Parallels Access vs ScreenConnect comparison

Parallels and ConnectWise are both solutions in the Remote Access category. Parallels is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0, while ConnectWise is ranked #22. Parallels holds a 1.8% mindshare in VUS, compared to ConnectWise’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Parallels users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of ConnectWise users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Parallels Access and ScreenConnect are competing in the remote access software market. ScreenConnect has an advantage regarding feature richness and perceived long-term value, whereas Parallels Access is favored for cost-effectiveness and support options.

Features: Parallels Access allows users easy navigation from various devices, supports smooth mobile and desktop connectivity, and provides reliable remote control over computers. ScreenConnect offers expanded functionalities such as unattended access, robust system control, and seamless remote access across all devices, proving suitable for complex IT setups.

Room for Improvement: Parallels Access could enhance its feature set to better support larger organizations, improve its deployment features, and add more advanced remote access functionalities. ScreenConnect may need to work on its interface user-friendliness, address connectivity issues during network changes, and simplify remote access commands to ensure ease of use for less technical users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ScreenConnect provides a seamless deployment process with detailed customer service, making it easy for enterprises to integrate. Parallels Access, despite its straightforward installation and dependable support, lacks the finer deployment features that might appeal more to larger organizations with more complex IT environments.

Pricing and ROI: Parallels Access offers competitive pricing, catering to budget-conscious customers seeking effective functionalities. In contrast, ScreenConnect, though more expensive, offers a significant return on investment due to its extensive feature set, making it a worthwhile long-term investment for businesses with demanding remote access needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect

March 2026

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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

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Remote Access category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 8.9%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parallels Access is 1.8%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ScreenConnect is 2.9%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Remote Access Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune	8.9%
Parallels Access	1.8%
ScreenConnect	2.9%
Other	86.4%

Remote Access

Featured Reviews

AkashKamble

Sr MacOS specialist engineer at Cyber24

Enables management of multiple operating systems with a single license

The best feature is that it's a Microsoft product, so if anything goes wrong, we get quick support for anything required. Remote system functionality allows us to sit anywhere and take control of any device via remote management. We can enhance security for clients' laptops with built-in Microsoft Defender, which is available with the Microsoft Intune license. We use it for reporting purposes through endpoint analytics. When pushing scripting, there are two types available: remediation script and reservation script. Through endpoint analytics, you can push defender policies to clients. It helps with reporting, inventory updates, and monitoring tenant status health.

Read full review

Jason Parkinson

CEO at a non-profit with 1-10 employees

Allows users to access and operate their computers remotely

When you want to transfer a file from your iPad or remote device to the computer, the copy-and-paste feature doesn't always work. I'd have to turn on the Bluetooth a lot of times and transfer it that way on both devices, which was troublesome. However, it would sometimes randomly work. I could go on my iPad, find whatever I wanted to do, click copy, then go over to the computer through Parallels Access, click paste, and it would randomly work. I had to call Parallels many times. They would log in and try something, which would temporarily work, but then it wouldn't. When it worked, it made integration between the two things great. That was a very helpful feature that didn't get polished.

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Todd Blake

Senior IT Specialist at COMMUNITY HEALTH CONNECTIONS INC

Simple to set up, reasonable pricing, and useful remote control capabilities

I'm on the latest version of the solution. I just updated it yesterday. While we have the solution on-premises at this time, we'll likely move to the cloud later this year. They have a trial version that you can try. They have a free version that you can try as well. I use it myself to support my family. I would try the free version or the trial version depending on your business. They can set you up and you can get to see all the features. I would also advocate going to the cloud version. Don't bother with the on-prem. It's just easier to jump to the cloud. I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ability to send configurations to our systems is valuable, particularly as we don't have a regular Windows AD server. Our current environment doesn't have a Windows AD, which limits our ability to push GPOs. However, this is where the solution can step in and help us push policies."

"Microsoft Intune simplifies device management by replacing the traditional method of installing OS, joining a domain, and configuring everything manually."

"My favorite feature of Microsoft Intune is the dashboard; the dashboard is very simple and user-friendly, and any person, even without prior knowledge, can understand it easily by seeing the interface dashboard."

"The conditional access policies that we set up are very useful."

"Intune's most valuable feature is its centralized management capability."

"I have seen a return on investment right from the start of the tool's usage."

"The ability to manage devices over the cloud is a big benefit, as devices now receive updates regardless of location."

"The user experience with Microsoft Intune is excellent because we can manage users and maintain security and policies anywhere they are."

More Microsoft Intune pros

"We don't have problems with stability. Everything is good."

"Parallels Access gives me full access and control of the computer, and I can do anything I want remotely."

"It's got a very easy-to-use interface."

"Parallels Access has flexible licensing policies, which is beneficial for customers who have intermittent usage or users who are on and off the system."

"It's great that the total deployment can happen completely remotely."

"The unattended access functionality is a valuable feature, because I can go in at any time that I want, deploy fixes, or do maintenance."

"It's very low maintenance."

"Due to the fact that we can help our clients virtually, the solution has allowed us to reduce our travel costs by about 90%."

"It's very easy to use. Provides connections that are always on. It was nice to be able to see a list of end-points and see whether or not they were connected so I could troubleshoot any network issues I had."

"Better than TeamViewer and useful for fixing problems remotely."

"The product is really easy to deploy."

"Remote support is efficient and easy for our end users to receive support."

"Control lets us do remote management of machines without having to be on the VPN. It's super simple and super easy."

More ScreenConnect pros

Cons

"Intune needs to incorporate more tools to reduce the number of third-party applications we rely on."

"Sometimes, updating a client policy is very difficult. This needs to be improved."

"Some customers have reported experiencing slowness when using lower versions of the Android system."

"The solution could improve its flexibility."

"It would be interesting to integrate the server side of Intune. Some group policy updates we have on the Windows Server side and possibly some on the client side could also be included."

"In my opinion, Microsoft Intune has room for improvement. The pricing could be a little better, and the reporting could be a little better as well."

"Microsoft Intune is not as fast and extensive as traditional solutions such as SCCM and others."

"A new Intune feature allows application packaging, but it incurs additional licensing costs for a significant number of applications."

More Microsoft Intune cons

"When you want to transfer a file from your iPad or remote device to the computer, the copy-and-paste feature doesn't always work."

"One challenge we do notice is that the application is limited to Windows servers only. If a customer has a Linux server, things get complicated. They should open it up a bit to be more compatible with different types of servers."

"The solution may not scale well for enterprises."

"They could improve the reporting."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing policy. The price point is pretty aggressive."

"If it had Chrome capability, that would be great; being able to use it on a Chrome device. Right now, I can't use it on my Chrome device."

"What we need this product to do is to be able to control Windows Updates. LogMeIn Central allowed us remote access but also allowed to push and install Windows Updates, and third-party updates... When we made the switch to ConnectWise we lost the ability to do patching. That forced us, for our larger clients, to move to WSUS. We had to set up a VM on those larger clients to push Windows Updates and patches into the network."

"The solution is a little bit complicated when you want to implement it."

"There needs to be a way to run the agent without installing, like GoToAssist."

"Mobile interface."

"There could be improvement to the remote command line tools."

"I would like ConnectWise Control to be more transparent on the real costs to renew their license."

"Something that I would like to see in the future is mobile video streaming. They do provide audio conferencing, but seeing the problem makes it easier to solve the problem. If they had video streaming, if a client had a physical problem with something and I couldn't get remote access, the client could use his mobile phone to show me the problem. In these cases, even if a client's systems were down, I could help, so long as I had a mobile phone environment."

More ScreenConnect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"While I can't provide insights from a business perspective, it's worth noting that the pricing may differ significantly, and the discount we received might not be reflective of standard business rates."

"It comes as a bundle, so you do not really know what the prices are. Microsoft does not break it down to the user cost for us. It is just bundled with our E5 license."

"Intune comes with the licensing that is common for large organizations. However, Microsoft has recently released many add-ons that are very expensive, especially for large organizations or corporations."

"Microsoft Intune costs about $7 per user per month, which is somewhat on the pricier end. That said, it's a reliable product, so it's fair."

"Pricing can be improved."

"We have the business premium licenses for the solution."

"Our enterprise agreement includes Microsoft Intune at no additional cost."

"It's affordable for the protection it gives. There are no additional costs."

More Microsoft Intune pricing and cost advice

"The licensing costs are about $100 per user."

"ConnectWise Control is not an overly expensive tool. Its pricing is reasonable."

"The cloud version is relatively inexpensive, but the on-premise version is expensive if you do not need three technicians, only one or two for concurrent sessions."

"It is priced well and it is still a great value. Although I have been reading a lot about Splashtop. They are getting pretty competitive on their pricing, including a fairly easy to use remote support for mobile applications, like iOS and Android."

"It is priced fairly."

"I download the product for free with ConnectWise RMM's license."

"Their licensing model is good, their pricing model is good, their service is good; bandwidth is excellent. They're consistent."

"Make sure you have enough licensing for all the techs that you have."

"Pricing is fair for Control and the licensing is simple."

More ScreenConnect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

University

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

11%

Marketing Services Firm

10%

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	124
Midsize Enterprise	53
Large Enterprise	167

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	7

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 ...

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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...

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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 ...

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What do you like most about Parallels Access?

Parallels Access gives me full access and control of the computer, and I can do anything I want remotely.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Parallels Access?

When you want to transfer a file from your iPad or remote device to the computer, the copy-and-paste feature doesn't ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Parallels Access?

Parallels Access is an amazing product and a total game changer. The solution allows me to access and operate my comp...

See all answers

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Comparisons

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Compared 7% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 4% of the time

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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs Parallels Access

Compared 30% of the time

TeamViewer vs Parallels Access

Compared 17% of the time

MSP360 Connect vs Parallels Access

Compared 10% of the time

Splashtop Remote Support vs Parallels Access

Compared 10% of the time

VNC Connect vs Parallels Access

Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

BeyondTrust Remote Support vs ScreenConnect

Compared 6% of the time

GoTo Resolve vs ScreenConnect

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

March 2026

Download Microsoft Intune product report

Buyer's Guide

Remote Access

March 2026

Download Parallels Access product report

Buyer's Guide

ScreenConnect

February 2026

Download ScreenConnect product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

No data available

ConnectWise Control

Overview

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service designed for device management, security, and compliance. It supports automation and facilitates endpoint management for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, ensuring data protection and efficient policy enforcement.

Microsoft Intune offers seamless integration with tools like Windows Autopilot to automate device setup and deployment. Integrated with Azure Active Directory, it enhances policy management while providing robust reporting and analytics tools for compliance tracking. Despite its intuitive interface aimed at simplifying navigation and device security management, there are challenges such as compatibility issues with Linux and Mac, limited policy support for Android, and demands for better third-party integration. It's widely used for both corporate-owned devices and BYOD scenarios in dynamic IT environments.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Windows Autopilot: Automates device setup for rapid deployment.
Azure Active Directory Integration: Enhances user policy management.
Reporting and Analytics: Improves compliance visibility.
Mobile Application Management: Ensures app security without compromising personal data.
Cloud-Based Management: Allows management from any location.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Time Efficiency: Automation reduces time in policy enforcement and configuration updates.
Enhanced Security: Ensures data protection across corporate-owned and BYOD devices.
Improved Compliance: Advanced reporting tools enhance compliance visibility.
Flexible Management: Cloud-based nature supports management from any location.

In industries such as finance and healthcare, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure data protection and compliance with regulatory standards. Manufacturing sectors utilize Intune for managing a distributed workforce across global locations, while educational institutions employ it to secure and manage devices in learning environments supporting both students and faculty.

Microsoft

Parallels Access enables high-performance remote connectivity, letting users access their applications and files from any location.

Parallels Access offers a seamless remote access experience with its ease of operation and reliable connectivity. It supports application publishing and device control through a user-friendly interface, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes and individual users with specific needs. However, improvements are needed in reporting, server compatibility, and file transfer features, particularly for Mac and Unix users. Interaction with technical support can help but often provides temporary solutions.

What are the key features of Parallels Access?

Remote Deployment: Quick and easy to set up for remote access.
Application Publishing: Facilitates smooth application access from remote locations.
User Control: Offers comprehensive control over device access.
Scalability: Adapts from small to large-scale business needs.
Security: Provides a secure environment for data handling.

What benefits do users find in Parallels Access?

Ease of Use: Simple setup and maintenance save time.
Flexibility: Supports varied deployments efficiently.
Accessibility: Enhances device control, especially via mobile devices.
Collaboration: Easy to integrate into centralized management systems.

Parallels Access is widely used across industries such as CAD, ERP, and academia, allowing centralized management and virtual desktop infrastructure implementation. It supports system integrators and channel partners in improving customer service. Educational institutes find it valuable for CAD applications, whereas users operating devices via iPads find it especially transformative.

Parallels

ScreenConnect offers seamless connections to desktops, mobiles, and other devices with top-tier security features. Empowering businesses through customizable branding, it facilitates real-time problem-solving and adapts to specific access needs with granular control.

ScreenConnect stands out by providing robust remote access solutions, enhanced with security like AES-256 encryption and two-factor authentication. Users appreciate the customization options, enabling them to white-label software to reflect their brand. The Support Premium edition includes ScreenConnect View, a live streaming feature assisting with real-time hardware troubleshooting through mobile cameras. It integrates smoothly with existing systems, offering unattended access, automatic reconnection, and session recording. However, there's room for improvement in user configuration options, file transfer capabilities, and security recognition. Overall, it supports a wide range of devices and browsers, ensuring session continuity even through reboots, making the setup process straightforward.

What are the key features of ScreenConnect?

Remote Access: Facilitates easy access across devices and browsers with strong performance.
Security: Includes AES-256 encryption and two-factor authentication for secure interactions.
Customization: Allows extensive branding options to align with company identity.
ScreenConnect View: Enables live streaming for real-time troubleshooting via users' device cameras.
Session Management: Offers unattended access and session recording for quality control.
Configurability: Provides granular permissions to tailor access according to team requirements.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from ScreenConnect reviews?

Ease of Use: Users find it intuitive for support and troubleshooting.
Cost-Effective: Competitive pricing enhances ROI.
Integration: Easy incorporation with existing security protocols and management tools.
Remote Management: Provides effective remote access reducing on-site support needs.
Efficiency: Increases productivity with robust performance and seamless functionality.

Businesses apply ScreenConnect for remote support, assisting with IT tasks and troubleshooting, often using unattended access functionalities. It's popular among teams of various sizes, aiding companies in managed services and client interactions. The tool's effectiveness makes it suitable for on-site-like remote assistance, though improvements in dual monitor management and domain integration are desired. User feedback highlights the necessity for enhanced onboarding, more intuitive configuration, and advanced reporting features, making it a versatile choice for remote support across industries.

ConnectWise

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway

Gilt Groupe K.K.

Jon Rosen Systems

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect

March 2026

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