty well developed with the user in mind the entire time!
February 22, 2024

Desktop virtualization with power and ease.

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Education Management Company, 51-200 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels Desktop is great for when you need to run resource-hungry applications in a guest's operating system. If you’re simply looking to test drive other operating systems, there are certainly free ways to do that. However, I have found that once it came time to actually put the guest operating system to use Parallels Desktop offered a much better, more seamless solution.
January 22, 2024

Parallels Desktop saved me from buying another computer

Verified User
Director in Marketing
Wholesale Company, 51-200 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
From my perspective, Parallels Desktop is particularly well suited for users who need the flexibility of working within MacOS and Windows all on the same machine without relying on a remote desktop connection. Having the virtual environment fully contained on the machine frees you from relying on a stable internet connection or the availability of a remote machine. For those people who do depend on Windows primarily, then this will not offer as much of a benefit.
January 18, 2024

Parallels Desktop - The Best Virtual Machine Software for Mac

Verified User
Professional in Engineering
Internet Company, 201-500 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Scenarios where Parallels is great:
- test software across multiple platforms for Mac users, with a major focus on Windows
- have the possibility of running Windows-only applications when the user is a Mac user
- support old Windows applications in Windows legacy frameworks

Scenarios that are not the best scenario
- not suitable for most recent games
- do tasks that demand hardware performance, specially GPU
January 16, 2024

Parallels - what Apple would build if it did virtualization on Mac!

EG
Eddie Galvez
VP
Cloud Software Group (Computer Software, 1001-5000 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
January 10, 2024

Parallels Desktop great tool for Mac users running only Windows softwareq

Jose Almiñana | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jose Almiñana
SAP Solution Architect
Ebro Foods S.A (Consumer Goods, 5001-10,000 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parellels is a very easy solution to run non mac software on Mac computers with seamless integration. Easy to install and run, any user with basic skills can take care of the whole process.

Multiple screens are supported, sharing files across OS, rebooting, opening windows apps directly from the macOS, very good software. You forget about it once is running.
January 10, 2024

Parallels Desktop Review on a MacBook Pro M3 Max

KG
Kris Giorgetti
Partner
Giorgetti, LLC (Media Production, 1-10 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels works well for everyday Windows or alternative OS usage on a Mac. Most applications run flawlessly, multi-monitor works, audio/video, games, etc. When in full screen mode, many people cannot tell my MacBook Pro M3 is a Mac as Windows 11 runs so fast and in full screen you can't tell a difference unless you know what to look for. I use Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. and these apps run faster on my MacBook than on the latest Windows laptops provisioned by work!

Parallels does not work well for some legacy and older applications which may require specific hardware or software drivers. There are only a handful of these apps I have found, dating back 10-15 years old. Newer versions are available of most software which run flawlessly.
March 21, 2022

If you need to run Windows Apps and are Mac User, buy Parallels. Best decision you can make.

Will Goad | TrustRadius Reviewer
Will Goad
VP - Solutions
Workgroups DaVinci (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Do you have to use Windows Apps, but don't want to leave your Mac Environment? If so, you need to use Parallels. I love Windows, but I'm so embedded in the Mac ecosystem that I don't want to go back to Windows. Parallels make that possible. Do you need to copy/paste/share files and information between your Mac and Windows environments? Parallels make that seamless and better than Bootcamp or other virtualization options.
December 20, 2021

Works if you need it. Will make your MacBook an inferno.

Cameron Michael Rhoads | TrustRadius Reviewer
Cameron Michael Rhoads
Technical Writer
Unqork (Computer Software, 501-1000 employees)
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
In my mind, it's [Parallels Desktop is] only really suited when you have no choice but to run some Windows-exclusive software on your Mac. I don't enjoy using PCs, so being able to keep my Mac while running this Windows software is nice. Just make sure you keep your laptop plugged in and not on your lap. Because it'll die quickly and scorch your shorts [from my experience].
November 10, 2021

Best Application of Virtual Machine for MacOS

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Marketing & Advertising Company, 501-1000 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I am using it mostly for another OS and opening suspicious files on it. That's why it a safe place for me. Also I am using it for test of my applications and programs. It is a great place that we can make platform crossed check accessibility and supportiveness on all platforms.
November 02, 2021

Parallels give you power, functionality and a smooth interface for all your desktop virtualization needs

Verified User
Director in Information Technology
Education Management Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
The product has evolved over the years and has become a lot easier to use than before. Deploying Virtual Machines is quick and easy and multiple methods from ISO files to direct selection of products is possible with minimal effort. Any organization needing to test or simply do business on multiple platforms without having separate computers for each OS, will love Parallels Desktop. It is doing the same revolution for desktop computers as VMWare did for servers.
November 02, 2021

Parallels Desktop solve numerous issue for MAC users

Verified User
Professional in Information Technology
Education Management Company, 10,001+ employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
I highly recommend it to Instruction Designers who need to access programs like Articulate Storyline which is somehow in the year 2021 still windows only. Also very helpful when lending IT support to a student or staff member who is PC-based.
August 10, 2021

Parallels does not offer product support (Despite their claim that they do)

BR
Ben Russell
Director
360 Displays (Design, 1-10 employees)
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels seem to "cough and splutter" whenever there are updates to Windows or the Mac OS. We have had numerous times in recent months where Window's simply will not boot. We have attempted to contact support via Chat, email and phone. Not once has support been able to solve the problem (we ended up paying our IT contractor to correct the issue). In fact, 90% of the time we do not receive any contact at all from Parallels support. We have raised 7 support tickets in 2021 with Parallels and none have them have been solved by Parallels support.
March 10, 2020

Copy, Paste, Drag and Drop between PC and Mac Apps or Different Versions of OS X

Jonah Dempcy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jonah Dempcy
Web & Mobile Developer
Bluefire Productions (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels is excellent for QA teams who need to test on a variety of operating systems, or from Mac users who need to run Windows apps in an integrated way simultaneously with their Mac apps, without a lot of performance overhead. Parallels is especially well-suited for power users who have state-of-the-art hardware running the latest version of both Parallels and Mac OS X. It is less-suited for those who cannot upgrade to the newest version of OS X or Parallels, as certain combinations of host operating system with Parallels will not work at all. It is also less-suited for those without high end hardware, and for game developers, VR developers, and others who are hoping to run PC games on a Mac at a decent frame rate. Finally, Parallels is also not suited for those who wish to run very old versions of Mac OS X like Snow Leopard (released in June 2009) which is only supported in its hard-to-find Server edition, or older than Snow Leopard, which are not supported at all.
January 24, 2020

Life Saver

NL
nancy lauer
Owner
Open Doors Morocco (Hospitality, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels is very well suited when your preferred type of computer is a Mac and the software you need is only available in Windows. I was introduced to Parallels when I decided to switch from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Desktop. I was dismayed to find that there wasn't an updated Mac version and almost gave up until I found out about Parallels.
January 17, 2020

Parallels for Windows Browser Testing

Verified User
Engineer in Information Technology
Higher Education Company, 5001-10,000 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels Desktop is great if you want to get good performance when running Microsoft Windows within macOS, and it will work much better than something like VirtualBox for this.

Although Parallels Desktop could be used for running local Vagrant virtual machines, VirtualBox works just fine and will save a lot of money.

For easiest possible setup and use with Windows, I would choose Parallels, but if you only need command-line only virtual machines, I would go with VirtualBox.
January 16, 2020

Parallels is an excellent choice for local Virtual Machines

Jason White | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jason White
Sr. End User Supt. Analyst
CDK Global (Computer Software, 5001-10,000 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels is best suited for users that need to operate in more than one environment at the same time, or when they need to test in multiple environments at once. It has a cost savings, by reducing the number of machines that are needed per user, reducing the need for lab environments, or network VMs that are not as responsive.
October 31, 2019

Parallels Lets Your Users Dump Windows with Coherence Mode

Verified User
Engineer in Research & Development
Pharmaceuticals Company, 5001-10,000 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Parallels is ideal for power users who need access to Windows-only applications. Those users who require more than basic legacy business application support will be very happy with Parallels as it's performance and support justifies its price point. However, if you need simple and basic access to legacy business applications, you'll likely be satisfied with free options (such as Virtual Box).
December 06, 2018

Parallels Desktop : When to jump the ship from VMWare and Virtual Box

Verified User
Consultant in Professional Services
Computer Software Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
If your organisation relies on multiple platforms where your users are frequently switching between multiple platforms, Parallels Desktop is a life saver. Especially when your user base is not as technical as developers. Having parallels desktop instead of more traditional VM solutions makes it user friendly for the end users and reduces the load of IT teams.
November 06, 2018

Virtual Software Solution That really Exists

Damien Dolan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Damien Dolan
Business Analyst Developer
Silberline (Chemicals, 501-1000 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Suited to any scenario where a user needs two separate Operating Systems. Our marketing department is pretty hard-set on using Macs for Adobe applications, but when it comes to business functions, it seems they prefer Windows. We can accommodate them and Parallels runs very well in the background. Also, using the Coherence mode makes it even more seamless.
September 11, 2018

Parallels Desktop - The best choice for virtual machines on Mac

Verified User
Engineer in Customer Service
Consumer Electronics Company, 1001-5000 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
Obviously, Parallels Desktop is ideal for any instances where you need to run an operating system other than what you are currently running. For this, it is very well suited. The ease of installation and setup of those operating systems within Parallels has gotten easier and easier over the years and it is now at the point that it is perhaps the easiest VM software to use.
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