Comparison of VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop

Comparison of VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop: Represented by their respective products, VMware and Parallels are the two major commercial competitors in the Mac consumer virtualization market. Both products are based on hypervisor technology and allow users to run an additional 32- or 64-bit x86 operating system in a virtual machine alongside Mac OS X on an Intel-powered Mac. The similarity in features and functionality between VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop for Mac has given occasion for much comparison.

Contents

1 Features

2 Minimum system requirements

3 2007 Benchmark tests

4 2008 Benchmark tests

5 2009 Benchmark tests

5.1 Cross-platform task tests

5.2 Networking and file I/O tests

5.3 Simultaneous use of VM and host OS

6 2010 Benchmark tests

7 See also

8 References

Features

Feature Product

VMware Fusion 3.1 (4.0 is now released, this chart is out of date)
Parallels Desktop 7

Installing Windows on Mac

Easy Install with Automatic Windows Setup Yes Yes

Run off existing Boot Camp partition Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Allows suspending of VM running off the Boot Camp partition No Yes

Import Physical Windows PC to VM Yes Yes

Import Boot Camp partition to VM Yes Yes

Full Support for Windows 7 Yes Yes

Import Third Party VMs (Parallels, VMware, VirtualPC for Mac) Yes Yes

Mac

Support Higher Synthetic screen resolutions in Full-Screen mode without scrolling (e.g. Run Windows in 1920x1200 mode on a 1440x900 monitor) Yes No

Migrate Windows 2000 PC to Mac Yes Yes

Migrate Windows XP to Mac Yes Yes

Migrate Windows 7 to Mac Yes Yes

Migrate Linux to Mac No Yes

Migrate PC over wireless network Yes Yes

Migrate PC over Ethernet Yes Yes

Migrate PC over FireWire Yes Yes

Migrate PC over USB No Yes

Windows documents migration to appropriate folders to Mac No Yes

Migration of the Internet bookmarks and settings from Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome on PC to the default browser on the Mac. No Yes

Comes with Video Tutorials to help Windows Switchers on Mac No Switch to Mac Edition

Running Windows Apps on Mac

Run Windows apps like Mac apps (Unity/Coherence) Yes Yes

Exclude Dock in Unity/Coherence Yes Yes

Windows application folder in Dock No Yes

Windows Start Menu in Dock No Yes

Windows application folder in menu bar Yes No

Windows Start Menu in menu Yes Yes

Always On Application Menu available to launch Windows apps at any time Yes Yes

Quit Individual Window applications Yes Yes

Use Command ` to switch between open windows in a Windows app Yes Yes

Assign Windows applications to a Mac OS X Space Yes Doesn't keep windows from app together

Shared Folders to access Mac files/folders from Windows Yes Yes

Access Windows tray icons in Unity Yes Yes

Arrow icon in the Mac menu bar for customizing Windows tray icons in Coherence. No Yes

Progress for downloads and other operations is displayed on the Windows 7 applications icons in the Dock. No Yes

Windows 7 Jump Lists are supported for Windows applications in the Dock: view your recent documents by right-clicking the application icon in the Dock. No Yes

Grouping of all windows of a single Windows application under the same application icon in the Dock. No Yes

Active screen corners No Yes

Launch Windows or Mac internet applications from hyperlinks Yes Yes

Windows applications can be set as the default applications for handling CDs and DVDs inserted into the Mac. No Yes

Enable Apple Gestures to work with Windows applications No Yes

Enable Apple Magic Mouse Gesture support with Windows applications No Yes

Enable Apple Remote to work with Windows applications No Yes

Launch Mac applications from any Windows file (Shared Applications/SmartSelect) Yes Yes

Automatically mount storage and network devices to guest OS Yes Yes

Suspend/Resume To Where You Last Left Off Yes Yes

Pause VM if no application running to reduce Mac OS load. No Yes

Mirrored/Remapped Desktop, Music, Documents, and Pictures Folders Yes Yes

Contextual menu items "Run on Mac" and "Show in Finder" for Shared Folders No Yes

Remapping Windows Keyboard Shortcuts to Mac Shortcuts Yes, completely customizable Yes, completely customizable

Keyboard shortcut (F6 or Fn + F6) for hiding/showing Parallels Desktop and all its windows. No Yes

Virtual Links - aliases to Mac OS files from Windows virtual machines Yes Yes

Copy/Paste Text between Windows / Mac Yes, Plain and Rich (RTF) Text up to 4 MB Yes, Plain and Rich (RTF) Text

Drag and Drop Text between Windows / Mac Yes, Plain and Rich (RTF) Text up to 4 MB No

Drag and Drop Files Between Windows / Mac Yes Yes

Copy/Paste Graphics between Windows / Mac Yes Yes

Passthrough "Driverless" Printing to Mac Printers Yes Yes

Making Windows Safer on Mac

Single Snapshot support Yes Yes

Multiple Snapshot support Yes Yes

AutoProtect Automatic Snapshots Yes Yes

TimeMachine backups can be synced with SmartGuard snapshots, to reduce the space required for backups. No Yes

Automatically revert VM to start state upon termination No Yes

Virtual machine encryption with AES algorithm for better security of your data (empowered by AES-NI hardware support on i5 and i7 CPUs) No Yes

Mac OS Parental Controls are automatically applied to the virtual machine for managing children’s computer usage No Yes

Windows AntiVirus & AntiSpyware Included 12-month subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus. User Prompted to Install 3-month subscription to Kaspersky Internet Security. User Prompted to Install

Mac OS AntiVirus Included No 3-month subscription to Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac. User Prompted to Install

Lock down application and virtual machine settings to prevent changes No Yes

Isolated Virtual Machines No Yes

Designed for Mac (Fit and Finish)

Optimized for Lion No Yes

Optimized for Snow Leopard Runs on 64-bit kernel, 64-bit VMM, 64-bit helper application, 32-bit GUI Runs on 64-bit kernel, 64-bit VMM, 64-bit helper application, 64-bit GUI

UI Built from Ground Up for Mac Cocoa and GTK+ frameworks Nokia Qt library with Carbon and Cocoa frameworks.

Welcome Screen to Simplify Initial Setup Yes Yes

Mac-like Settings and Preferences Windows Yes Yes

Apply different colors to virtual machines to find them in Finder or in the virtual machines list No Yes

Customizable Toolbars Yes Yes

Default virtual machine to launch on application startup Yes Yes

Virtual Machine Library Yes Yes

Live View of Running Virtual Machines in Library/Settings Yes Yes

Live View of Running Virtual Machine in Dock No Yes

Startup in Last View Format Yes Yes

Reduce the virtual hard disk size as its unused space grows Yes Yes

Apple Help (Searchable with Mac Design) Yes Yes

Single File Virtual Machine Packages Yes Yes

QuickLook/Cover Flow Integration Yes Yes

Mount Running Virtual Machines in Finder No Yes

Mount Stopped Virtual Machines in Finder Yes Yes

Use iSight in OS X and Windows No Yes

Advanced Platform

32-bit Guest Operating Systems Yes Yes

64-bit Guest Operating Systems Yes Yes

Multi-CPU virtual machines Up to 8 processors per VM & Multi Core (as of VMWare Fusion 3.1) Up to 8 processors per VM & Multi Core

Virtual CPU supports AES-NI when running on i5 and i7 CPUs No Yes

Maximum RAM per virtual machine 8 GB 8 GB

Support for IPv6, the next-generation version of the Internet Protocol, in shared, bridged and host-only networking. No Yes

Windows Aero (WDDM for Windows Vista and Windows 7) Yes Yes

DirectX 3D Graphics Support DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3 DirectX 9.0Ex with Shader Model 3

OpenGL 3D Graphics Support for Windows Vista & Windows 7 guest OS OpenGL 2.1 (as of VMWare Fusion 3.1) OpenGL 2.1

OpenGL 3D Graphics Support for Windows XP guest OS OpenGL 2.1 OpenGL 2.1

OpenGL 3D Graphics Support for Linux guest OS No Open GL 2.1

Multiple monitor/display support Up to 10, each display is separate unique display to Windows Up to 10, each display is separate unique display to Windows

Hardware Assisted Video/Movie Playback Yes Yes

Maximum video RAM per VM 288 MB 1 GB

USB 2.0 passthrough support Yes Yes

Support for external surround sound 5.1 USB or FireWire devices work simultaneously in Mac and the virtual machine. No Yes

64-bit Native Engine 64-bit VMM, 64-bit kernel extensions, 64-bit helper application, 32 GUI 64-bit VMM, 64-bit kernel extensions, 64-bit helper application, 32 GUI

Power Management/Battery Passthrough Yes Yes

Bluetooth support (as USB device) Yes Yes

Firewire passthrough support No No

Virtual IDE Controller Yes Yes

Virtual SCSI Controller Yes Yes

Virtual SAS Controller Yes Yes, using software emulation in guest OS

Shared Smart Card Yes Yes

Low Level Access to Network Interfaces (promiscuous mode / WiFi monitor mode etc.) Yes No

Advanced Tools

Virtual Disk Management Yes, Integrated in Settings Editor Yes, Standalone tool

Resize Virtual Disks Yes Yes

Advanced Network Management Requires modifying networking scripts Yes

Control VMs with Scripting option Yes Yes

Supports Intel VT-x hardware virtualization engine Yes Yes

Network (PXE) Boot Yes Yes

Run More Operating Systems on Mac

Run Multiple Operating Systems at One Time Yes, run up to 20 with available memory Yes

Supported x86 Operating Systems Over 140 operating systems Over 60 operating systems

Run Linux virtual machines Yes Yes

Linux Easy Install with Automatic Setup Yes Yes

Linux virtual machine support Window resize, time sync, shared folders, drag and drop Window resize, time sync, shared folders

Run Linux apps like Mac apps with Unity/Coherence Yes (Ubuntu and Red Hat with Gnome) Yes

Run Mac OS X Server virtual machines Yes Yes

Import VHD Test Drives Yes Yes

Run Virtual Appliances Over 1200 available Fewer than 100 available

iPhone/iPad mobile client

Allows to work with remote VM on iPhone/iPad No Yes

Allows user to connect over internet No Yes

Minimum system requirements

Requirement Product

VMware Fusion 3.1 Parallels Desktop 7

Host OS Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later; Mac OS X 10.6 or later Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later; Mac OS X 10.6 or later; OS X 10.7 or later

RAM 1 GB (2 GB Recommended) 1 GB (2 GB Recommended)

Disk space for product 700 MB 450 MB

2007 Benchmark tests

On August 16, 2007, CNET published the results of several benchmarks^[1] in which Fusion demonstrated better performance than Parallels Desktop for Mac in SMP-aware applications, which Fusion supports while Parallels does not. It should also be noted that Boot Camp is a tool for natively booting Windows XP on Intel Macintosh and is not a virtualization product. This comparison is of limited value today, as both products have had 2 major upgrades since then.

This comparison was tested on an eight-core, 2.66 GHz MacPro running Mac OS X 10.4.10, Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac (build 4560) and VMware Fusion 1.0 (build 51348). Fusion and Parallels were both set to 1,024 MB of system memory and a 32 GB hard disk. Fusion was set to 128 MB of graphics memory, and Parallels Desktop for Mac was set to 64 MB of graphics memory (the maximum for each at that time)^[1].

2008 Benchmark tests

In Volume 24, Issue 02 of MacTech, the editors published the results of one-step and task tests between VMware Fusion 1.0, Parallels Desktop 3.0 and Boot Camp and used a PC running Windows XP as a baseline comparison in a native PC environment.^[2]

One-step Test: After clicking the mouse or pressing a key, this test requires no further human action.

Task Test: This tests the interaction between Mac OS X and the virtual environment and requires multiple tests throughout the process.

MacTech found that the faster the physical host computer, the more similarly Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion performed. MacTech did not test multiple processor performance. The following graphs displays the results in seconds. Shorter bars indicate faster performance.

Each test was run on a MacBook (2 GB RAM; 1.83 GHz Core Duo processor), a MacBook Pro (4 GB RAM; 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo processor) and a Mac Pro (4 GB RAM; Quad Core configuration with two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors). MacTech tested Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac Build 5160 and VMware Fusion 1.0 Build 51348. All tests were done on clean host systems with new installations of Mac OS X 10.4.10 and Office installations and included all of the most up-to-date patches. No third party software was installed other than Mac OS X, VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office.

2009 Benchmark tests

In March, 2009, Volume 25, Issue 04, MacTech ^[3] published the results of a new series of benchmark tests that compared the performance between VMware Fusion 2.0.1 and Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac (build 3540), both running Mac OS X 10.5.5.

In most of MacTech’s tests, Parallels Desktop performed 14-20% faster than Fusion; however, Fusion ran 10% faster than Parallels Desktop when running Windows XP 32-bit on 2 virtual processors.^[4]

OS/Environment Result

Windows XP, 32-bit, 1 Processor Parallels Desktop runs 14% faster

Windows Vista, 32-bit, 1 Processor Parallels Desktop runs 14% faster

Windows XP, 32-bit, 2 Processors VMware Fusion runs 10% faster

Windows Vista, 32-bit, 2 Processors Parallels Desktop runs 20% faster

Windows XP, 64-bit, 2 Processors Parallels Desktop runs 15% faster

The tests were performed on the White MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac and MacPro. Both Fusion and Parallels Desktop were optimized for virtual machine performance. MacTech’s test included launch and CPU tests, File and Network IO, Footprint, Application Launch, Application Performance and 3D and HD Graphics. In many cases, tests were performed after both Adam and Successful launches and were timed using a stopwatch.

Test Suite Performance Winner

Windows Launch Performance Parallels Desktop for Mac

CPU Parallels Desktop for Mac, except for 2 of the 14 tests

Footprint on Mac Parallels Desktop for Mac

Application Launch VMware Fusion

Application Performance Both products did well, except for IE where Parallels Desktop is 80-91% faster^[5]

3D and HD Performance Dependent on game¹, video and Windows environment.

¹ 3D Games tested were Civilization IV: Colonization and Portal. In Civilization, Parallels Desktop has faster FPS (Frames Per Second) and performed better on slower machines while Fusion has better, more detailed graphics. Fusion has difficulty showing the startup video, but Parallels Desktop's graphics are not as rich. When running Portal, Fusion is faster but its graphics are visibly lighter, while Parallels Desktop has better graphics and visual details.^[6]

Cross-platform task tests

MacTech’s cross platform tests timed how long it took users to perform multi-step tasks that moved data between Mac OS X and Windows. VMware Fusion, which is designed for increased isolation from the host, requires more manual steps to move data between the host and the virtual environment. Parallels Desktop, which is designed to run transparently with the Mac OS X host, requires fewer steps to perform the same tasks. Therefore, Parallels Desktop was faster.

Networking and file I/O tests

Parallels Desktop occasionally displayed lag anomalies while VMware Fusion's virtual drive performance was very close to that of a physical drive. VMware Fusion preferred a bridged connection for reliable performance, and Parallels Desktop was consistent regardless of the type of virtual network adaptor used.

Simultaneous use of VM and host OS

Parallel Desktop 5 always uses wired memory for hosted OS, while VMWare Fusion 3.0 uses active memory that can be swapped. Giving better performance to hosted VM, this leaves less memory to host OS programs and causes more swapping if you use VM and host OS programs at the same time.

2010 Benchmark tests

In 2010 MacTech^[7], Volume 26, Issue 01, published the results of a new series of benchmark tests showing a performance advantage for Parallels Desktop 5 across all subcategories, with an average of 30% faster.

ITPro's November 2010 performance testing results were mixed, with Parallels being slightly faster, overall.^[8]

See also

VirtualBox

Comparison of platform virtual machines for a list of related virtualization software products

Desktop virtualization

Microsoft Virtual PC

Platform virtualization

Virtual machine

x86 virtualization

References

^ ^a ^b Begun, Daniel (2007-08-17). "Inside CNET Labs: Windows virtual machine performance on the Mac". CNET. http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9760910-1.html. Retrieved 2007-10-04.

^ Ticktin, Neil. "Virtualization Benchmarking How do Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop, and VMware Fusion stack up?". MacTech. http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.24/24.02/VirtualizationBenchmark/. Retrieved February 2008.

^ Ticktin, Neil. "Head-to-Head: Parallels Desktop for Mac vs. VMware Fusion". MacTech. http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.25/25.04/VMBenchmarks/. Retrieved March 2009.

^ http://www.mactech.com:16080/articles/mactech/Vol.25/25.04/VMBenchmarks/index-001.html

^ http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.25/25.04/VMBenchmarks/index-002.html

^ http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.25/25.04/VMBenchmarks/index-003.html

^ Ticktin, Neil. "Head-to-Head: Parallels Desktop for Mac vs. VMware Fusion". MacTech. http://www.mactech.com/articles/special/1002-VirtualizationHeadToHead/index-001.html. Retrieved March 2010.

^ http://www.itpro.co.uk/628492/head-to-head-parallels-desktop-6-vs-vmware-fusion-3/4

Categories:
Software comparisons
Virtualization software
VMware
Mac OS X software

Feature	Product
VMware Fusion 3.1 (4.0 is now released, this chart is out of date)	Parallels Desktop 7
Installing Windows on Mac
Easy Install with Automatic Windows Setup	Yes	Yes
Run off existing Boot Camp partition	Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)	Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit), Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Allows suspending of VM running off the Boot Camp partition	No	Yes
Import Physical Windows PC to VM	Yes	Yes
Import Boot Camp partition to VM	Yes	Yes
Full Support for Windows 7	Yes	Yes
Import Third Party VMs (Parallels, VMware, VirtualPC for Mac)	Yes	Yes
Mac
Support Higher Synthetic screen resolutions in Full-Screen mode without scrolling (e.g. Run Windows in 1920x1200 mode on a 1440x900 monitor)	Yes	No
Migrate Windows 2000 PC to Mac	Yes	Yes
Migrate Windows XP to Mac	Yes	Yes
Migrate Windows 7 to Mac	Yes	Yes
Migrate Linux to Mac	No	Yes
Migrate PC over wireless network	Yes	Yes
Migrate PC over Ethernet	Yes	Yes
Migrate PC over FireWire	Yes	Yes
Migrate PC over USB	No	Yes
Windows documents migration to appropriate folders to Mac	No	Yes
Migration of the Internet bookmarks and settings from Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome on PC to the default browser on the Mac.	No	Yes
Comes with Video Tutorials to help Windows Switchers on Mac	No	Switch to Mac Edition
Running Windows Apps on Mac
Run Windows apps like Mac apps (Unity/Coherence)	Yes	Yes
Exclude Dock in Unity/Coherence	Yes	Yes
Windows application folder in Dock	No	Yes
Windows Start Menu in Dock	No	Yes
Windows application folder in menu bar	Yes	No
Windows Start Menu in menu	Yes	Yes
Always On Application Menu available to launch Windows apps at any time	Yes	Yes
Quit Individual Window applications	Yes	Yes
Use Command ` to switch between open windows in a Windows app	Yes	Yes
Assign Windows applications to a Mac OS X Space	Yes	Doesn't keep windows from app together
Shared Folders to access Mac files/folders from Windows	Yes	Yes
Access Windows tray icons in Unity	Yes	Yes
Arrow icon in the Mac menu bar for customizing Windows tray icons in Coherence.	No	Yes
Progress for downloads and other operations is displayed on the Windows 7 applications icons in the Dock.	No	Yes
Windows 7 Jump Lists are supported for Windows applications in the Dock: view your recent documents by right-clicking the application icon in the Dock.	No	Yes
Grouping of all windows of a single Windows application under the same application icon in the Dock.	No	Yes
Active screen corners	No	Yes
Launch Windows or Mac internet applications from hyperlinks	Yes	Yes
Windows applications can be set as the default applications for handling CDs and DVDs inserted into the Mac.	No	Yes
Enable Apple Gestures to work with Windows applications	No	Yes
Enable Apple Magic Mouse Gesture support with Windows applications	No	Yes
Enable Apple Remote to work with Windows applications	No	Yes
Launch Mac applications from any Windows file (Shared Applications/SmartSelect)	Yes	Yes
Automatically mount storage and network devices to guest OS	Yes	Yes
Suspend/Resume To Where You Last Left Off	Yes	Yes
Pause VM if no application running to reduce Mac OS load.	No	Yes
Mirrored/Remapped Desktop, Music, Documents, and Pictures Folders	Yes	Yes
Contextual menu items "Run on Mac" and "Show in Finder" for Shared Folders	No	Yes
Remapping Windows Keyboard Shortcuts to Mac Shortcuts	Yes, completely customizable	Yes, completely customizable
Keyboard shortcut (F6 or Fn + F6) for hiding/showing Parallels Desktop and all its windows.	No	Yes
Virtual Links - aliases to Mac OS files from Windows virtual machines	Yes	Yes
Copy/Paste Text between Windows / Mac	Yes, Plain and Rich (RTF) Text up to 4 MB	Yes, Plain and Rich (RTF) Text
Drag and Drop Text between Windows / Mac	Yes, Plain and Rich (RTF) Text up to 4 MB	No
Drag and Drop Files Between Windows / Mac	Yes	Yes
Copy/Paste Graphics between Windows / Mac	Yes	Yes
Passthrough "Driverless" Printing to Mac Printers	Yes	Yes
Making Windows Safer on Mac
Single Snapshot support	Yes	Yes
Multiple Snapshot support	Yes	Yes
AutoProtect Automatic Snapshots	Yes	Yes
TimeMachine backups can be synced with SmartGuard snapshots, to reduce the space required for backups.	No	Yes
Automatically revert VM to start state upon termination	No	Yes
Virtual machine encryption with AES algorithm for better security of your data (empowered by AES-NI hardware support on i5 and i7 CPUs)	No	Yes
Mac OS Parental Controls are automatically applied to the virtual machine for managing children’s computer usage	No	Yes
Windows AntiVirus & AntiSpyware Included	12-month subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus. User Prompted to Install	3-month subscription to Kaspersky Internet Security. User Prompted to Install
Mac OS AntiVirus Included	No	3-month subscription to Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac. User Prompted to Install
Lock down application and virtual machine settings to prevent changes	No	Yes
Isolated Virtual Machines	No	Yes
Designed for Mac (Fit and Finish)
Optimized for Lion	No	Yes
Optimized for Snow Leopard	Runs on 64-bit kernel, 64-bit VMM, 64-bit helper application, 32-bit GUI	Runs on 64-bit kernel, 64-bit VMM, 64-bit helper application, 64-bit GUI
UI Built from Ground Up for Mac	Cocoa and GTK+ frameworks	Nokia Qt library with Carbon and Cocoa frameworks.
Welcome Screen to Simplify Initial Setup	Yes	Yes
Mac-like Settings and Preferences Windows	Yes	Yes
Apply different colors to virtual machines to find them in Finder or in the virtual machines list	No	Yes
Customizable Toolbars	Yes	Yes
Default virtual machine to launch on application startup	Yes	Yes
Virtual Machine Library	Yes	Yes
Live View of Running Virtual Machines in Library/Settings	Yes	Yes
Live View of Running Virtual Machine in Dock	No	Yes
Startup in Last View Format	Yes	Yes
Reduce the virtual hard disk size as its unused space grows	Yes	Yes
Apple Help (Searchable with Mac Design)	Yes	Yes
Single File Virtual Machine Packages	Yes	Yes
QuickLook/Cover Flow Integration	Yes	Yes
Mount Running Virtual Machines in Finder	No	Yes
Mount Stopped Virtual Machines in Finder	Yes	Yes
Use iSight in OS X and Windows	No	Yes
Advanced Platform
32-bit Guest Operating Systems	Yes	Yes
64-bit Guest Operating Systems	Yes	Yes
Multi-CPU virtual machines	Up to 8 processors per VM & Multi Core (as of VMWare Fusion 3.1)	Up to 8 processors per VM & Multi Core
Virtual CPU supports AES-NI when running on i5 and i7 CPUs	No	Yes
Maximum RAM per virtual machine	8 GB	8 GB
Support for IPv6, the next-generation version of the Internet Protocol, in shared, bridged and host-only networking.	No	Yes
Windows Aero (WDDM for Windows Vista and Windows 7)	Yes	Yes
DirectX 3D Graphics Support	DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3	DirectX 9.0Ex with Shader Model 3
OpenGL 3D Graphics Support for Windows Vista & Windows 7 guest OS	OpenGL 2.1 (as of VMWare Fusion 3.1)	OpenGL 2.1
OpenGL 3D Graphics Support for Windows XP guest OS	OpenGL 2.1	OpenGL 2.1
OpenGL 3D Graphics Support for Linux guest OS	No	Open GL 2.1
Multiple monitor/display support	Up to 10, each display is separate unique display to Windows	Up to 10, each display is separate unique display to Windows
Hardware Assisted Video/Movie Playback	Yes	Yes
Maximum video RAM per VM	288 MB	1 GB
USB 2.0 passthrough support	Yes	Yes
Support for external surround sound 5.1 USB or FireWire devices work simultaneously in Mac and the virtual machine.	No	Yes
64-bit Native Engine	64-bit VMM, 64-bit kernel extensions, 64-bit helper application, 32 GUI	64-bit VMM, 64-bit kernel extensions, 64-bit helper application, 32 GUI
Power Management/Battery Passthrough	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth support (as USB device)	Yes	Yes
Firewire passthrough support	No	No
Virtual IDE Controller	Yes	Yes
Virtual SCSI Controller	Yes	Yes
Virtual SAS Controller	Yes	Yes, using software emulation in guest OS
Shared Smart Card	Yes	Yes
Low Level Access to Network Interfaces (promiscuous mode / WiFi monitor mode etc.)	Yes	No
Advanced Tools
Virtual Disk Management	Yes, Integrated in Settings Editor	Yes, Standalone tool
Resize Virtual Disks	Yes	Yes
Advanced Network Management	Requires modifying networking scripts	Yes
Control VMs with Scripting option	Yes	Yes
Supports Intel VT-x hardware virtualization engine	Yes	Yes
Network (PXE) Boot	Yes	Yes
Run More Operating Systems on Mac
Run Multiple Operating Systems at One Time	Yes, run up to 20 with available memory	Yes
Supported x86 Operating Systems	Over 140 operating systems	Over 60 operating systems
Run Linux virtual machines	Yes	Yes
Linux Easy Install with Automatic Setup	Yes	Yes
Linux virtual machine support	Window resize, time sync, shared folders, drag and drop	Window resize, time sync, shared folders
Run Linux apps like Mac apps with Unity/Coherence	Yes (Ubuntu and Red Hat with Gnome)	Yes
Run Mac OS X Server virtual machines	Yes	Yes
Import VHD Test Drives	Yes	Yes
Run Virtual Appliances	Over 1200 available	Fewer than 100 available
iPhone/iPad mobile client
Allows to work with remote VM on iPhone/iPad	No	Yes
Allows user to connect over internet	No	Yes

Requirement	Product
VMware Fusion 3.1	Parallels Desktop 7
Host OS	Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later; Mac OS X 10.6 or later	Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later; Mac OS X 10.6 or later; OS X 10.7 or later
RAM	1 GB (2 GB Recommended)	1 GB (2 GB Recommended)
Disk space for product	700 MB	450 MB

OS/Environment	Result
Windows XP, 32-bit, 1 Processor	Parallels Desktop runs 14% faster
Windows Vista, 32-bit, 1 Processor	Parallels Desktop runs 14% faster
Windows XP, 32-bit, 2 Processors	VMware Fusion runs 10% faster
Windows Vista, 32-bit, 2 Processors	Parallels Desktop runs 20% faster
Windows XP, 64-bit, 2 Processors	Parallels Desktop runs 15% faster

Test Suite	Performance Winner
Windows Launch Performance	Parallels Desktop for Mac
CPU	Parallels Desktop for Mac, except for 2 of the 14 tests
Footprint on Mac	Parallels Desktop for Mac
Application Launch	VMware Fusion
Application Performance	Both products did well, except for IE where Parallels Desktop is 80-91% faster^[5]
3D and HD Performance	Dependent on game¹, video and Windows environment.

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Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Comparison of VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop

Contents

Features

Minimum system requirements

2007 Benchmark tests

2008 Benchmark tests

2009 Benchmark tests

Cross-platform task tests

Networking and file I/O tests

Simultaneous use of VM and host OS

2010 Benchmark tests

See also

References

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Comparison of VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop

Contents

Features

Minimum system requirements

2007 Benchmark tests

2008 Benchmark tests

2009 Benchmark tests

Cross-platform task tests

Networking and file I/O tests

Simultaneous use of VM and host OS

2010 Benchmark tests

See also

References

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