Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac. There is an alternative, though. A company called CodeWeavers makes a special version of Wine for the Mac, that it calls CrossOver for Mac, which is (a little. Parallels Desktop (sometimes referred to as Parallels, Parallels Desktop Lite) was added by Drdul in Apr 2009 and the latest update was made in Oct 2018. The list of alternatives was updated Aug 2018 There is a history of all activites on Parallels Desktop in our Activity Log.
If you need to run Windows inside OS X, you have three options: VirtualBox, VMware, and Parallels. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and different use cases where one’s better than another. Let’s break down when each is best and for what.
The Contenders
Virtual machines allow you to run operating systems like Windows inside of OS X, alongside your normal Mac setup. Once you set up a virtual machine, you install the operating system you want and you can use it right from your Mac desktop, no rebooting necessary. There are three popular options for doing this:
Note: Existing Parallels Desktop® for Mac users are not recommended to move to Parallels Desktop Lite. You can run Internet Explorer®, Quicken®, QuickBooks, and hundreds of other Windows and Linux applications not available on the Mac—and run them side by side with Mac apps like Pages® and Keynote®. 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, Parallels Desktop for Mac (referred to simply as Parallels from here on) allows Mac users to. For the Mac, this wasn’t too hard, since the Desktop Curtain utility is in the Mac App Store. For an alternative in Windows, I searched for quite a while in the Windows Store.
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We’d be remiss here not to also mention Boot Camp, which runs Windows on a separate partition of your hard drive. Unlike virtual machines, Boot Camp requires rebooting your computer, and you can’t use both operating systems at the same time. It’s a bit less convenient, but it means your Windows installation can take full advantage of your Mac’s hardware, giving you better performance. We won’t be including it in today’s showdown—which is specifically about the different virtualization options out there—but it’s worth mentioning as an option for running Windows on a Mac.
Now let’s dig into some of the specifics of each.
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Ease of Setup
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Virtual machines aren’t like other apps. Setup goes beyond just installing the app, so the ease of the process is pretty important.
Let’s start with VirtualBox, since it’s the most hands-on of the bunch. You start by creating a virtual machine and selecting the operating system you plan to run (Windows, Linux, etc). From there, you’ll need to tweak a bunch of system settings, including how many processor cores the virtual machine gets, how much memory and video memory it gets from the total installed in your system. Thankfully, we have a guide to help you through the whole process. Once you have all of that configured, you’ll install the operating system just like you would on any computer. That means you’ll need an installation disc, USB drive, or ISO file to install from.
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Both VMware and Parallels have setup wizards that guide you through the process a little more. Beyond simply installing a virtual machine, both allow you to import your Boot Camp partition if you have one, or migrate an old Windows PC to your Mac. Parallels (pictured above) guides you through the installation process a lot more, and you’ll get the option to automatically optimize Parallels for productivity or gaming. Of course, you always can move past that screen and install Windows from scratch if you prefer.
They’re all simple, though Parallels has a bit of an advantage for new users since it holds your hand throughout the process. In terms of user friendliness, Parallels was consistently the strongest of the three we tested. That makes it a great solution for anyone not interested in screwing around with settings.
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Additional Features That Make All the Difference
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While each of these three programs do fundamentally the same thing, a handful of small features set them apart from one another.
All three apps feature some type of windowed mode support (see image above). This allows you to run a single Windows application in its own window on your Mac desktop, so it feels a little more like a native Mac app. VMware calls this Unity, Parallels calls this Coherence, and VirtualBox calls it Seamless Mode. When an app is in windowed mode, you can copy and paste information between Windows and Mac apps, move and resize them, and close an app without shutting down Windows.
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Parallels and VMware both allow you to open up individual Windows programs directly from the Dock, which makes the whole process very easy. VirtualBox doesn’t support this feature, instead requiring you to open up the whole virtual machine to pick our your app of choice.
The similarities don’t stop there. If you’re running Windows 10, Parallels and VMware both give you access to Cortana to issue voice commands, even if Windows isn’t in focus. They also both support DirectX 10, which means they can run most games, though good performance isn’t guaranteed (more on that in the next section). VirtualBox doesn’t support any cool little tricks like this. Instead, it merely performs the simple task of running Windows as a whole.
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The feature differences between the Parallels and VMware are pretty subtle. For example, Parallels supports OS X’s Quick Look feature in Windows, while VMware doesn’t. Conversely, if you happen to have a fancy new iMac, VMware supports 5K monitors natively. Most of this stuff is pretty minor though, and honestly if you stripped away the logos, I’d have a hard time telling a difference between the two.
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If you want a full comparison of everything in VMware Fusion and Parallels, Wikipedia has a handy chart that’s worth a look, though it’s not completely up-to-date.
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Performance and Benchmarks
Since virtual machines have to share resources with the host OS, performance is very important. Thankfully, TekRevue has benchmarked all three programs for a variety of tasks. The current version of VMware outperforms the others in nearly every category, while VirtualBox is way behind its competitors. Of course, there’s more to it than just that.
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Alternative To Parallels Desktop
In 18 different tests, VMware took top honors in 11, most notably in the graphics benchmarks. Performance margins were typically pretty close and as a whole, Parallels tends to do best in CPU-related tests where VMware does best in graphics-related tests.
The general trend of CPU versus graphics runs throughout their tests. Parallels tends to boot faster than VMware, transfer files faster, and saves battery life better than VMware. In turn, VMware benchmarks much higher for 3D graphics and for gaming, especially with OpenGL. VirtualBox consistently lags behind in both CPU and 3D performance.
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The Verdict: VirtualBox for a Free, Bare-Bones Experience. VMware or Parallels for an Easy-to-Use, More Integrated One
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Free Alternative To Parallels
If you just need Windows to run that one old app that doesn’t require a ton of 3D rendering or other complicated processing, VirtualBox is what you want. Beyond that, feature-wise, the two paid options are very similar, and the difference is mainly price and how many Macs you need to install on. If you’re planning on running anything in 3D or want to install Windows on more than one Mac, then go with VMware. If you’re more interested in productivity software and battery life, and don’t mind the one Mac restriction, then Parallels is your best bet.
All of this changes from year to year, too. Parallels and VMware both require that you buy an annual license every year to get updates that pack in performance gains and feature improvements. These annual updates are great in theory, but they’re not cheap, and they come every year without fail. This is a bit tiresome, especially when they lock out newer versions of Windows behind those paid upgrades. Provided you don’t need to be on the cutting edge, they’re usually pretty incremental, though, and you’re okay skipping one or two—as long as a new version of Windows doesn’t come out.
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Alternative To Parallels Desktop For Mac
Regardless, the good news here is that while VirtualBox is free, even VMware Fusion and Parallels have trial periods so you can check them all out. We definitely recommend doing so before you drop the cash. You don’t have to try out all three options, but if your needs are pretty limited, start with VirtualBox before considering VMware or Parallels.
Keep in mind that the full Parallels Desktop 12 license you purchase when upgrading from Parallels Desktop 9 or earlier versions contains the same new features and performance improvements that users of Parallels Desktop 10 and 11 receive in their Parallels Desktop 12 upgrade. Run SketchUp Pro, OriginLab, DIALux 8, DELFTship, CTvox, and more on your Mac with Parallels Desktop 14. Touch Bar Get additional support with the Mac Touch Bar™ for Windows and Windows applications such as AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Visual Studio, OneNote, and Visio. Parallels for mac upgrade 9 to 12. Nov 24, 2017 Yes, Parallels Desktop 12 can be upgraded from version 10/11 but for Parallels Desktop 8/9 users are provided a special link through emails or in-app notifications to buy a special upgrade to Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac Upgrade(8/9).
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