Parallels Desktop vs VMware Fusion

Overview

VMware Fusion

Stacks84

Followers70

Votes0

Parallels Desktop

Stacks39

Followers76

Votes2

Parallels Desktop vs VMware Fusion: What are the differences?

# Introduction
When it comes to running Windows on a Mac, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are two popular options. Both software programs allow users to run Windows applications seamlessly on their Mac computers. However, there are key differences between Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion that users should be aware of before choosing one over the other.

1. **Performance**: Parallels Desktop is known for its superior performance, offering faster file transfers, boot times, and overall speed compared to VMware Fusion. This can be especially important for users who rely on running resource-intensive applications on their virtual machines.

2. **User Interface**: VMware Fusion has a cleaner and more straightforward user interface, making it easier for users, especially beginners, to navigate through settings and options. Parallels Desktop, on the other hand, offers more customization options but may be overwhelming for users who prefer a simpler interface.

3. **Integration with Mac Features**: Parallels Desktop excels in integrating Mac features seamlessly with Windows applications, making it easier to switch between Mac and Windows environments. VMware Fusion, while still capable of integration, may not offer the same level of convenience in this aspect.

4. **Compatibility**: Both Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion support a wide range of operating systems, but Parallels Desktop tends to have better compatibility with newer versions of macOS and Windows. This can be crucial for users who want to ensure that their virtual machines run smoothly on the latest operating systems.

5. **Resource Management**: VMware Fusion is known for its efficient resource management, allowing users to allocate resources to their virtual machines more effectively. This can be beneficial for users who want to optimize performance without sacrificing system resources on their Mac.

6. **Price**: Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion have different pricing models, with Parallels Desktop typically being more expensive upfront but offering more advanced features. VMware Fusion, on the other hand, may be more cost-effective for users who only need basic virtualization capabilities without the extra bells and whistles.

In Summary, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion differ in terms of performance, user interface, integration with Mac features, compatibility, resource management, and pricing models.

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Detailed Comparison

VMware Fusion	Parallels Desktop
It gives Mac users the power to run Windows on Mac along with hundreds of other operating systems side by side with Mac applications, without rebooting. It is simple enough for home users and powerful enough for IT professionals, developers and businesses.	Parallels Desktop for Mac allows you to seamlessly run both Windows and MacOS applications side-by-side with speed, control and confidence.
-	Seamless;Easy Setup;Lightning Fast;Coherence mode;Retina Display Support;Touch Bar;Office 365 Integration;Automatic resolution change;Drag and drop;Picture-in-Picture;macOS guest support
Statistics
Stacks 84	Stacks 39
Followers 70	Followers 76
Votes 0	Votes 2
Pros & Cons
No community feedback yet	Pros 1 Retina support 1 Works out of the box with zero config
Integrations
No integrations available	Vagrant Chef Docker

What are some alternatives to VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop?

VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.

Proxmox VE

It is a complete open-source platform for all-inclusive enterprise virtualization that tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers, software-defined storage and networking functionality on a single platform, and easily manages high availability clusters and disaster recovery tools with the built-in web management interface.

VMware vSphere

vSphere is the world’s leading server virtualization platform. Run fewer servers and reduce capital and operating costs using VMware vSphere to build a cloud computing infrastructure.

KVM

KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V).

Qemu

When used as a machine emulator, it can run OSes and programs made for one machine (e.g. an ARM board) on a different machine (e.g. your own PC). By using dynamic translation, it achieves very good performance. When used as a virtualizer, it achieves near native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host CPU. it supports virtualization when executing under the Xen hypervisor or using the KVM kernel module in Linux. When using KVM, it can virtualize x86, server and embedded PowerPC, 64-bit POWER, S390, 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, and MIPS guests.

Parallels

It is an application and desktop virtualization software vendor that offers management and delivery platforms for Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows desktop deployments.

Xen

It is a hypervisor using a microkernel design, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently. It was developed by the Linux Foundation and is supported by Intel.

VMware vSAN

It is enterprise-class, storage virtualization software that, when combined with vSphere, allows you to manage compute and storage with a single platform. You can reduce the cost and complexity of traditional storage and take the easiest path to hyperconverged infrastructure and hybrid cloud. Evolve to an integrated hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution with vSAN to improve business agility, all while speeding operations and lowering costs.

Oracle VM Server

It is a zero license cost server virtualization and management solution that makes enterprise applications easier to deploy, manage, and support. Backed worldwide by affordable enterprise-quality support for both Oracle and non-Oracle environments, it reduces operations and support costs while increasing IT efficiency and agility.

Virtuozzo

It is an operating system-level server virtualization solution designed to centralize server management and consolidate workloads, which reduces overhead by reducing the number of physical servers required. Organizations use it for server consolidation, disaster recovery, and server workload agility.

Related Comparisons

Parallels Desktop vs VMware Fusion: What are the differences?

# Introduction
When it comes to running Windows on a Mac, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are two popular options. Both software programs allow users to run Windows applications seamlessly on their Mac computers. However, there are key differences between Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion that users should be aware of before choosing one over the other.

1. **Performance**: Parallels Desktop is known for its superior performance, offering faster file transfers, boot times, and overall speed compared to VMware Fusion. This can be especially important for users who rely on running resource-intensive applications on their virtual machines.

2. **User Interface**: VMware Fusion has a cleaner and more straightforward user interface, making it easier for users, especially beginners, to navigate through settings and options. Parallels Desktop, on the other hand, offers more customization options but may be overwhelming for users who prefer a simpler interface.

3. **Integration with Mac Features**: Parallels Desktop excels in integrating Mac features seamlessly with Windows applications, making it easier to switch between Mac and Windows environments. VMware Fusion, while still capable of integration, may not offer the same level of convenience in this aspect.

4. **Compatibility**: Both Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion support a wide range of operating systems, but Parallels Desktop tends to have better compatibility with newer versions of macOS and Windows. This can be crucial for users who want to ensure that their virtual machines run smoothly on the latest operating systems.

5. **Resource Management**: VMware Fusion is known for its efficient resource management, allowing users to allocate resources to their virtual machines more effectively. This can be beneficial for users who want to optimize performance without sacrificing system resources on their Mac.

6. **Price**: Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion have different pricing models, with Parallels Desktop typically being more expensive upfront but offering more advanced features. VMware Fusion, on the other hand, may be more cost-effective for users who only need basic virtualization capabilities without the extra bells and whistles.

In Summary, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion differ in terms of performance, user interface, integration with Mac features, compatibility, resource management, and pricing models.

Parallels Desktop vs VMware Fusion

Overview