Citrix DaaS vs Parallels RAS (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Citrix DaaS if

• Fits if you are an IT team delivering desktops and apps to many staff
• Makes sense if you already buy Citrix and want the cloud-hosted option

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want quick access to your own PC, as it is made for IT-run setups
• Watch out: no prices are published and buying goes through partners or sales
• Watch out: the cloud-hosted and local editions differ in features
• Tight if you want to try it first, as no free plan or trial is listed

Pick Parallels RAS if

• Fits if you are an IT administrator who wants one console across on-premises and cloud hosts
• Works for MSPs who need multi-tenancy

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a personal remote-access app, as this is for IT administrators
• Watch out: prices are unpublished and buying goes through the vendor or a partner
• Tight if you have no servers, since you supply hosting on premises or in a cloud
• Not for you if you need more than a 30-day look, as the trial is for evaluation

Citrix DaaS

• No prices are published; Citrix directs buyers to partners and sales.
• The licensing page lists the product inside the Universal Hybrid Multi-Cloud and Platform bundles, counted per user.
• The cloud-hosted and local editions differ in features, and the licensing page says on-premises and cloud features may not match.
• It is built for IT-run deployments, not for individuals wanting quick access to their own PC.

Parallels RAS

• Prices are not published; the vendor says licensing is based on concurrent users.
• The 30-day trial is for evaluation, and a purchase goes through the vendor or a partner.
• It is a platform for IT administrators, not a personal remote-access app.
• You supply the hosting infrastructure, whether on-premises or in a cloud.

Citrix DaaS

Cloud, on-premises or hybrid

Workloads can sit in Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud or AWS and be managed alongside on-premises resources.

HDX optimization

Citrix describes HDX as tuning the experience for low bandwidth, unified communications tools and graphics-heavy applications.

Security controls

Features named on the product page include protection for unmanaged endpoints, granular controls and session recording.

Two delivery models

DaaS Cloud is managed by Citrix, while DaaS Local is the former Virtual Apps and Desktops software run on a customer's own infrastructure.

Workspace app clients

The Citrix download page lists Workspace app builds for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, ChromeOS and HTML5.

Parallels RAS

Hybrid and multi-cloud hosting

Hosts can run on-premises, in private or public clouds, with support for Azure Virtual Desktop, AVD Hybrid and AWS EC2, and for hypervisors such as Hyper-V, Nutanix and VMware ESX.

Any-device clients

The vendor lists clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and the web (HTML5), and its download page also offers a Chrome client.

Single admin console

App and desktop management, image handling, reporting, gateway, load balancing and authentication are handled in one console across sites.

Included gateway and load balancing

A Secure Gateway and a High Availability Load Balancer come with the product, or you can use a third-party load balancer.

Multi-tenancy for MSPs

Built-in multi-tenancy serves managed service providers, software vendors or enterprises that keep resources segregated.

Citrix DaaS

Pricing could not be confirmed. See citrix.com.

Parallels RAS

Pricing could not be confirmed. See parallels.com.