Item: Parallels Desktop
Rating: 10
Author: Jonah Dempcy

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Parallels to run older versions of Mac OS X on my MacBook Pro for the purposes of testing apps on older versions of Mac OS. Parallels does this job perfectly, by allowing me to easily boot up older versions of the OS at leisure. I also run Windows 10 in Parallels so I can use PC-only apps that are not available on OS X.

Pros and Cons

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.

Support for more versions of OS X. For instance, I would like to install Snow Leopard, but it is not supported. Parallels supports Snow Leopard Server but it is prohibitively expensive now, having gone up in price due to rarity and also likely because of people needing it due to the lack of support for normal Snow Leopard.
Compatibility issues with certain versions of OS X, meaning you have to continually upgrade Parallels for it to work with the current version of OS X. It would be better if older versions of Parallels continued to work bug-free with updated versions of OS X.
Lack of support for gaming and multimedia - The newest version of DirectX is not supported at the time of this writing, and some games that run at 90-110 FPS on host architecture or BootCamp run at only 20 FPS in Parallels.

Return on Investment

Allowed us to easily test on a wide variety of operating systems.
Allowed use of PC apps on MacBook Pro laptops without having to purchase PC hardware.
Efficient, easy setup and installation, and easily transfer files between host and virtualized operating systems.

Alternatives Considered

VMware Fusion

I'm a longtime user of VMware Fusion and I still use it in some cases. We use it on RedHat Linux computers to run other Linux environments with specific software development environment configurations. I've also used VMware Fusion on a MacBook Pro laptop to run Windows and other versions of Mac OS X. However, I prefer Parallels for a Mac, as it is so well-integrated with the host operating system and specialized for Mac virtualization needs. I find the user interface better than VMware Fusion, and the file transfer, Copy and Paste, Drag and Drop, networking, and the ability to launch virtualized apps from the host desktop make Parallels overall much easier to use.

Support Rating

The Parallels documentation and support websites are great. I have not had much use for them, but a cursory check shows richly documented features aimed at both the layperson and the power user or software developer. Their website is well-designed and information is easy to find, and their list of known issues as well as bugfixes on point releases is clear and transparent. They aren't trying to hide any of the limitations of their software, and seem to be regularly updating it to fix new bugs that arise with Mac OS X updates.

Key Insights

Do you think Parallels Desktop delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Parallels Desktop's feature set?

Yes

Did Parallels Desktop live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Parallels Desktop go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Parallels Desktop again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Atom, Slack, Bitbucket, GitHub, 1Password, Google Ads (formerly AdWords), Eclipse, npm, Node, React, NetBeans, Jira Software, Zendesk, Zend Studio, Visual Studio IDE

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.

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

Overall Satisfaction with Parallels Desktop