Parallels 11 is a polished virtualisation solution that allows Mac users to switch easily between OS X and Windows apps, regardless of which operating system they were written for. Parallels Desktop 13 runs Windows and other operating systems in a virtual machine alongside your Mac apps. It's a good option for those who still rely on certain Windows apps for their business, or gamers who can't live without a favorite Windows game.

• Best Price Parallels Desktop 5.0 Buy Parallels Mac Online Parallels 7
• Best Price Parallels Desktop 5.0 Buy Parallels Mac Online Parallels Download

Whether you've chosen Windows or macOS, for the most part we love our computers, and they do pretty much everything we need. But from time to time the grass may look greener on the other side. A Mac user may become interested in an app that only works on Windows. Or a Windows user may start to wonder why there's so much interest in macOS. Without purchasing a second computer, what can you do? Virtualization software is a fast and convenient solution that will let you have your cake and eat it too.

It enables you to run other operating systems and software without needing to reboot. It gives you many of the benefits of buying a new computer without making such a huge financial outlay.

There are three major contenders in this space:, and VirtualBox. We tested them all and concluded that Parallels Desktop is the best choice for most Mac users. It's the easiest way to access Windows apps on your Mac, is competitively priced, and performance is excellent. It is easy to install and easy to use.

The other two apps work on Windows as well. VMware may feel more at home in your company if it has a dedicated IT team. In fact, they may already be using it for more technical purposes. And VirtualBox is absolutely free, making it worthwhile if you value price over performance, or you're just ready to get your toes wet. Of course, virtualization products are not the only way to run Windows apps on your Mac. We'll cover those options at the end of this article.

In the meantime, let's dig a little more into what virtualization software can do for you. My name is Adrian, and I write about tech topics on SoftwareHow and other sites. I've been working in IT since the 80s, providing training and support for companies and individuals, and I've spent a lot of time with DOS, Windows, Linux and macOS, using each on a long-term basis. Let's just say I love tech. I currently own a 2009 iMac and 2014 MacBook Air. When I first switched from Windows to Linux in early 2003, there were still a few Windows apps that I needed to use most of the time. I was discovering a lot of Linux programs I loved, but I hadn't found alternatives for a few old favorites.

So I experimented with the best way to handle that. I set my laptop up as dual-boot, so that both Windows and Linux were installed, and I could choose which to use each time I turned my computer on. That was useful, but took time.

It felt like too much work if I just wanted to use a single app for a few minutes. So I experimented with virtualization software, starting with the free VMware Player. I found that app a little too limited, but wasn't ready to spend money on the full version. So I tried the free option, VirtualBox. It did everything I needed, and I used it for a few years until I was fully weaned off Windows. After that I used it to try out new versions of Linux without risking my working machine.

Along the way I sometimes experimented with WINE, a program that allows you to run Windows apps without having Windows installed at all. I managed to get quite a few Windows apps running that way, including Ecco Pro, and old favorite. But it was often quite a lot of work, and not all apps worked.

While I loved the idea of WINE, I normally found myself using VirtualBox instead. With that experience of running virtualization software on Linux years ago, I was keen to try out the options today. Read on to discover what I loved and what I didn't. What You Need to Know Up-Front about Virtual Machines A virtual machine (VM) is a computer emulated in a software program. Think of it as a computer within a computer, or software pretending to be hardware. It's a substitute for purchasing a new physical computer. It's less expensive, and often more convenient.

The virtual hard drive is just a file on your actual drive, and a portion of your actual RAM, processor and peripherals are shared with the VM. In virtualization terminology, your real computer is called the host, and the virtual machine is called the guest. In my case, the host is MacBook Air running macOS High Sierra, and the guest VM could be running Windows, Linux, or even a different version of macOS. You can have any number of guest machines installed. With that brief explanation out of the way, what real-life implications does that have for you? A virtual machine will run slower than the machine that is hosting it.

A software emulation of a computer can't possibly have the same performance as the computer it's running on. After all, the host is sharing just some of its CPU, RAM and disk space with the guest. By contrast, if you were to install Windows directly onto your Mac using Boot Camp, it will have 100% access to all of your computer's resources.

That's important when performance is the priority, for example when gaming. VM companies spend a lot of time tweaking their software so that Windows runs as close to native speed as possible, and the results are impressive. How much slower is Windows when running on a virtual machine? It depends on the software you choose, and is an important consideration we look at further.

Initial setup may be tricky with some virtualization apps. While installing virtualization software is no harder than any other app, getting Windows up and running is easier on some platforms than others. Here are some issues:. Some platforms don't allow you to install Windows from an installation flash drive. Some platforms have an easy-install mode that does most of the work for you, others don't. Some platforms install drivers automatically, others don't.

We'll tell you about our experiences installing Windows on each platform. You may need to purchase another Microsoft Windows license. If you don't have a spare copy of Windows sitting around, you may need to purchase another license. In my case, a new copy of Windows 10 Home cost $176 AUD. Make sure you include that cost in your budgeting calculations.

If you're planning to install macOS or Linux, you should be able to do that for free. Protect yourself from malware. Mac users are generally less concerned about viruses than Windows users, and often don't even run antivirus software. Though the risks may be lower, you should never take security lightly—you're never 100% safe.

Which is why if you're about to install Windows on your Mac, make sure you install a decent antivirus solution as well. Who Should (and Should Not) Get This In my experience, most people are happy with the operating system they're using.

After all, they chose it, and expect it to do everything they need. If that describes you, you may not find any benefit in running virtualization software. Who can benefit from running it? Here are some examples:.

You're happy on your Mac, but there are a few Windows apps you want or need to run. You could run Windows on a virtual machine. You're happy using Windows, but you're curious about Macs and want to see what the fuss is about. You could install macOS on a virtual machine. Your business depends on an app that only works on older versions of your operating system, and it's not feasible to update the app. It's amazing how often this happens. You can install the operating system version you need on a virtual machine.

You want to try a new app, but are concerned that installing it may compromise the integrity of your current work computer. Installing it on a virtual machine is safe. Even if it crashes or hoses your VM, your work computer is not affected. You're a developer, and want to make sure that your app works on different operating systems, or older versions of your current operating system. Virtualization makes this convenient. You're a web developer, and want to see how your websites look in browsers that run on different operating systems.

You're a manager, and want to see for yourself whether your business website looks good in browsers that run on other operating systems. You love exploring new software and new operating systems, and can't get enough of them. Run as many as you want in virtual machines, and switch between them easily.

Do you fit into any of those categories? Then read on, to discover which virtualization solution is the best fit.

How We Tested and Picked Comparing software products isn't always easy. Fortunately, the apps that we cover in this roundup have different strengths, and each one is worth considering. We're not so much trying to give these apps an absolute ranking, but to help you make the best decision about which one will suit you best in a business context. So we hand-tested each product, aiming to understand what they offer. Below are the key criteria we looked at when evaluating: 1. Which operating systems are supported?

Does the software run on Mac, Windows or both? We give special consideration to Mac users who want to run Windows, as they may well be one of the biggest groups interested in virtualization. We also give attention to virtualization on Windows, and installing guest operating systems other than Windows. How easy is it to install Windows and other operating systems using the software? Installing an operating system is a big job, though hopefully not one you need to do regularly. As I already indicated, there is a difference in how easy each app makes this.

That includes which media you can install Windows from, how smoothly the process goes, and whether the necessary Windows drivers are installed automatically. How easy is it to run apps using the software?

If you're using virtualization to gain access to an app you rely on regularly, you want the process of launching that app to be as smooth and simple as possible. Ideally it shouldn't be any harder than launching a native app. Some VM apps give you more ways to do this than others. Is the performance acceptable? Just as important, once the app is running, you want it to be responsive. Ideally, it shouldn't feel slower than running a native app. How much does the app cost?

Not everyone will be willing to spend the same amount of money on virtualization software. If your business depends on it, you'll see it as an investment. But if you're just planning to dabble, a free option may be welcome. Here's a quick summary of the costs of the apps:.

Parallels Desktop Home $79.95. VMware Fusion $79.99. Parallels Desktop Pro and Business $99.95/year. VMware Fusion Pro $159.99. VirtualBox free 6. How good is their customer and technical support?

When questions arise or problems are encountered, you'll need help. Of course you'll want to be able to reach out to the developers or support team through a number of channels, including email, live chat, and phone. A clear and detailed knowledgebase with FAQs may answer all of your questions without the need for further support. Similarly, asking questions to the community of users can also be very helpful, such as through an actively moderated forum. The Winner for Mac Users Best Choice: Parallels Desktop for Mac. I thoroughly tested most features of this app, so if you'd like more details, check out our full review of Parallels Desktop 13. Also have a look at our Windows winners—they are strong contenders for Mac users as well.

For now, let me highlight a few key features of the full version of Parallels Desktop I really like, and explain why they might be important to you. Parallels Desktop Makes Installing Windows Easier than the Competition After installing your virtualization software, you'll need to install Windows. This is potentially difficult and time consuming, but not with Parallels. They've made the process as simple as possible. Firstly, they allow me to install Windows from every installation medium, including a flash drive.

None of the competitors support installing from flash. Parallels Desktop Runs Windows Apps at Almost Native Speed I didn't run any benchmarks, but I'm happy to report that Windows felt snappy and responsive when run on Parallels Desktop, even on my eight-year-old iMac. I didn't experience any lags or delays when running typical business software. Switching between Mac and Windows was seamless and immediate. Parallels does its best not to slow down your Mac software, too.

When not in use, it pauses the virtual machine to reduce the load on your computer. Parallels Desktop Lets You Run Other Operating Systems If you're interested in running operating systems other than Microsoft Windows, Parallels will handle that as well. If you'd like more details, have a look at. You might like to run macOS on a virtual machine.

That can be useful if you want to test a new app without compromising your main machine, or if you have an app that only works on an older version of OS X, say a 16 bit program that is no longer supported. Parallels Desktop Is Good Value for Money The Home version costs $79.99, which is a one-off payment. This is very competitive with the standard version of VMware Fusion, which costs $79.99. The Pro and Business versions, however, are subscriptions, and cost $99.95 a year. None of the other virtualization apps use the subscription model, and if you're not a fan, it's one reason to consider VMware instead.

Parallels Fusion Pro is aimed at developers and power users who demand the best performance, and the Business edition includes centralized administration and volume licensing. There's another option you won't read about on the company's website: is available as a free download from the Mac App Store. It allows you to run macOS and Linux for free, and Windows with a $59.99 yearly subscription as an in-app purchase. This is definitely the cheapest way to get Parallels,.

A 14-day trial is available, and a Windows license is not included. Parallels Offers Excellent Support Unlike VMware, Parallels offers free support for their products, which is available via Twitter, chat, Skype, phone (Click-to-Call) and email for the first 30 days after registering. After that, you can get support via email for up to two years from the product release date. If you prefer speaking to someone, phone support can be purchased for $19.95 as required.

The company also makes it easy for you to find answers to your questions in their online reference materials. They provide a comprehensive knowledge base, FAQ, Getting Started guide and User's Guide.

The Winners for Windows Users Parallels Desktop might be great for Mac users, but it doesn't run on Windows. And VirtualBox do, and each has unique advantages. They are our two winners for Windows users, and they're good options for Mac users too. I ran across a good comparison of the three apps on a forum:.

Parallels = Consumer-level. VMware = Enterprise-level. VirtualBox = Linux Nerd-level Both VMware and VirtualBox fit well in a business or enterprise with an IT team, but may be a little more difficult for the average user, especially during the installation phase.

Not so difficult that it's a show-stopper though. VirtualBox is the only free option, and will attract some users for that alone. Let's look at the apps in detail. Note that I evaluated these apps on my Mac, and the screenshots and my reviews reflect that. VMware Fusion. I found the task of installing Windows on VMware Fusion a little more difficult and time consuming than with Parallels Desktop.

The Parallels guys seem to have made ease of use a major priority, giving more installation options, and making the whole process easier. Not everyone will have the problems I did, but let me list them for you:. I was unable to get the software working on my iMac because it is too old. VMware can't run successfully on Macs made before 2011. That was my fault for not reading the system requirements more carefully, but the latest version of Parallels Desktop runs on that computer fine.

I encountered some error messages while installing VMware Fusion itself. Restarting my computer helped. I was not able to install Windows using the USB installation drive I purchased. The options were DVD or disk image. So I downloaded Windows from Microsoft's website, and was able to use the serial number from my flash drive to install it.

Despite the extra effort required, I was able to install Windows successfully. For many people, the installation will be no more difficult than with Parallels. Windows apps run as smoothly under VMware as Parallels.

The team has obviously worked very hard to maximize performance under Windows. I tried installing macOS and Linux under VMware. Unfortunately my computer didn't have a recovery partition from which to install macOS, so I'm not able to comment on how it performed under VMware. But I was able to install Linux Mint without any complications, though VMware's drivers didn't successfully install on my first attempt.

The performance was quite acceptable anyway, especially when using apps that were not very graphics intensive. The cost of VMware is competitive. The standard edition of VMware Fusion ($79.99) is almost the same as Parallels Desktop Home ($79.95), but things diverge once you get to the Pro versions of the apps. VMware Fusion Pro is a one-off cost of $159.99, while Parallels Desktop Pro is a yearly subscription of $99.95.

If you're not a fan of the subscription model, that may give VMware the edge, at least with the Pro-level apps. But things aren't quite that simple. The Parallels Desktop Pro subscription includes support, where VMware doesn't provide free support for any of their products. You can pay for support on an incident-by-incident basis or sign up for a contract.

Either has the potential to increase the price significantly, leveling the playing field a little. Read more from. VirtualBox VirtualBox's winning features are its price and ability to run on multiple platforms.

If you're looking for a free app, is currently your only option, but at the cost of some performance. The software is aimed at a more technical audience, so its interface is a little more complicated, and even the app icon is a little geeky. The performance when running Windows is quite acceptable, but not in the same league as Parallels or VMware. That may be partly because the default amount of memory given to the VM was only 2GB. Changing it to 4GB helped somewhat. I also installed Linux Mint under VirtualBox, and it went as smoothly as the Windows install. I was able to install the additional VirtualBox drivers, but wasn't able to achieve video hardware acceleration, limiting the performance I could achieve with graphics-intensive apps.

When using normal business and productivity apps, I didn't notice this at all. VirtualBox is an open source project, and the only virtualization option that is available totally free of charge. That will make it appealing to many, though they'll have to compromise on performance. They'll also have to compromise on support, which is community-based rather than coming directly from Oracle, who manages the project.

There is an excellent forum available, and you are encouraged to make that your first port of call for support issues, so developers can spend time improving the product rather than answering endless questions. However, if you discover a bug in VirtualBox you can contact the developers via a mailing list or the bug tracker. Alternatives to Virtualization Software Virtualization software isn't the only way to run Windows software on your Mac.

Here are three other ways you can do it, and most of them are free. Install Windows Directly Onto Your Mac App:.

App:. Pros: Performance and price (free). Cons: You will need to restart your computer to access Windows. You don't need a virtual machine to run Windows—you can install it directly onto your Mac. And by using tools like Apple's Boot Camp, you can have both Windows and macOS installed at the same time, and choose which to run each time you start your computer.

The advantage of doing this is performance. Windows has direct access to your hardware, including your graphics card, which gives you the fastest experience possible. There is no compromise on performance, like there is when running a virtual machine. This makes a huge difference when every bit of performance counts. If you like to play Windows games on your Mac, Boot Camp is your best option. It comes installed with macOS, and is free of charge.

'Boot Camp comes with your Mac and lets you install Microsoft Windows. No need to download anything yourself — just open Boot Camp Assistant and it will guide you through the rest.' Access a Windows Computer on Your Network.

App:. Pros: Space and resources—you don't need to install Windows on your Mac. Cons: Speed (you are accessing Windows over a network), and cost (you need a dedicated Windows computer). If you have a computer already running on your home or office network (or even in a remote location), you can access it from your Mac using Microsoft Remote Desktop, which is free on the Mac App Store.

Windows and the apps you need will run on the Windows machine, but will be displayed on your Mac's screen. They feel like they are being run locally, and are able to access your local documents. Microsoft's app is not the only way to do access a Windows computer. One alternative is, where you can access a Windows computer in a Chrome tab. You can also access Windows computers in this way via VNC (Virtual Network Computing), and there is a wide variety of paid and free VNC apps available.

'With the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, you can connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere.' Avoid Windows Altogether. Apps: and CodeWeavers. Pros: You can run Windows apps without installing Windows. Cons: Configuration can be difficult, and does not work with all apps. Finally, it's possible to run many Windows apps without installing Windows at all.

WINE is a free (open source) app that doesn't emulate Windows, it replaces it by translating Windows API calls into something that your Mac can understand natively. That sounds perfect, so why isn't the whole world using it?

Office 365 customers get the new Office for Mac first. You’ll have Office applications on your Mac or PC, apps on tablets and smartphones for when you're on the go, and Office Online on the web for everywhere in between. Microsoft office 365 personal download for mac free. Learn how to install Office 365, Office 2016, or Office 2013 on your PC or Mac. Note: If you bought Office for personal use through your company's Microsoft HUP benefit. Once the download has completed, open Finder, go to Downloads, and double-click Microsoft Office installer.pkg file. Office 365, Office 2019, Office 2016, Office 2013, Office 2010, Office 2007, Office for Mac 2011, and Office for Mac 2008 applications can open your documents without any additional action. Customers using earlier versions of Office may need to download and install a compatibility pack.

You may need to do a lot of tweaking to get some Windows apps to run, and that may include tracking down obscure DLL files on the Net. CodeWeavers take a lot of that work off your hands with their commercial CrossOver Mac app (from $39.99). They take WINE and tweak it for you so that popular apps like Microsoft Office and Quicken run without any additional configuration (though you may have the best experience with older versions of the software).

Even some top Windows games run. The CodeWeavers site has so you can make sure the software you need will run before you purchase the program. 'High Sierra compatible CrossOver Mac 17 is the easiest way to run Microsoft Windows software on your Mac without buying a Windows license, rebooting or using a virtual machine. CrossOver Mac makes it easy to launch Windows programs natively from the dock, and integrates macOS functionality like cross-platform copy & paste and shared file systems to your Windows applications.'

Parallels today announced of its desktop virtualization software for Mac, offering macOS Mojave support out of the box and significantly improved application launch speeds over the previous version. This update puts a heavy focus on enhanced storage optimization, with Parallels Desktop being around 20-30 percent smaller than earlier releases. The company says virtual machines can also save as much as 20GB of additional disk space depending on how they're configured. Elsewhere, the developers have optimized the compression of memory states saved with the Snapshots tool, which takes on average 15 percent less storage space, while a new disk space wizard provides users with suggestions on how to economize storage, with advice on managing multiple virtual machines and VM snapshots. In addition, Parallels 14 introduces several Windows features for use in macOS.

For example, Microsoft Ink is now available for editing Office documents, and stylus support has been added to CorelDRAW, Fresh Paint, PowerPoint, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Parallels Desktop also now includes Touch Bar features on compatible MacBook Pros for OneNote, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Microsoft Visio, and other apps, while a Touch Bar wizard offers users the ability to customize Windows app shortcuts from Apple's OLED function strip. Lastly, Parallels Toolbox has received some additional Mac features including new options to screenshot entire web pages, resize images and perform memory consolidation functions. Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac is available from August 23.

Existing Parallels 12 and 13 users can upgrade to the new version for $50. New users can sign up for an $80 a year subscription or make a one-time purchase of Parallels 14 for $100. Parallels Desktop 14 Pro Edition and Business Edition both cost $100 per year. Note that a Windows license is not included in the software and must be bought separately. doublepost=/doublepostI've bought and used every release of Parallels since version 3 up to and including version 13. I've had problems over the years but on the whole it's been good enough and did what I needed, so a reasonably happy customer who then went off and deployed their Parallels Cloud Server software at my company on the basis of that. I won't be upgrading to version 14 though.

Best Price Parallels Desktop 5.0 Buy Parallels Mac Online Parallels 7

One area that Parallels desktop has fallen behind other similar products is on the licensing front. These days I don't do all my work on a single desktop computer, I want to be able to continue working on my MacBook when I'm not sat at my desk. To do this with Parallels desktop you need to buy multiple licenses or move the single license between computers which is both clunky and limited in that it will stop working if you make too many transfers. Parallel's main competitor for this product is VMware Fusion, which is now more than good enough feature wise, but in addition VMware has worked out that the license should be associated with the person, not with a specific computer, presumably on the principle that I'm only working on one computer at once. So far Fusion is doing what I need and since it offers easy deployment of virtual images to their server software, guess what I'll be looking to deploy as new server software? Parallels suck.

Overpriced for offering only partial Windows support. I made the mistake of paying but 2 weeks after I canceled the renewal. I need to use mainly Linux and secondary Windows on VMs. Their support is horrible and man they are pricey.

Best Price Parallels Desktop 5.0 Buy Parallels Mac Online Parallels Download

I moved to VirtualBox since it's free, it gets updated more often and I don't use any graphic acceleration applications. They weren't capable to update their Parallels Tools installer for the latest kernel versions of Linux. Maybe there are features others consider worth paying for but.

Fooled me once and its enough.