# Page 4 | Parallels Desktop for Mac Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 4 - 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 # Page 4 - Reviews of Parallels Desktop for Mac ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 76-100 of 147 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use VR Verified Reviewer Active Director Administrator Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A straightforward desktop virtualization software to run Windows on your Apple workstation." February 6, 2018 3.0 A great way to bridge the operation system gap for productivity on an Apple workstation. Pros \- Straight-forward to setup and and start using - Migration tools to virtualize existing Windows machines and use via Parallels on your Apple workstation - Over the years, Parallels graphic performance has improved greatly. Watching media or playing simple video games was all but hopeless a decode ago. There have been steady improvements. - Copy and Pasting files from host Apple OS into the Windows virtual machine is a great feature - Fileshares can be accessed from the Apple desktop and mounted into the Windows virtual machine Cons \- Parallels vendors push subscriptions of the software, as opposed to one-time purchase. - Upgrades to latest and greatest are not always feature-rich, so the desire to upgrade may be undesirable for long-term users. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Sviluppatore Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A great virtualization software" April 6, 2018 5.0 Pros Parallels is a fast virtual machine, that provides easy and quick integration with other OSs with the help of a smart toolbox. You can plan and manage system maintenance and software updates. You can also run it on background to be always ready to start up again. Recommended! Cons Storage Optimization is missing on macOS Sierra, even if it was scheduled for release. That's the only con though Review Source MLC Marco Luca C. owner Civil Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "All you need to work seamless on Mac " July 19, 2020 5.0 I need it absolutely because I have some windows apps that aren't available for Mac and I need them for my job. So the solution is to virtualize and with parallels I solved all my problems Pros The coherence mode that help you to run windows application together with Mac ones is really the best Cons probably none, except the cost that is not low Reason for choosing Parallels Desktop for Mac parallels is unmatched to run windows apps on Mac and also to run other systems as linux or even OS X itself in virtual machines Review Source Tyler S. Marketing Director Consumer Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great for Mac users!" August 8, 2018 5.0 Pros I am a Mac guy and our business software is on windows. This gives me an easy option to run our program in the background with out having to do the partitioning! Cons none. always improving and helps me daily Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Manager Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Allows me to have the best of both worlds, Mac and Windows" April 4, 2018 5.0 Pros Just how well windows runs in this virtualized environment. I can at times run windows programs faster and more reliably than peers who have native windows computers. The performance is truly amaxing Cons The bundling that the vendor tries to do. I do not want to install 3rd party software such as antivirus etc on my windows machine and it feels like they try really hard to force that one you. Review Source CS Carlos S. Front-end developer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent solution for virtualization on macOS" June 20, 2018 5.0 Pros Parallels Desktop has been my only solution to virtualize Windows and Android OS on Mac. It's really easy to download right from inside the app and performs great. Cons It comes enabled with some features like window and desktop share with Windows, which aren't necessarily what we want from default (right after a new installation). It makes the process a lot more expensive from a memory and processing standpoint. Review Source DS Derek S. Manager of Tech Operations Used the software for: 2+ years ### "An amazing product when you have to use Windows on Mac" March 20, 2018 4.0 This is a good product for what it has to offer. Its great to be able to have two different operating system on one device. This is something you are unable to do with a PC. Hands down its worth the money for the software with the features it has to offer. Pros The ability to have the Windows OS right on your Mac laptop just like any other app on your laptop and to have multiple versions of the OS. It is truly like having another laptop with you. Cons I would say the biggest con would be that you have to always pay for the upgrade. There should be some sort of way you can purchase a bundle or have it that the next version is free and then you pay after that. Review Source JG Janet G. Owner Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I've used Parallels since 2009." February 24, 2018 5.0 Pros If you have a mac and need to be able to run programs that are only PC compatible then you will love Parallels. I do accounting and the program that I use does not have a mac version that is as powerful as the PC version. Parallels allows me to run both operating systems at one time so I can switch back and forth. It is easy to load and easy to use. Cons Parallels is very taxing on a machine - especially an older one. Some things like printing are a little tricky to get set up. It is also frustrating that it needs updated so frequently and there is a fairly hefty charge for that every time. Review Source DA Dimitrios A. Graphic Design Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for everyday use " February 10, 2023 5.0 I will use it forever Pros Like that is easy to setup. Running in minutes Cons I dont like that i cant intergrate same vm iso for mac with intel and mac with silicon. Review Source CNA C Nadia A. Business Manager Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Seamless integration of PC into a Mac environment" February 15, 2018 5.0 Pros Ease of use, low imprint, easily able to switch between Mac and pc environment. This software has enabled me to integrate pc-based imaging software into a Mac-based network with not issues. Cons Not easy to get a live person for assistance. Occasionally there is a lag while the software boots up causing a delay in accessing the program. This is solved by leaving it running minimized. Review Source Amit G. Founder Photography Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Windows on a mac without the hassel" June 15, 2021 5.0 been using since version 13 and the updates are good, but not essential to upgrade every version for a lite user like me Pros Easy install and setup, and fast loading on my MacBook pro. also easy to activate and deactivate when using on different machines. Cons advanced settings take some getting used to, and there is till no option to use proper wifi once you are within windows. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer IT manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Parallels Desktop is Great" April 20, 2022 4.0 well, i have been using it a while and its very stable as we setup the VDI + app deployment to let user remote to user app without require setup desktop, any user just have the web browser can use it well, by just install ras client in their devices is enough. Pros its very stable and fast responsive Virtual Desktop or Remote Desktop, actually, its very tiny software and lite not require big space of storage. we can deploy the VDI app or VDI desktop + app, or remote desktop its very fast if compare with another product. Cons that pretty stable already, i have no comment about this. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer System Engineer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Seamlessly use your virtual machines on your Mac" March 13, 2018 5.0 Pros It is very easy to use and configure, the UI is easy to understand and navigate. It is highly configurable, and most of the setup is automated. Cons Your system's CPU will suffer if you do not configure your VM properly. OS crashes within Paralles can (and will) occur from time to time depending on resource allocation. Review Source GH Grove H. Owner and Doctor / CEO And Medical Director Used the software for: 2+ years ### " A supremely useful app that makes my Mac even more useful to me." January 11, 2018 5.0 Pros It's ease of use once it is set up. It takes a little bit of understanding to get it set up correctly but once it is, it's flawless! Cons Trying to get windows loaded on to parallels is the frustrating part of the program and with the set up that I had going where I wanted to run windows along several accounts, it took a little finagling. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Associate Financial Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good software hampered by unethical decisions by the company sometimes" June 9, 2018 4.0 Able to run Windows software on Mac Pros \- Very fast virtual machine for Windows on the Mac - Very well integrations of Windows into the Mac. You can almost not realize that there is a Windows OS running as a virtual machine on your Mac. You can even copy and paste across Windows and Mac and can even access the Mac directories on your Windows virtual machine. Sweet! - Can customize the amount of memory and CPU cores allocated to the virtual machine Cons \- These guys force a paid upgrade on you when you upgrade OSX. Luckily, I had also purchased VMWare Fusion sometime ago and was able to use that without any hitch even though it was a version older than the one they were selling at that time. Review Source DM Diana M. Operations Manager Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Allowed us to continue using Windows specific software on Mac" April 11, 2018 5.0 Pros We use Parallel Standard, with one time fee for a license (but no upgrades) in order to continue to be able to run our old Quickbooks for PC. It gets the job done for virtually running Windows seamlessly in the background. You can schedule Windows updates to take place at night to avoid slowing down your system when you are working.User-friendly! Cons The software works well, though sometimes it is a little laggy. You have to migrate an existing Windows system or buy a new copy of it. Review Source JP Jodi P. Writer and Editor Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "If you want to buy a Windows license 100 times, use this" June 28, 2023 5.0 My issue is less with Parallels than it is with Windows—but Parallels could make it simpler by only offering the type of license that allows you to reinstall if your hard drive fails. Pros It's super great to be able to run Windows on my Mac! Cons It's very confusing to know what kind of Windows license to buy. And if your hard drive fails and you need to reinstall, you have to buy YET ANOTHER WINDOWS LICENSE. Review Source Aleksander B. Freelancer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best virtualisation for Mac" August 26, 2022 5.0 Pros I use Parallels Desktop to run windows apps on my mac Cons It doesn't work good with android emulation, had to use WMWare for that Review Source GL Giorgio L. Consultant engineer Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I couldn't work without it" April 28, 2022 5.0 I use Mac, and with Parallels I can use programs that exist only for Windows operating systems. It is easy to install and use it. It's great to switch from one window with a macOS operating system to another with a Windows operating system. Pros I use Mac, and with Parallels I can use programs that exist only for Windows operating systems! Cons Nothing (In all the time I have used this program I have never encountered any particular problems). Review Source TW Tyler W. Software Engineer Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I've used parallels for mac on my work and personal computer for the last 4 years" February 8, 2018 5.0 Pros Seamless integration and ease of use. I use it for both windows and linux. I currently have a fedora and ubuntu vm for different projects and they work seamlessly. Cons The fact that applications in my vm with the same name as those in my host os are listed first in spotlight. Review Source KB Karyn B. Senior Graphic Designer E-Learning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Crossing Platforms" July 6, 2021 3.0 Overall I really like Parallels and that it keeps me from having to have a second computer just for a few software programs that are not available on the Mac just yet. Pros As a die-hard Mac user it became necessary to find a way to use some PC exclusive software applications on my Mac. In fact, my entire team is in the same situation. When we found Parallels it was so great to be able to simulate a PC operating system. Cons As a non-PC user I am not sure if this is just how it works or not, but, one thing I didn't account for was that we would have to also purchase a copy of the operating system along with Parallels. Ideally, that would be a one-stop-shop. Additionally, when resizing a Parallels window it distorts the image in the display. That does fix itself but it is not as responsive as it could be. Review Source LT Laura T. Student Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Il migliore softwari del settore, senza dubbi!" October 3, 2022 5.0 Parallels è un must have per utenti macOS che hanno bisogno di utilizzare applicazioni e ambienti presenti solo su windows. Non ve ne pentirete Pros Parallels è di una fluidità spettacolare. Con la modalità Coherence passare da un app su windows a una su mac non è mai stato così semplice. L'abbonamento annuale costa un po' ma ne vale la pena assolutamente. Cons Non ho trovato difetti, a parte il prezzo che come ho già detto è assolutamente giustificato Review Source Tim F. Systems Engineer Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Parallels works well for power users" March 7, 2018 4.0 Pros Parallels is overall very good software for running virtual machines on your Mac. Emulation is top notch and the feature set is pretty powerful and flexible. Cons Coherence being active by default can be confusing for users. Also, the automatic resolution switching with apps going full screen not always reliable - users end up with part of an app window full screen and don't immediately know how to fix it. Review Source CM Claudio M. Informatico Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Windows su Mac" October 15, 2022 4.0 Pros Grazie a questo software avrete la possibilità di eseguire windows su sistemi mac OS. Cons Non immediata e semplice l'installazione. Review Source OM Olga M. Master Director Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best Application for Mac Users and you need windows applications" June 27, 2018 5.0 Pros This software is awesome. It feels as you are in an actual windows computer. It dont make your computer slow, also you can use the coherence option and use the windows applications as they were installed in your mac. The price is very good. Cons When you buy the license, you buy a software without the annual uploads. You have to pay again to obtain the newer version. However, I have been using the 2016 version and still is good. Review Source Similar Products Featured