Parallels RAS review (2026): is it worth it?
Virtual apps and desktops across on-premises, hybrid and cloud
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Parallels RAS report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for company apps and desktops from servers you host
Parallels RAS delivers apps and desktops to any device from a single admin console, with licensing by concurrent users. Prices aren't published, you supply the hosting yourself, and the 30-day trial is for evaluation only.
Who Parallels RAS is for
- Fits if you are an IT administrator who wants one console across on-premises and cloud hosts
- Works for MSPs who need multi-tenancy
Who Parallels RAS is not for
- 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- Watch out: prices are unpublished and buying goes through the vendor or a partner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
Why Parallels RAS gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNo price is published: licensing is by concurrent users and purchase goes through the vendor or a partner, so it sits at C.
- CFree plan and trialA 30-day trial with no card is offered, and there is no free plan.
- BFeaturesHybrid and multi-cloud hosting, a single console, a bundled gateway and load balancing, and multi-tenancy for MSPs cover the core of the job.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. You provide the infrastructure and an administrator sets it up.
- APlatforms and integrationsWeb, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android clients, with Azure Virtual Desktop, AWS, Hyper-V, Nutanix, ESX, FSLogix and Proxmox.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Parallels's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/parallels-ras#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/parallels-ras.svg" alt="Parallels RAS: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Parallels RAS stands among remote desktop apps
Parallels RAS's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 35 of the 85 other remote desktop apps we grade, and level with 13.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 79 of 85) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 86 remote desktop apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Parallels RAS’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 7 of 85, level with 46
- CFree plan and trialAbove 19 of 85, level with 28
- BFeaturesAbove 55 of 85, level with 30
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 85, level with 9
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 79 of 85, level with 6
Keep Parallels RAS, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Parallels RAS you would be making a fast, secure link to another computer through any network. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
What you could not
- A fast, secure link to another computer through any network.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Storing and serving files for other people.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Parallels RAS’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Parallels RAS?
Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) publishes applications and virtual desktops to users on any device from on-premises, private cloud, public cloud or hybrid hosts. It includes a secure gateway and load balancing, and works with Azure Virtual Desktop and AWS. Licensing is per concurrent user, and no list prices are published.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Parallels RAS pricing
We could not confirm Parallels RAS’s current pricing from its own site, so we are not listing plans here. See parallels.com for current prices.
Works with
- Azure Virtual Desktop
- AWS
- Microsoft Hyper-V
- Nutanix
- VMware ESX
- FSLogix
- Proxmox
Parallels RAS alternatives
Common questions
Is Parallels RAS open source?
Parallels RAS is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.