Parallels - what Apple would build if it did virtualization on Mac!
January 16, 2024

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

Eddie Galvez | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition

Overall Satisfaction with Parallels Desktop

Parallels are used to run VMs locally on MacBook developer machines - most commonly to run Windows applications or to check bugs and code pertaining to Windows from the standard-issued MacBooks. This is important as, while development productivity is highest using MacBooks, our customers are more often using the UI tools on Windows for authoring tasks.

Pros

  • Installs new VMs including OS configuration.
  • Integrates mac and windows seamlessly.
  • It can be configured to run a VM "the old-fashioned way" or simply let you run applications no matter the OS.

Cons

  • Having to buy a new upgrade whenever Apple updates the OS with its yearly releases seems a bit excessive.
  • The integration features between Windows and Mac are enabled by default, which can clutter both sides; I would rather it was not default.
  • The cost versus benefit is definitely in the users' favor - the licensing terms for simple desktop usage are very generous, and the business impact is enormous, being able to seamlessly jump from one OS to the other without dealing with multiple physical VMs or cloud remote sessions.
Performance for graphically intensive apps or development tools isn't as smooth as Parallels achieves, at least on M-chip MacBooks.

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

Yes

Are you happy with Parallels Desktop for Mac's feature set?

Yes

Did Parallels Desktop for Mac live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Parallels Desktop for Mac go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Parallels Desktop for Mac again?

Yes

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.

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