# Parallels Desktop for Mac Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Parallels Desktop for Mac the right Virtualization solution for you? Explore 147 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/170006/Parallels-Desktop-for-Mac/reviews --- Parallels Desktop for Mac 4.4 (147) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/170006/Parallels-Desktop-for-Mac/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Parallels Desktop for Mac Ease of use 4.4 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews AA Andrew A Owner / Field Techician Computer Hardware, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The ability to either go in full Window mode or use both Windows and Mac OS on the main desktop, allowing one to switch very easily between OS platforms.“ August 15, 2023 SS Sarah S Senior Manager, Revenue MarketingInformation Technology and Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Rather than improving product value, the company appears to rely on aggressive billing tactics.“ May 19, 2025 GJ Gordon J Senior SAP ConsultantComputer Software, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Additionally, the process of putting in the configuration to access a specific server is also not hectic.- Parallels Desktop for Mac is definitely more secure than its counterparts like Remote Desktop.“ September 12, 2023 BL Ben L ArchitectInformation Technology and Services, 5,001 - 10,000 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “I need to do more research but, some of the Parallels features made me feel like I wasn't in control of some of the synchronization of things on my MacBook.“ April 14, 2025 BL Ben L ArchitectInformation Technology and Services, 5,001 - 10,000 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial. “Parallels makes it very easy to create/deploy and use a VM on my MacBook! “ April 14, 2025 SS Sarah S Senior Manager, Revenue MarketingInformation Technology and Services, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Charging customers without explicit consent is unacceptable.“ May 19, 2025 AA Andrew A Owner / Field Techician Computer Hardware, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It's a positive experience, when running Windows 10 or 11 on a Mac computer, Parallels creates a very stable and usable virtualization.“ August 15, 2023 JI Jean-Louis I PresidentDesign, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Having to pay an annual fee is a pain.“ October 14, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 147 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Will G. Client Success Director Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Parallels "Coherence Mode" is a gamechanger for macOS lovers who have to run Windows only apps." June 25, 2021 5.0 I love Parallels. Coherence mode, file sharing and copy/paste make it so simple to run Windows OS and macOS together seamlessly. Pros I love how easy Parallels is to set up. Additionally, as someone who greatly prefers macOS, Parallels' Coherence Mode is a gamechanger. Being able to run Windows in the background and work with a windows app in my mac environment has been awesome. Additionally, my colleagues and customers find it easy to use. This is a great option. Cons I think that sometimes it seems to use an excessive amount of RAM, even if you have it limited in settings. Alternatives considered [VirtualBox](https://www.capterra.com/p/169939/VirtualBox/)[VMware Workstation Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/212916/VMware-Workstation-Player/) Switched from [VirtualBox](https://www.capterra.com/p/169939/VirtualBox/) Parallels is ready out of the box with minimal configuration. Review Source BL Ben L. Architect Information Technology and Services Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Parallels is graphically excellent and very intuitive! (at a financial cost)" April 14, 2025 5.0 For the short time that I used it, Parallels was definitely a smooth experience because they do a great job planning for what the users might want/need to accomplish in their VM deployment. Pros Parallels makes it very easy to create/deploy and use a VM on my MacBook! The VM graphics are the smoothest I've ever seen for a VM running on a client device! Cons The cost is a deterrent, most definitely! Additionally, the default integrations are slightly concerning from a privacy perspective. I need to do more research but, some of the Parallels features made me feel like I wasn't in control of some of the synchronization of things on my MacBook. Alternatives considered [VMware Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/212917/VMware-Fusion/) Reason for choosing Parallels Desktop for Mac Because of the ease and intuitive steps during the initial setup. And because of the smoothness of the graphics. Review Source SS Sarah S. Senior Manager, Revenue Marketing Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Deceptive Billing and Disappointing Software" May 19, 2025 1.0 Charging customers without explicit consent is unacceptable. I strongly caution others to look into more transparent and reliable alternatives. Pros It lets you run Windows on a Mac which is useful for testing web page experiences on different devices. Cons Parallels auto-renewed my annual subscription without clear notice or active consent, despite over a year of inactivity. I never received a renewal reminder and was denied a refund — a pattern echoed by many other users. The software itself feels outdated and sluggish, falling short of expectations. Rather than improving product value, the company appears to rely on aggressive billing tactics. Review Source PE Pete E. Head of IT Services Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Easy to use tool for VMs on Mac" March 25, 2025 5.0 The product let's me use Windows and Linux VMs easily, with a user friendly control panel. Setting up new VMs is a simple process, as is making a copy. Best thing is the ability to package a VM for someone else. Pros It's really fast and easy to use, and integrates seamlessly with MacOS. Cons It's expensive for an annual subscription. Switched from [VMware Fusion](https://www.capterra.com/p/212917/VMware-Fusion/) Parallels makes it easier to migrate VMs, and it integrates with the MacOS. Review Source GJ Gordon J. Senior SAP Consultant Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Parallels Desktop for Mac Integrates Seamlessly with Windows" September 12, 2023 5.0 Overall, great solution in this increasingly world where more and more companies are moving to the cloud. The would definitely needs more options to be able to access the cloud safely. Pros \- One of our SAP clients operates in different countries across Africa and decided to go cloud and Parallels Desktop for both Mac and Windows was the perfect solution for all the users and administrators. We set up all SAP databases in the various localities and had the users login via Parallels and so far so good. - Parallels Desktop for Mac a simple and secure option for accessing remote servers either in windows or any other operating system. The application is simple and lightweight and doesn't consume much of your computer resources. This means that you do not need a powerful computer to use Parallels Desktop for Mac to access a much more powerful server. - The set up and installation is quite easy and straightforward with all the Parallels setups readily available from their website. Additionally, the process of putting in the configuration to access a specific server is also not hectic.- Parallels Desktop for Mac is definitely more secure than its counterparts like Remote Desktop. You can st up different access levels for different users depending on what they need to do in the system, like administrator users can be given all the access rights and other non-admin users can be set up only to access what they need to access. Cons \- I have had a few connection issues with Parallels Desktop for Mac where users are not able to print from SAP through parallels. Also, if the internet connection is not stable on the user's side, this is prone to a lot of complains from the users especially if the users cannot be able to differentiate whether the issue is Parallels or SAP Alternatives considered [Remote Desktop Manager](https://www.capterra.com/p/152245/Remote-Desktop-Manager/) Reason for choosing Parallels Desktop for Mac Parallels Desktop is more secure and less prone to hacking. Review Source FB Franz B. Network Administrator Computer Networking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Operating system virtualization on MacOS" June 29, 2021 5.0 Running some Windows only applications on my MacBook on the go. Pros Support for various guest operating systems like Windows, Linux, Android to run on MacOS. Easy switching of peripherals. Start menu integration Cons Higher battery consumption as when running pure MacOS. But my usage is more limited by the SSD disk space available . Alternatives considered [VMware Workstation Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/212916/VMware-Workstation-Player/) Switched from [VirtualBox](https://www.capterra.com/p/169939/VirtualBox/) Better integration for a seamless experience between operating systems Review Source DS Deborah S. Audio Editor Media Production Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Parallels Desktop for Mac is essential for every day desktop use." February 13, 2023 5.0 It is fairly a good product in its overall functions, I enjoy using it.And it does make it easier viewing the two operating System side by side or in full view. Pros It works well with boot camp there is need for you to remove boot campThe best in making access easy to both Operating System on one computer which is convenient in our day to day desktop use.Transferring of files is easy to do Cons Big size RAM is needed to effectively run Parallel Desktop on There is no free version, you have to subscribe annually for pro feature. Switched from [TeamViewer ONE](https://www.capterra.com/p/194565/TeamViewer/) Because Parallel Desktop for MacOS is a better product to use. Review Source Tommy W. CTO, senior system architect Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Running Windows on a Mac (intel or M chips), the EASY way!" December 19, 2023 5.0 It just works. Like magic. Ok, maybe not magic - but it's perfect and the easiest and fastest way to run virtual machines (Windows 11) on the Mac, even in an integrated environment. Feels just perfect. Pros The super fast installation, quick set up and deployment. It just works, fast and the integration with the Mac OS host OS is well made, always working and over the years, never an issue - even with the betas. Some betas broke it, Parallels fixed it in a few days. Cons NOTHING! It's a perfect product, a match made in heaven for Mac! Review Source Austin F. Technical Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Support are terrible. Really bad." June 14, 2022 4.0 Regular annoyance when I need to type a # character. I have contacted support about this numerous times over many years, and each time they promise to solve it, and fail to do so every time. Support make you go through the same things over and over, things you know wont help because they don't even understand what the problem is. They don't take the time to understand the problem. In fact that seem incapable of understanding the problem. I recently (3 months ago) opened a new support ticket for this, spent weeks entertaining their silly suggestions, for them to eventually after much backwards and forwards responded with 'We have forwarded it to the Development Team for further investigation. At which point the ticket disappears from my online portal and I have heard nothing about it in months. Support really lets this product down. Pros The ability to run a PC on my Macbook Pro Cons It is impossible to type a # character into a VM which is Option+3 on the mac keyboard. This is because Parallels maps Option 3 to Alt + 3 in the windows VM. As a programmer, that is a major major headache. It is a major flaw in the software. Review Source Stan Y. Web Manager Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool to run Windows on a Mac, but keep the Mac side too" August 15, 2018 5.0 I have this for work, but for the first time would consider getting a Mac for personal use knowing I wouldn't have to give up or convert things like Microsoft Office that simply work better on the PC...but have all of the speed advantages of working on a Mac. Other software requires you to boot into one OS or the other, but Parallels lets you run both at the same time. Parallels essentially runs a full Windows OS in a Mac 'window' or 'app'. Fires up really quickly, allows you to easily take snapshot backups of the full installation, allows a full screen or not view, and you can easily share files between the two OS systems. (create a file on the Mac and open it in Windows, or vice versa) Pros I can run an instance of Windows on my Mac, which easily flipping between both platforms...even sharing files between them. I do testing on Mac and PC all the time and this makes it super easy to test all browsers on both platforms from the same machine without requiring rebooting to move from Mac to PC or vice versa. Cons Notices for updates and license renewals sometimes come up erroneously, but that could be the way my company has installed it on my machine. Review Source JI Jean-Louis I. President Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Works Amazingly for Running Windows on a Mac" October 14, 2024 5.0 Work amazing well. Engineering software like SolidWorks runs fine and the ability to drag and drop file between my virtual Windows computer and MacOS works flawlessly. Pros Being able to run Windows on Mac is a must since I have some engineering software that only works on Windows. I previously used BootCamp to dual boot Windows and MacOS on my MacBook but withe Apple's new processors that was no longer possible. I have been very pleasantly surprised by how this works. Cons Having to pay an annual fee is a pain. I wish there was a one-time purchase option instead. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Mechanical Engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A very well put together piece of software!!" March 21, 2019 5.0 Pros This is THE software to have if you use a mac as your main computer but also need to use software that can only run on a windows operating system. Before I discovered Parallels Desktop for Mac, in order to use windows I had to "dual boot" my mac which I found to be quite time consuming (having restart my computer anytime I wanted to switch). It also meant I couldn't access both operating systems at the same time. Parallels was the answer! It runs just like any other program would on a mac, and acts as a virtual machine, allowing you to install other operating systems with the program. I really like that it allows you to install more than one operating system too. One of Parallels best feature, in my opinion, is that it allows you to access files from all operating systems and you can also drag and drop files from one system to the other. I like how customizable the setting are, particularly when it comes to the security/privacy of your files and what you want to allow each various operating system to have access to. It takes care of all the drivers for you, which I really like because I mean I can use the same trackpad and keyboard setting across the board. It has really helped me to save a lot of time and effort when having to switch between operating systems. Cons One small con that I have experienced is that sometimes the screen resolution gets a little confused when adjusting the size of the window, but it seems to sort itself out after a few seconds. If you're running programs on both operating systems that require high CPU usage, it may struggle a little, but this depends on the spec of your own machine though. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Localisation Engineer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The easiest way to work on Windows from a mac" May 24, 2018 4.0 Pros Working on a mac on a daily basis is great but it's true that some applications are not available for this OS and you need to turn to a Windows machine. You can do that very easily with Parallels. You create a virtual image where you can install Windows, or any other OS for that matter, as you would on any machine. Once installed, you just need to launch Parallels and run your virtual machine. The ease of use is amazing! If you maximise the application window is like if you were running on a machine with Windows natively installed. One pro is that you can have several machines available if needed with different configurations, or with different OS and launch the one you need. Also, you can decide how much power, in terms of RAM and disk, you want to dedicate to that VM. Cons The main con, I'd say is that if you need a lot of resources to run the applications on the virtual machine, then your mac performance can definitely be affected. Since this is all configurable, you will need to see what balance works best for your needs. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best choice for running Windows on MacOS" May 8, 2020 4.0 I use this tool to run multiple Windows-only applications on MacOS. One VM in particular is critical and overall has performed well. Pros Parallels Desktop feels well-integrated with MacOS. Performance is very good, much better than VMWare Fusion in my experience. Cons I lost a lot of time troubleshooting a converted VM that had more than one hard disk configured. It would fail to boot. Support insisted that the problem was with that particular VM, which may be true but wasn't helpful to solving the problem. I've also had a couple of scares where a VM wouldn't boot after abnormal shutdown. Backups are your friend. Lastly, checking the virtual hard disk can take several anxious minutes following an abnormal shutdown. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer System Engineer Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Just what I needed" February 1, 2019 5.0 The major benefit to me was being able to not have 2 laptops simultaneously just to do my job. It truly is the best of both worlds with having to shutdown and reboot the laptop to change the OS I am using. Pros After trying to use 2 computers for work (one Mac OS and One Windows 10) this software made life easy. I was able to consolidate down to just the Mac and still have access to all of my Windows tools that I needed. The ability to convert my Windows laptop to virtual save a great deal of time. Cons Accessing some of the advanced features proved to be a little less intuitive that I would hope for. Most things are doable quite easily but some of them just take a little more time to get done. Review Source CT Carl T. Software Trainer/Analyst Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best VM for Mac users" February 3, 2019 5.0 Great product, more features than I end up using. Cost is very good for what you get. Pros Parallels stays on top when it comes to running windows on your Mac. Even with competition from virtualbox, and wine, it still is king. Parallels has made big improvements when it comes to battery savings. Running a vm on a MacBook Pro used to deplete you longevity of your battery use in half. A MacBook Pro rate for 9-10 hours would only last around 4-5 hours tops running a VM. With the latest version of parallels it comes closer to 7 hours. That is a great feat, it can last for most of the work day without being plugged in. Cons No really, It's the best emulation software for Mac. Some older user like I may take issue that they took the software and separated it into 3 offerings a la, Microsoft. You have standard, Pro, and business. The standard edition will be fine for most users. Don't really see the need from pro, and business edition other than greed. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Marketing Consultant Management Consulting Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Parallels to Supports My Business" September 8, 2018 4.0 Excellent. Pros It enables me to function in both Mac and Windows platforms and easily support my clients. This product is a reliable application and never cause the OS to have any problems. Never have any problems installing Windows, Windows applications or communications. I purchased a single version it continues to work with all Mac updates. I highly recommend it. They provide both pricing models Cons Running Parallels and Windows can put high demands on memory and the processor. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner - Online Business Developer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Fantastic to be able to setup testing environments, Windows and more on my Mac" April 9, 2018 4.0 Pros Fairly straightforward once installed, I can do everything I need in a Windows environment without having to have a separate computer. I also run several different web hosting environments for testing purposes. Cons Had some minor crashes, but could be more to do with the age of my Mac. Having Windows Icons in the Dock is a nusiance and I have to keep remembering to delete them. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director Entertainment Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best type 2 hypervisor for Mac" December 16, 2018 5.0 Pros Allows you directly link to bootcamp disk accessing the disk I/O directly. Easily imports VMWare VMDK's The ability to run 2 OS's simultaneously. Cons Performance issues can become apparent if memory is too low. Check your disk and memory requirements and spec accordingly. Review Source YM Yezid M. IT and Network Administrator Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Currently my server and workstation virtualization, easy for manage and configure." March 12, 2018 4.0 Pros Basically this software is very friendly and easy to configure a virtual machine on it. One of most attractive features from it is how easy it is to move a virtual machine from one host to another, or maintain backup from VM without worrying about data loss. Features to add more "virtual hardware are very good". Cons Particulary sometimes I have been working with some VM and suddenly the app crashes. The messages shown for this type of errors are very extensive and not easy to understand. Additionally I have noticed that it slows the host even with good memory capacity and processor Review Source KM Karen M. Student Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I am using Parallels since 2011 when I bought my Macbook Pro" January 26, 2018 5.0 Pros The software has an amazing integration with Mac system. You can use it both in coherence (a feature that allow you to have an icon to open the windows programs) or in another desktop, so you can access to windows just sliding your fingers in the trackpad of your macbook. Also, yo can have more than one OS and use all of them at the same time. Cons I dont like the fact that every year a new version of parallels came out and you cant update your version for free or at least cheaper than the full price. You have to pay as you dont have a previous version. Review Source Brandon A. Creative Director Religious Institutions Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Windows on Mac? No Problem for Parallels" May 16, 2022 5.0 If you need to use Windows on Mac, this is the best software to choose. It's cost-efficient, easy to use, and helps eliminate having to purchase a PC for PC-only software. Pros Running a virtual PC on an Apple computer is quick and responsive with Parallels. It's everything you'd expect from a standalone PC, but better. Cons I have experienced no issues with Parallels. Review Source Sergio A. Project Manager Industrial Automation Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Most useful tool for Mac" May 31, 2018 5.0 OS virtualization and enviroment integration Pros This software have the best integration enviroment of all the virtual machines existing software. Have a friendly price. Cons Everything is perfect, the unique cons is that you have to pay for every actualization of the software. Review Source MM Martin M. IT Manager Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Works good with few issues" June 18, 2018 4.0 It allows me to use MS specific software on my MAC with out having to switch computers or two have to own two computers. Pros I like the ease of use and integration of the Microsoft OS with the MAC OSX. This allows me to use my MS specific software from within my MAC OSX. Cons The only issue i have, and it's not so much an issue with Parallels itself; that when MS updates come out, they can cause issues with the VM, and it takes time to resolve. I think the Parallels should attempt to get the hot-fixes out faster. Review Source Hannah H. Photographer Entertainment Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Parallels Desktop for Mac Review" March 12, 2019 5.0 Pros I love Mac and only use Apple products but for a lot of work I need to use Windows software so this is great! It's easy to install and easy to use. Cons Sometime in the beginning it confused me when installing but it becomes easier. Review Source Similar Products Featured