7 Modern VMware Horizon Alternatives

Citrix DaaS is the most established enterprise alternative to VMware Horizon, with decades of history in virtual apps and desktops. It delivers Windows apps and desktops to any device, with the HDX protocol for remote display, strong admin controls, and integrations with Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud. The platform suits large companies that need to serve thousands of users across sites, with policies, monitoring, and support at scale.

• A 60-day free trial of the Citrix Cloud service is available for up to 25 users.
• The main drawback is pricing transparency.
• There is no public rate card, and pricing is only available via sales or a partner, which makes budgeting hard for a small team.
• The DaaS Standard for Azure trial is also short, at 7 days auto-approved or 14 days sales-approved.

Visit Citrix DaaS →

Azure Virtual Desktop is the natural choice for a team that already runs Microsoft 365 and Azure. It delivers Windows 11 desktops and apps from Azure, with multi-session desktops that let several users share one virtual machine. The per-user access price is $10 per user per month for desktops and apps, or $5.50 per user per month for apps only, but that price applies to external users only.

• Azure infrastructure, including virtual machines, storage, and networking, is charged separately on a pay-as-you-go basis.
• The pricing model needs care.
• Per-user pricing cannot be used for internal employees or contractors, so a company that serves its own staff pays for Azure compute, storage, and net
• There is also no free plan, though internal-user access is included if you already hold an eligible Microsoft 365 or Windows licence.

Visit Azure Virtual Desktop →

Amazon WorkSpaces is a managed desktop-as-a-service from AWS, and it suits teams that already run workloads on AWS. The Windows Value Bundle starts at $25 per WorkSpace per month on monthly billing, with the AutoStop option from $7.25 per month plus $0.66 per hour. The free tier covers up to 3 months, with 2 Standard AutoStop WorkSpaces and 40 combined hours per month, or 5 Performance AutoStop Ubuntu WorkSpaces and 100 combined hours per month.

• New AWS accounts also receive up to $200 in credits.
• The limits are start-up time and licence fees.
• AutoStop desktops do not give instant access, with a delay while the instance resumes, which can frustrate users who expect a desktop to be ready at o
• Windows licence-included bundles add a $4.19 per user per month RDS SAL fee, and WorkSpaces Pools no longer accepts new customers since 31 July 2026.

Visit Amazon WorkSpaces →

Parallels RAS is a virtual app and desktop delivery platform that suits small and mid-size teams that want a simpler setup than Citrix or Horizon. It delivers Windows apps and desktops to any device, with a single full-featured licensing model and no feature tiers to compare. The platform covers load balancing, universal printing, and session management, and it works with Azure, AWS, and on-premises hypervisors.

• A free trial is offered, though the length is not confirmed on an official page.
• The drawback is access to pricing.
• There is no public pricing page, and pricing is only available via Parallels or a reseller, so a team cannot budget without a quote.
• The minimum purchase is 15 users, which rules out a very small team, and there is no free tier.

Visit Parallels RAS →

HP Anyware is a remote workstation platform built for high-performance graphics work, such as CAD, video editing, and 3D design. The Standard plan costs $150 per concurrent user per year, and the Professional plan costs $299 per concurrent user per year, with 3-year terms discounted by 20 percent. Licensing is per concurrent user, so a team shares licences across shifts rather than paying per named user.

• The limits are scope and future.
• Standard covers non-GPU workloads on Windows and Linux desktops only, so GPU-accelerated work and macOS desktops need the Professional tier.
• The minimum order is 5 licences, and HP states Anyware is reaching end of life, with HP Z Remote Graphics Software as the recommended transition path.
• Anyware suits a team that needs high-performance remote graphics now and has a plan for the transition to the replacement product.

Visit HP Anyware →

Workspot is a cloud PC platform that runs desktops on Azure and Google Cloud, with a managed control plane and power management to control cost. The platform suits companies that want cloud desktops without running the infrastructure themselves, with persistent and non-persistent pools for different use cases. A 30-day pilot is available, but only for the Workspot Enterprise Browser, while Cloud PC itself is demo and sales-led.

• The limits are pricing and control.
• There is no published price, with rates only via a Workspot representative, and customers cannot change a desktop pool rate plan or basic parameters t
• Monthly and annual desktops are billed from creation whether or not they are powered on or used, and non-persistent pools are hourly-only and GCP-only
• Workspot suits a company that wants managed cloud PCs on Azure or GCP and can work through a sales process.

Visit Workspot →

Kasm Workspaces is a browser-based workspace platform that delivers desktops and apps through a web browser, with no client to install. The Community Edition is free at $0, with up to 5 concurrent sessions for non-commercial use, and the Starter Edition covers up to 25 users. Enterprise adds custom branding, enterprise integrations, and advanced admin controls.

• The platform suits teams that want to stream a desktop to a browser for training, support, or remote work.
• The Community Edition is narrow by design.
• It is limited to 5 concurrent sessions and non-commercial use only, with community-only support, so a business needs the Starter or Enterprise tier.
• Pricing for the higher tiers is quote-only, with requests submitted at kasm.com/quote.

Visit Kasm Workspaces →