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Parallels 10 or VMWare Fusion 7?


Dr. Nathan Parker

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I've finished beta testing Parallels 10, and since I'm running Yosemite on the system, I have to upgrade to Parallels 10 to reliably continue using it (since Parallels 9 has some flaws in Yosemite). I also unfortunately didn't qualify for a free license code during the beta testing period.

 

Before I contact my academic department and plunk down another $40 to upgrade to Parallels 10, I was curious if I should continue using Parallels for my VM software or give VMWare Fusion 7 a try. I think it'd cost me $50 to crossgrade from Parallels to Fusion, but I was wondering if it'd be worth switching to.

 

Either solution I go with, I usually have to upgrade once a year to the new version as long as I keep my OS X upgrades current, so I've already factored those upgrade costs into my budget.

 

I'm just curious as to how Fusion stacks up with Parallels. I'm getting a little tired of Parallels licensing being tied to one machine (with Fusion, I could install the app on both Macs and transfer my VM's between Macs if need be), plus I won't touch Parallels Access at all since I don't want to pay for another subscription on top of already paying Parallels for yearly licenses.

 

I was wondering though about performance and how Fusion's performance is? I used it years ago, and at the time, I found Parallels to be faster.

 

I don't play any 3D games, but I do run some 3D weather modeling software (GR2Analyst) on the Windows VM.

 

I'm just wondering should I bite the bullet and purchase a Parallels 10 key or download the VMWare trial and give it a spin first?

 

Thanks!

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Vmware has certainly been a better choice for me. I use it on two laptops and it works great with Yosemite. Highly recommended!

 

Bob

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I tried both of them a few years ago, and finally went with the free www.virtualbox.org. No problems whatsoever. I have Win XP and Win 8.1 virtual machines.

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Nathan, I've gone back and forth between Parallels and VMWare over the years. I find them essentially to be equally comparable. Generally, I simply wait and see which will give me the cheapest upgrade for the next version and go that route. It's difficult for me to say that one is significantly superior over the other.

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Nathan,

 

FWIW,

 

I've used an earlier version of VMWare Fusion (up to level 4/5). I've been using Parallels for over five years now and I am pleased with Parallels 10 - I can't speak for its use in Yosemite, but I've noticed a considerable speed enhancements, stability, and power savings while in using it in Mavericks.

 

  • The layout is more appealing in terms of aesthetics.
  • Also more Mac feel in terms of transitions - (quicker entrance/exit with coherence mode).
  • The Windows applications (Win7 & Win8- I use both formats) do seem to launch quicker - (admittedly I haven't done any technical measuring, but can definitely tell there's been and improvement).
  • Recognition & utilization of network printer setup and 2 different external hard drives accessed more quickly than in previous versions.
  • Yes, I agree the price is a pain and limitations on license is disappointing, but for working on multiple projects and needing to use both Mac & Windows platforms with a sense of performance "stability" - I vote Parallels!
  • I work in College Administration, Sermon Prep, Biblical Studies & Instruction, Small Business, utilize Accordance (and other Bible software Programs... but only as needed :-) ... )

If you haven't decided already, You might try the parallels 10 trial version... Just saying!

 

All the best! Blessings!

 

Elliot

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Thanks for the info everyone! A few quick comments:

 

Elliot: I actually beta tested Parallels 10, so I'm pretty familiar with it. :-) My beta just expired which is why I was curious about paying for a Parallels 10 key and running with it or going Fusion.

 

Eric: Unfortunately, VirtualBox doesn't handle my graphically rich weather apps too well. It's good for day to day stuff, but not for the heavy graphics I have to throw at it.

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  • 1 month later...

Nathan,

 

I have used both Parallels and VMWare. Currently I use VMWare 6.x, have been very satisfied and haven't found anything that I cannot run.

 

The reason that I switched from Parallels to VMWare didn't have anything to do with performance, but with licensing policies. VMWare doesn't require a separate license for each mac that I own, but Parallels does.

 

Joseph

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Yeah, I don't care for Parallels licensing as well. I'd rather be able to run my VM software on more than one machine.

 

I had to break down and get (and stick with) Parallels 10 for one reason: my VM's wouldn't even boot properly trying to import them into VMWare. I could manually do a lot of migration work to get them to work in VMWare, but it's more hassle that I have time for. If VMWare offers a cleaner import process that allows my VM's to functionally boot over there, i'll give it another try sometime.

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I use Parallels and VMWare Fusion and if you're using a Windows VM then Parallels is vastly better. For Linux or other OSes, VMWare Fusion is better but it's not as fast as Parallels virtualizing Windows. Fusion is a more professional company with a very stable program; their licensing is much more reasonable as well. VirtualBox is much slower but it works fine, I can't recommend it.

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