Cisco VXI vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) comparison

Cisco and Citrix are both solutions in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category. Cisco is ranked #22, while Citrix is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.6. Cisco holds a 0.8% mindshare in VD, compared to Citrix’s 15.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Citrix users who would recommend it.

Cisco VXI

Read 1 Cisco VXI review

370 Views
370 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...

Read 128 Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) reviews

9,164 Views
6,965 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Cisco VXI

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco VXI and Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, Broadcom, Omnissa and others in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

To learn more, read our detailed Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

March 2026

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Helped 885,286 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco VXI

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

22nd

Average Rating

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

128

Ranking in other categories

Application Virtualization (1st), Remote Access (4th), Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Cisco VXI is 0.8%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) is 15.1%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)	15.1%
Cisco VXI	0.8%
Other	84.1%

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

Sina Ghozati

Technical Solution Specialist at Arrow Electronics

Straightforward implementation, scalable, but performance could improve

When using Cisco VXI in virtual environments there tends to be a lot of bugs with files you have to deploy across the virtual environment. You configure for hours, and then there is a bug that stops you, and you notice that you wasted hours. There's always room for improvement with these virtual environments because you're not dealing with the actual equipment, you're dealing with a virtual version of it that you have to install in a virtual environment. The performance of Cisco VXI could improve. It requires a lot of hardware and even if you install it on a server it is heavy on resources.

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Sorin Neacsu

Technical Lead on Virtual Desktop at Orange

Has delivered consistent desktop experiences across remote locations and has supported multimedia workloads efficiently

I have utilized the HDX protocol for compression and audio-video capabilities. When users need to conduct meetings with customers or colleagues, they can use Teams solutions and open a bridge where video and audio are encapsulated within the ICA protocol, which is protected by SSL and certificates for security. This provides secure communication at good quality through the HDX protocol. HDX protocol has improved application performance as it is specifically designed for multimedia applications. If processing audio or video files, such as in telecom where discussions are recorded and then prepared as video or audio, this does not consume excessive bandwidth during the operation compared to a normal remote desktop connection provided by Microsoft. Everything is compressed and provides sufficient bandwidth for multiple people to perform similar tasks without interruption or session disconnection. All multimedia-related activities, such as playing content on YouTube, deliver a better experience with this protocol overall. I use multi-factor authentication for opening sessions to the data center where users access their machines or software. Multi-factor authentication has helped secure applications because users typically have two-way authentication software on their phones. They use a password first and then authenticate themselves through their mobile application to grant access to resources. This approach is effective because if a hacker attacks a user, they need more than just the password and username. They must also possess the device that provides authentication. The device typically has facial recognition, a password, and provides better security overall.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The solution has been doing a good job for us."

"The initial setup of Cisco VXI is straightforward."

"The most valuable feature is the desktop experience so that users don't see much difference between the remote desktop and the local desktop... It also provides virtualization for high-end graphics so that they can be displayed. AutoCAD can be done on Citrix. The graphics are very good."

"Troubleshooting Citrix is pretty straightforward."

"Citrix XenDesktop is a great solution for VDI or virtual desktop environments."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the convenience and the ease of setup the tool provides."

"My advice to others is Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops are good and secure, and they can use their infrastructure from anywhere and anytime."

"This solution has improved user productivity all over Egypt serving the Government financial system."

"The most valuable feature is how secure the solution is."

"The whole organization is more productive because Citrix allows us to coordinate together and share information."

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) pros

Cons

"When using Cisco VXI in virtual environments there tends to be a lot of bugs with files you have to deploy across the virtual environment."

"When using Cisco VXI in virtual environments there tends to be a lot of bugs with files you have to deploy across the virtual environment. You configure for hours, and then there is a bug that stops you, and you notice that you wasted hours."

"Even though we see our collaborative tools working well with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, on a practical level we face challenges due to various factors."

"Citrix Workspace can improve by being more secure, but this would apply to any solution not only Citrix Workspace."

"The initial setup is complex."

"The visibility the solution provides across SaaS, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments, for user and application traffic, is also limited if you do not enable all the services and is based on which services you are utilising."

"In the bank, a major part of all our applications is Microsoft App-V. If App-V is at end of life, then we need a new technology to replace it."

"The initial setup has room for improvement."

"The Citrix Workspace interface could improve. Additionally, if they are able to provide a mobile application"

"We would like to be able to provide VDI, a full desktop, to each of our users."

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive solution when there are bugs. I'm always ready to give money for a complete solution where there are no bugs in it, but you will never find it."

"It's my understanding that the solution license fee for each user is around $300 US. If we buy a personal laptop for each employee every five years, then the total cost is five times $300 US, or $1,500 USD. So we could buy 100 personal laptops instead of the Citrix solution."

"Based not only on the cost of Citrix, but additional costs like firewalls, IPS, and other solutions, the total cost of switching users from using normal laptops with VPNs to connection via Citrix were so huge that the CEO of our company decided to postpone the deployment process."

"In the past, the prices of the product were great. With the acquisition of Citrix by your company, the prices have drastically increased. For my company, it has become a bit of a problem to sell products from Citrix."

"It's costly in the market. But it is not expensive for the company. For the company, it's relatively inexpensive because the core of the work is compensated with the price."

"We have more than a million seats under management so we get the best price."

"If one is a high price and ten is a low price, I rate the tool's price a three."

"Citrix solutions cost a lot in comparison with competitors, like Azure Virtual Desktop or VMware Horizon. Those solutions cost around 50 to 60 percent less, per month per user, than Citrix."

"Their licensing model used to be on a per-year basis, where you would negotiate the cost per user for a year. For instance, if you had 25,000 users, you could negotiate the cost accordingly. However, they are transitioning to a subscription-based model where the cost is incurred monthly."

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Performing Arts

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	44
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	69

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

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What do you like most about Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

My focus has primarily been on publishing virtual applications.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops?

I have found that Citrix DaaS is still a complex product, especially on the desktop side, which affects scalability. Although it works well on the apps side, the desktop aspect still has room for i...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 25% of the time

VMware Workstation vs Cisco VXI

Compared 17% of the time

NComputing vSpace vs Cisco VXI

Compared 15% of the time

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization for Desktops vs Cisco VXI

Compared 11% of the time

More Cisco VXI Competitors

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 36% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 4% of the time

Horizon 8 vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 3% of the time

Rocket Exceed TurboX vs Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

Compared 3% of the time

More Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

March 2026

Download Cisco VXI product report

Buyer's Guide

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)

March 2026

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) report

Download Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) product report

Also Known As

VXI

XenDesktop, XenApp (Citrix Virtual Apps), Citrix Workspace

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Cisco

Citrix

Overview

Cisco Virtualization Experience Infrastructure (VXI) is an end-to-end systems approach that delivers the next generation virtual workspace by unifying virtual desktops, voice, and video. It helps IT provide an exceptionally flexible and secure converged infrastructure for an uncompromised user experience.

Cisco

Enable secure, flexible work with the leader in virtual apps and desktops

Deliver desktop as a service (DaaS) from any cloud or datacenter

Get started with Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) in minutes to provide a familiar, high-performance digital workspace experience to your users. We’ll manage the infrastructure and security. You focus on your business.

Citrix

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Artoni Transporti, Calligaris, CIPCO, Citrix, Comcast, Desktone, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), LightEdge, Management Science Associates, Molina Healthcare, North West Redwater, Outscale

Exelon, Aeronamic, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Alameda County Medical Center, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Aloysius Stichting, Amarchand Mangaldas, AmBev, Amnet Technology Solutions, Arval

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

March 2026

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