Discover what the internet is saying about Parallels.
Yay or nay?
Upgraded Reviews scanned the web to find out what real users are saying about Parallels.
See the highlights below and decide for yourself!
Table of contents
- ✅ Pros
- ❌ Cons
- ⚖️ Summaries
- 💸 Top Discount
✅ Pros
“It offers improved performance for USB/Thunderbolt storage devices.”
“It has full macOS Mojave support.”
“Parallels also makes great use of the MacBook Pro Touch Bar.”
“The ease of installation and setup of those operating systems within Parallels has gotten easier and easier over the years.”
“Parallels for Mac also comes with over 30 tools to simplify everyday tasks on mac and windows.”
“It offers a customizable experience to make it your own.”
“Automatic hibernation saves battery life.”
“Besides Parallels Desktop you also get the latest version of Parallels Toolbox.”
“It also lets you put the Windows People Bar directly into the macOS Dock, giving one-click access to favourite contacts.”
“Parallels Desktop 13 brings with it new support for MacOS’ Picture-in-Picture mode.”
“You can also run Linux, Android and more.”
“Disk IO, never seems to be a hog.”
“The integration between host is even visual with Parallels.”
“It runs Windows and Linux VMs on Macs.”
“Parallels is also useful for people who play video games because it lets them pick from the much larger library of Windows titles and play them on a Mac.”
“It shows brilliant performance.”
“It offers near-effortless installation of Windows in OS X.”
“Deep integration options give Windows apps access to OS X folders.”
“It offers lots of flexibility when it comes to which operating systems it can run.”
“It has full Windows 10 support.”
“It gives fastest performance of any virtual-machine software.”
“The most important advancement of interest to IT departments is the combination of Crystal and Coherence modes.”
“Parallels for Mac simplifies the monitoring of multiple virtual machines with its picture-in-picture mode.”
“It allows you to use Mac OS features from within other environments.”
“Shared custom folders are also provided.”
“Coherence turns Windows apps into Mac ones.”
“It features enhanced Retina support to ensure that all Windows application look just as sharp as their Mac neighbors.”
“Parallels has also made great strides in seamlessly sharing files between operating systems.”
“Windows video memory usage is also monitored.”
“Parallels work great as you can work as if you were on a Windows from your mac.”
“It offers snapshots, being able to create images of your Windows VM daily.”
“Parallels virtual machines can run almost any operating system, even those that are no longer supported.”
“It provides Touch Bar controls for Windows apps.”
“Coherence mode lets you run Windows apps like Mac apps.”
“During the installation process, the product carefully explains menu choices and uses diagrams to show the user which selections affect which settings.”
“Parallels Desktop 10 runs multiple operating systems simultaneously and seamlessly.”
“Parallels Desktop 10 enables you to download and install a 90-day trial of Windows.”
“It is energy and hardware efficient.”
“Parallels for Mac is so easy to set up that anyone can do it.”
“You can fine-tune how you want to distribute your machine’s resources while running Parallels, so that you can give more or less to one or the other depending on your needs.”
“You won’t see Windows as a separate application running on your mac but integrated on it so that you can run Windows applications from your mac directly while running Parallels like this.”
“It offers deep integration with macOS.”
“Installing Windows using Parallels 13 is actually easier than installing it on a PC.”
“It will feel as if you were running Windows at all its effects.”
“The increased speed of Parallels 6 will astound any user.”
“Parallels has worked closely with neighbor Microsoft to offer 60-day evaluations of virtual machines that include the Universal Windows Platform tools.”
“It can run some games.”
“It offers faster application, Windows VM launch times.”
“Parallels Desktop also comes with a Parallels Access license that allows mobile devices to run Windows or Mac apps on tablets and mobile phones.”
“It can automatically share the contents of your Mac with the VM and vice versa.”
“Picture-in-Picture mode that lets you keep an eye on one or more virtual machines.”
“You can easily install Windows 10.”
“It lets you open Windows files in Mac apps or Mac files in Windows apps.”
“They’ve also brought in the ability to customize the Touch Bar on an application-by-application basis.”
“Parallels accepts almost any external device.”
“Parallels Desktop 13 offers three different editions for different types of user.”
“Automatic disk monitoring is done.”
“It pauses when not in use to save resources.”
“Parallel’s People Bar supports Spotlight and Dock-integration, larger profile photos and doesn’t limit the number of visible contacts.”
“Parallels Desktop 10 helps keep your virtual environments safe through the use of Snapshots.”
“Parallels offers a Microsoft-authorized wizard for downloading developer-specific images.”
“Windows is very responsive when you are using this Parallels.”
“It offer multiple ways to contact support.”
“Installation, setup and configuration have all been simplified into what feels like no more than a half dozen clicks.”
“Parallels Desktop has also introduced a bundled suite of Mac utilities called Parallels Toolbox.”
“Parallels comes with a bunch of virtual machine management tools.”
“There is a wide variety of options to contact customer service.”
“In order to help users get the most out of the feature Parallels have built-in support for all the major native Microsoft applications as well as most major web browsers.”
“It runs Windows apps with considerable elegance and good performance.”
“You can share folders across machines.”
💸 Top Current Discount
❌ Cons
“macOS and Linux are less responsive than Windows.”
“It is not much new.”
“Automatic video memory and multi-monitor optimizations are limited to Windows VMs.”
“Updates seem few and far between.”
“It has poor documentation for first-time users.”
“If you need to run just a handful of non-critical Windows apps, one of the free virtualization alternatives may be all you need.”
“System requirements needed to achieve the full experience with Parallels are on the upper end.”
“The performance experience relates to the hardware configuration of the host machine.”
“Unless you turn off many options, the OS X interface gets cluttered with Windows icons.”
“Switching between modes is a pain.”
“It requires users to upgrade to macOS Mojave.”
“The integration mode is good but sometimes it can be a bit confusing if you’re not used to it.”
“The tools that come with Parallels for Mac free of charge don’t cover data recovery.”
“In order to use this software with Windows, you’re going to be spending $80 for Parallels, plus the price of Windows 8.1.”
“It seems bloated.”
“If you need Windows to run applications that need a lot of resources it can really slow your mac down as once you run Parallels, the defined resources will be fully dedicated to it and therefore not available to your mac.”
“The Parallels software only runs under OS X.”
“It duplicates task bar icons in the menu bar.”
“You can download it for free but you will be able to use it only for 14 days unless you purchase the full version.”
“Virtual machines require large amounts of memory and storage.”
“Space savings are modest at best.”
“You can’t run many high-end games.”
“Users can fit their own application-specific layouts, but only from a Parallels-curated set of ingredients.”
“There are minor stability issues.”
“If you downloaded Windows from Microsoft hoping to just select the installer executable, you’re going to have a tough time.”
⚖️ Final Say
Read the summaries of what reviewers think about Parallels below.
“Virtualization promised to reduce the hassle of switching, but interfaces were clunky and performance was lacking. That’s all changed with the release of Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac. System requirements needed to achieve the full experience with Parallels are still on the upper end.”
“The list of new features in Parallels Desktop 13 might seem relatively modest, but the program does continue the process of ever-closer integration between the Mac and Windows operating systems that gives it a clear edge over other virtualisation tools for Mac users.”
“It’s safe to say that running a virtual machine on your Mac still has its fair share of strengths and limitations. However, Parallels 13 does a great job of making it as painless as possible. There’s a healthy mix of new-features and under-the-hood improvements at work here – making it feel like a no-brainer for customers both new and old.”
“Saving valuable disk space and delivering real-world performance enhancements make this a must-have upgrade—and you’ll need it to run on the latest macOS Mojave.”
“While there are other options for virtualization that are cheaper and even free, Parallels is worth your money because it offers the most features that let you pass between operating systems seamlessly.”
“Parallels Desktop is the best way to run Windows on your Mac. It offers lots of flexibility when it comes to which operating systems it can run and it offers a customizable experience to make it your own.”
“With Parallels and a big and beefy Mac, developers need only one box to develop and test across various versions of Windows, MacOS (and previous OS X versions) and the plethora of Linux implementations. At $99.99 a year for business and pro users, the service is reasonably priced, especially when the bundled Access and Toolbox features are considered.”
“Parallels Desktop is the first choice for beginners and non-technical users who want to run Windows apps under OS X.”
“Parallels Desktop 13 runs Windows and other operating systems in a virtual machine alongside your Mac apps. It’s a good option for those who still rely on certain Windows apps for their business, or gamers who can’t live without a favorite Windows game. It’s also a great solution for developers who need to test their apps or websites on other platforms.”
“Parallels Desktop for Mac is a hardware virtualization solution for Mac computers with Intel processors. Developed by Parallels Inc., a privately held software company with offices in 15 countries, It allows Mac users to seamlessly switch between macOS and the Windows operating system.”
“Installing Windows using Parallels 13 is actually easier than installing it on a PC. Parallels is a highly polished and super-convenient way to run Windows alongside (in a separate window), and even seamlessly integrated with your Mac programs in Coherence mode. It’s especially suitable for non-technical users who just need both environments.”
“It is a desktop virtualization software that enables your employees to use Windows applications on a Mac without rebooting. It will feel as if you were running Windows at all its effects.”
“Parallels Desktop is ideal for any instances where you need to run an operating system other than what you are currently running. For this, it is very well suited. The ease of installation and setup of those operating systems within Parallels has gotten easier and easier over the years and it is now at the point that it is perhaps the easiest VM software to use.”
“Parallels Desktop is a solid solution for running multiple different desktop operating systems on a Mac. It is energy and hardware efficient. If you are into gaming, Boot Camp may be a better choice than Parallels.”
“There’s not that much here for upgraders, but for newbies Parallels remains the slickest way to run Windows and Mac OS at the same time.”