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Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs ISL Online comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 7, 2024

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

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Remote Access
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
377
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citri...
Ranking in Remote Access
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
128
Ranking in other categories
Application Virtualization (1st), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (1st), Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (1st)
ISL Online
Ranking in Remote Access
32nd
Average Rating
9.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Remote Access category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 5.4%, down from 10.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) is 5.4%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ISL Online is 1.3%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Remote Access Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune5.4%
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)5.4%
ISL Online1.3%
Other87.9%
Remote Access
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized device management has automated onboarding and improves remote security compliance
One thing I feel Microsoft Intune could improve is troubleshooting visibility. In many cases, when a policy or application deployment fails, the error messages are a bit generic. So, admins still spend time checking logs manually or testing on devices one by one. Compared to the simplicity of deployment, troubleshooting sometimes feels less mature. I also think reporting and real-time monitoring could be stronger. The dashboard gives useful information, but in large environments, many teams still depend on additional tools or scripts for deeper reporting and analytics. If I had to focus on one area first, I would probably choose troubleshooting and reporting. Deployment through Microsoft Intune is generally straightforward, but when something fails, identifying the exact root cause can still take more time than expected. Error messages are sometimes too generic, and admins often have to dig through logs, sync status, or multiple portals to understand what actually happened. I think user experience and policy management could also improve further. Microsoft Intune has become much better over the years, but sometimes the admin portal still feels fragmented because certain configurations open in different sections or redirect to older interfaces. For new admins, especially, it can take time to understand where everything is located. Another thing is policy conflict handling. In larger organizations, multiple device policies, compliance rules, and configuration profiles can overlap. When conflicts happen, the visibility is not always very clear, so admins spend time figuring out which policy actually won or caused the issue.
SN
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.
ErikDas - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at Cherub
Easy to deploy, stable, scalable and safe
I previously used TeamViewer. ISL Online is definitely the better choice compared to TeamViewer, as it offers a more secure connection that does not involve peer-to-peer transport, and all data is encrypted. A single license for ISL Online costs about the same as TeamViewer but with multiple licenses, ISL Online is cheaper.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is scalable, and we currently have tens of thousands of users within our organization using the solution."
"I have had a positive experience with Microsoft Intune; it simplifies device management, improves security, and saves time."
"A valuable feature is user enrollment, where users can enroll their devices in their organizations themselves."
"Remote control is the feature I like the most, as I can take control of devices so that we can work hands-on and create access with access restrictions."
"Intune's unified endpoint management platform is invaluable."
"Microsoft Intune helps us avoid issuing everyone company-owned devices. We provide a stipend, allowing users to bring their own devices. This approach gives us leverage against other MSPs. It also enhances collaboration because clients already covered by specific licensing can optimize their usage of Microsoft Intune."
"Autopilot is a feature I really like."
"The best feature of Microsoft Intune is that it managed the endpoints."
"In the past, when we were using the presentation server from Citrix, login time was taking up to eight minutes, and XenDesktop reduced login time to less than two minutes."
"Troubleshooting Citrix is pretty straightforward."
"In this day and age, to have that security of knowing that your data is protected is worth its weight in gold."
"Because of the solution's ubiquity, it is easier to find answers to problems than with competitive products."
"The architecture I built had a robust failover mechanism for the endpoints, and the interface was user-friendly."
"It helps the company or the environment to centralize all its resources and allows all users from all the branches to reach those resources without needing them in every branch."
"The solution was perfect for expanding the environment to host more remote access users during the pandemic."
"The most valuable feature of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is the security and it is easy to work with."
"Overall, we are very pleased with this solution, for us, it simply works 99.9% of the time."
"We can also monitor our systems at any time from practically anywhere."
"The stability is great; reliability is what's very important to me, as well as security, and this solution may have only had one instance of downtime in 14 years."
"The code can be delivered in multiple ways, including an email with a link for an unattended connection."
"We like drawing utilities inside ISL. That helps us mark specific regions on the screen, so that end users know what to focus on."
"Without ISL Online, I would not be able to work from home."
"The solution has a lot of features. It does what it is made to do and that's all we can ask for, really."
"We are just much more responsive, we can be faster, and we can support our customers in a better way because when they have a problem, we can be on their computer immediately."
 

Cons

"I would like to see the ability to deploy custom packages as a Windows 64-bit package, as opposed to the Windows 32-bit, which is the only one available now."
"My main pain point for Microsoft Intune is the contact part. Not all Android or iOS applications have access to integration, for example, contacts."
"There could be more features added. For me, as I mentioned, one area is the reporting. If the reporting became better, I think you would not need to use more RMMs."
"For autopilot, there should be more granularity on the settings that they offer at this stage."
"Intune's areas for improvement revolve around security and certificate management."
"Onboarding of endpoint devices is not straightforward. The onboarding process was a little heavier than I thought it would be. That's the key improvement area. Obviously, the more control you have over the devices, the better it is."
"Yes, there are a couple of issues with stability."
"While the ability to deploy applications at startup is reliable, the policy-based application deployment method has not reached the same level of consistency."
"Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops are not easy to set up. However, I have the experience and I can do it easily. It could be easier to set up."
"Pricing can be lower and roaming profiles need to be fixed to work consistently."
"As an end-to-end solution for implementing Zero Trust principles I would rate it a six or a seven out of 10, because it doesn't cover all aspects of Zero Trust. There are quite a few aspects you need to cover."
"The initial setup of Citrix Workspace is a bit of a complex process, which should be made easier in the future."
"If Citrix can develop something which can have more reach towards the backend infrastructure, other components of the Citrix environment, that would be ideal."
"Our experience of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops is good, but the environment can become complex and difficult to manage at times."
"​There have been many issues with stability."
"This product should include a feature like like App Volume, which their competitor already has."
"They should improve the integrations with other incident management software to be able to send the link directly from these platforms."
"It would be helpful if they had iSupport for supporting Apple phones."
"There could be a section in the menu describing the new features and changes."
"If there is an update or new feature on ISL Online, I don't know about it. I would be happy to receive a newsletter or notification of new features or updates."
"There have been times during updates when something wouldn't work quite right, however, they are quick with updates and quick with fixes."
"Updating the program could be improved. When they're pushing updates, you don't really know that there's an update available."
"What bothered me the most was that when I connected to the computer at the office, I was afraid that someone would turn on the monitor and watch what I was doing."
"I would like to have a little bit more information when new features are released. They have added features that I didn't know about in the past. It would be easier for me to implement new features and consolidate them with other systems in our network if I knew beforehand."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is reasonable for the features it has."
"It's affordable for the protection it gives. There are no additional costs."
"It's affordable. It's cheaper if you have an Office 365, E5, or E3 subscription because everything is there."
"The product is expensive."
"Cost is not my department, but the product is included in the E5 license that we already pay for every user, so no additional cost is incurred."
"Intune's pricing is competitive. For example, the license of Blackberry's Enterprise Mobility Suite was costly, but Intune is affordable. It is included as an additional feature when you buy security enhancements for your organization. For example, let's say I have fifty users in my organization and all of them are using Microsoft cloud services, like Teams, Office 365, and OneDrive."
"Intune is available as an individual product, but it also comes with Office 365 Premium or an Enterprise license, and the price varies for each version."
"We don't pay for Intune because it is bundled with the premium subscription to Office 365. It includes Intune and Defender. I don't have to buy two extra products to manage my enterprise."
"The solution is expensive and I give the cost a four out of ten."
"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."
"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."
"They offer licensing per user. From time to time, they give discounts. Because it's a hybrid model, you can deploy some portion of it on cloud and some portion your on-prem."
"The purchase price was around $300,000 USD and then the maintenance fees were 20%. There are no other additional fees."
"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."
"The licensing of Citrix Workspace is worth it. However, it is expensive. Citrix is probably more competitive now than VMware, but it is still a costly solution."
"Citrix is expensive."
"We have a pay-per-use license available for 500 minutes within one year for 95 Euros. However, this option is not popular. Alternatively, we can purchase a one-year license for 339 Euros; if we need two licenses, the cost is double, and for three licenses, the cost is triple with a ten percent discount. For 99 Euros a year, we can open multiple sessions on the same computer with a multi-session subscription."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Performing Arts
14%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business192
Midsize Enterprise62
Large Enterprise186
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise21
Large Enterprise69
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise1
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
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. ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Workspace?
Citrix DaaS is considered expensive, especially for companies that do not require multi-cloud. Tiered pricing based o...
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Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
XenDesktop, XenApp (Citrix Virtual Apps), Citrix Workspace
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Interactive Demo

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Exelon, Aeronamic, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Alameda County Medical Center, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Aloysius Stichting, Amarchand Mangaldas, AmBev, Amnet Technology Solutions, Arval
Mitsubishi Chemicals, Konica Minolta, Raifeissen bank, Terpel, Singtel, Teleroute, SOS Kinderdorf, Arsys, EMAAR, Dutco, Alterdata
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs. ISL Online and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,563 professionals have used our research since 2012.