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 #13 with an average rating of 9.5. Parallels holds a 2.0% mindshare in VUS, compared to ConnectWise’s 2.6% 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: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Parallels Access vs. ScreenConnect

December 2025

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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 January 2026, in the Remote Access category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 9.3%, down from 9.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Parallels Access is 2.0%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ScreenConnect is 2.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Remote Access Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Intune	9.3%
ScreenConnect	2.6%
Parallels Access	2.0%
Other	86.1%

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.

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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.

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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 is scalable. We currently have tens of thousands of users within our organization using the solution."

"The Autopilot feature is the most valuable because it saves significant time on managing devices. We can ship devices globally, and users can set them up on their own. It's convenient."

"The solution is easy to use."

"Microsoft Intune saves eight hours per day, and during my work hours, I use my time to study and run tests on configurations I'm curious about and try them out in my environment."

"We have not experienced any bugs or glitches with this solution."

"We already use a lot of Microsoft products in our company, and therefore, it made sense to also use this product."

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

"The thing I appreciate most about Microsoft Intune is that the management of the devices was very simplified. We have all machines connected to it at all times, whether they are in the office or working from home."

More Microsoft Intune pros

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

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

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

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

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

"I do love the monitoring page. If you are using ConnectWise Control, which is the on-prem version, when you are logged into the admin panel, there is a status page that checks network connectivity, the status of the license, and so on."

"The product's two-factor authentication means we are not worried like before about the state of our security."

"Session groups and triggers are the most valuable features, because they make a greater degree of organization possible. Greater degree of organization is valuable to my organization, because we have many sessions to handle."

"The flexibility to manage bandwidth and organize connections, and the price, make ConnectWise a really good choice."

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

"The product is really easy to deploy."

"The ConnectWise ScreenConnect tool is very good for remote access."

"ConnectWise Connect is very convenient as we can remote to a PC even when it is not within our LAN."

More ScreenConnect pros

Cons

"I have faced stability issues with Microsoft Intune plenty of times, but I think it's part of the process."

"Reporting could be improved. It needs to be more expensive and robust."

"Intune could add more Linux security features and more integration with on-prem devices. The application deployments can also be improved."

"The interface is easy, but it is not user-friendly when evaluating the overall user experience of Microsoft Intune."

"The add-ons must be integrated into the solution."

"I would like to see micro VPN. I like the way that some of the other providers have done something similar where, as you open that app on an end-point device, it creates a micro VPN straight into your device, which is quite a nice little feature. Also, Microsoft Intune relies heavily on its fellow products in the suite. It would be nice if Microsoft Intune could stand on its own two feet."

"I would like the ability to install the agent on devices from suppliers, which would enable us to implement a zero-trust strategy for guest devices."

"Additional application deployment options e.g. MSI deployment with more complex parameters or additional side-by-side files, and non-MSI deployment options."

More Microsoft Intune cons

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

"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."

"They could improve the reporting."

"The solution may not scale well for enterprises."

"I would like to see more overlap, meaning, I would like to be able to see what processes are running on a computer, for example, or what services are running."

"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."

"I was not thrilled with their support. I do not have a lot of time to deal with the attention which is needed to fix issues."

"At the moment, there's absolutely no specific feature that we actually need additionally since all the features that we need are available."

"I really didn't care for the onboarding process and it is something that should be improved."

"On a Linux machine, there are different limitations that are not there on a Windows Server. Much more limitations exist on Linux deployments."

"We have had issues. We have had circumstances, for reasons we don't know, where the service will stop running, and when the service stops running that computer no longer becomes reachable. We haven't really seen that so much on desktops, but we have seen that happen quite frequently on server operating systems, Server 2008, Server 2012. You can install the product and then a week down the road it will just stop."

"For my company, just installing the software and using it is very easy. But if I need to give one of my customers access to their machines, the process that you have to go through is some 15 to 20 steps. You have to create a group, and then you have to assign a policy. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to set up someone for remote access to their own machine."

More ScreenConnect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It comes with the E5 plan. We bought the E5 plan from Microsoft."

"With one user base license, we can use Intune for up to five devices. However, with Soti MobiControl, each license is tied to a single device, meaning one license is dedicated to one device only."

"It is expensive. The cost depends on the license that we choose."

"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."

"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."

"Microsoft Intune is more expensive than other solutions, but it offers a wider range of features and control."

"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."

"It's a bit expensive from a licensing perspective, especially as we look to have organizations with tenants across the globe."

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."

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

"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."

"We pay an annual licensing fee."

"We pay $85 per month for each user for a ConnectWise package with multiple solutions."

"It is priced fairly."

"Good price and works well."

More ScreenConnect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

University

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

Performing Arts

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	121
Midsize Enterprise	47
Large Enterprise	154

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

What do you like most about ConnectWise Control?

The product is really easy to deploy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ConnectWise Control?

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

See all answers

What needs improvement with ConnectWise Control?

All the features provided by the product in terms of screen connectors have been good. There can be some complexities...

See all answers

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Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Intune

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 46% of the time

TeamViewer Business vs Parallels Access

Compared 12% of the time

MSP360 Connect vs Parallels Access

Compared 11% of the time

Splashtop Remote Support vs Parallels Access

Compared 9% of the time

Check Point Remote Access VPN vs Parallels Access

Compared 5% of the time

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Microsoft Remote Desktop Services vs ScreenConnect

Compared 11% of the time

TeamViewer Business vs ScreenConnect

Compared 7% of the time

BeyondTrust Remote Support vs ScreenConnect

Compared 6% of the time

GoTo Resolve vs ScreenConnect

Compared 5% of the time

Check Point Remote Access VPN vs ScreenConnect

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Intune

January 2026

Download Microsoft Intune product report

Buyer's Guide

Remote Access

January 2026

Download Parallels Access product report

Buyer's Guide

ScreenConnect

January 2026

Download ScreenConnect product report

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager

No data available

ConnectWise Control

Overview

Microsoft Intune provides centralized management of mobile devices and applications, ensuring security, compliance, and productivity through integration with Microsoft services like Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory.

Organizations use Intune for managing mobile devices and applications, enhancing security and compliance across platforms. With features like single sign-on, conditional access, and zero-touch deployment via Autopilot, it facilitates efficient operations. Intune's scalability, easy enrollment, and capabilities such as remote wipe support diverse device management, offering robust data protection and efficient operation. Despite its features, improvement areas include reporting, compatibility with non-Microsoft devices, and better support for macOS and Linux devices.

What are the key features of Microsoft Intune?

Seamless Integration: Works with Microsoft 365, Azure Active Directory, and System Center for streamlined management.
Conditional Access: Enhances security with policies that restrict access based on conditions.
Autopilot: Provides zero-touch deployment for setting up new devices efficiently.
Mobile Device Management: Enables control over both personal and corporate devices.
Application Deployment: Facilitates app delivery across a range of devices.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Centralized Management: Reduces complexity by managing devices and applications in one place.
Security Enhancement: Protects data with features like remote wipe and compliance monitoring.
Improved Productivity: Enhances efficiency with seamless integration and automation features.
Device Scalability: Supports diverse device management for growing business needs.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, Microsoft Intune is implemented to ensure secure and compliant device management. Companies leverage its capabilities to deploy security policies and manage both corporate-owned and BYOD environments, facilitating a unified approach to data protection and compliance.

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

December 2025

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