# Parallels RAS review (2026): is it worth it? > Virtual apps and desktops across on-premises, hybrid and cloud Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Remote Desktop - **Made by:** Parallels International GmbH - **Website:** https://www.parallels.com/products/ras/ - **Runs on:** Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a personal remote-access app, as this is for IT administrators. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing Parallels RAS's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site. ## 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. ## Good for - IT teams delivering Windows apps from a mix of data center and cloud - Organizations extending Azure Virtual Desktop with extra management - Managed service providers hosting several customers ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: C.** No price is published: licensing is by concurrent users and purchase goes through the vendor or a partner, so it sits at C. - **Free plan and trial: C.** A 30-day trial with no card is offered, and there is no free plan. - **Features: B.** Hybrid and multi-cloud hosting, a single console, a bundled gateway and load balancing, and multi-tenancy for MSPs cover the core of the job. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. You provide the infrastructure and an administrator sets it up. - **Platforms and integrations: A.** Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android clients, with Azure Virtual Desktop, AWS, Hyper-V, Nutanix, ESX, FSLogix and Proxmox. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/remote-access ## Keep it, 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. - You could not: A fast, secure link to another computer through any network. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. - You could not: Storing and serving files for other people. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Azure Virtual Desktop, AWS, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix, VMware ESX, FSLogix, Proxmox **Tags:** Remote desktop, Workflow automation, File sharing ## Alternatives - [Citrix DaaS](https://toolgpa.com/tools/citrix-daas): Virtual apps and desktops delivered from cloud or on-premises. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/citrix-daas-vs-parallels-ras) - [Omnissa Horizon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/omnissa-horizon): Virtual desktops and apps on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/omnissa-horizon-vs-parallels-ras) - [Cameyo](https://toolgpa.com/tools/cameyo): Virtual app delivery that serves Windows apps as web apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cameyo-vs-parallels-ras) - [Apporto](https://toolgpa.com/tools/apporto): Browser-based virtual desktops and computer labs for work and schools. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apporto-vs-parallels-ras) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.parallels.com/products/ras/remote-application-server/ - https://www.parallels.com/products/ras/try/ - https://www.parallels.com/products/ras/download/client/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/parallels-ras Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).