We use it to provide virtual client desktops for remote users or data center users. It's basically for people to work from home or for a call center.
Systems Administrator at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Instant clone feature makes it easier to scale up and manage virtual desktops but troubleshooting should be better
Pros and Cons
- "Instant Clone instantly creates another VM with a Delta disk, which is just the VMware backend. This helps with scalability and management."
- "They need to make troubleshooting, diagnostics, and error reporting a little better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Instant Clone instantly creates another VM with a Delta disk, which is just the VMware backend. This helps with scalability and management.
What needs improvement?
They need to make troubleshooting, diagnostics, and error reporting a little better. There are too many consoles with different error messages to identify a problem and figure out how to fix it
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware Horizon for 10 years.
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Horizon 8
July 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's hard to generally classify this product's performance as stable or not. The performance is dependent on the hardware, not the product. If you have fast hardware, it's going to be fast. If you have slow hardware, it's going to be slow.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is better than most. I would say it's above average.
How was the initial setup?
It's very complex. There are multiple steps, connectors, and servers. All of them have multiple components that all talk, so that's never going to be easy. But I think it's complex because of what it's doing. And if you use it all the time, that complexity just becomes familiar.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented in-house.
What other advice do I have?
Test it. You can't just listen to a consultant. You have to test it yourself and set up a proof of concept.
I would rate VMware Horizon a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Senior Chief Engineer at ministry of electricity
Stable, fair cost, and supports multi-user environments and all kinds of virtual machines and operating systems
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable solution. It is wonderful for multi-user environments, and it supports different virtual machines and operating systems. You can go for any kind of virtual machine. It has many features, especially for a call center. You don't have the issue of computers going down from time to time. You just need to copy the virtual machine to deploy it. You also don't need many people to maintain computers. With Horizon 7, you just need one or two people."
- "It is a little bit complex. You need a little bit of experience with ESXi installation and VMware before using this solution. You cannot directly jump to this solution. It also requires training. After you get trained, you can do anything with Horizon 7. In terms of features, it has been sufficient for my needs, but it can always have more features. They can maybe merge the servers. They can give the Horizon 7 server in one package with ESXi."
What is our primary use case?
We used this solution for a complaint management and support system. The project was a combination of Horizon 7, VMware, Oracle Database, Apex, and GlassFish. Most of them were deployed on Linux or Windows, and we implemented a center to manage the VMware cluster.
The main software, based on Oracle Database, gave the operator a terminal and different kinds of forms for entering the data that they got from the customers. The virtual machines were based on Horizon 7. We completed this project in 2018, and it is still working.
What is most valuable?
It is a stable solution. It is wonderful for multi-user environments, and it supports different virtual machines and operating systems. You can go for any kind of virtual machine.
It has many features, especially for a call center. You don't have the issue of computers going down from time to time. You just need to copy the virtual machine to deploy it. You also don't need many people to maintain computers. With Horizon 7, you just need one or two people.
What needs improvement?
It is a little bit complex. You need a little bit of experience with ESXi installation and VMware before using this solution. You cannot directly jump to this solution. It also requires training. After you get trained, you can do anything with Horizon 7.
In terms of features, it has been sufficient for my needs, but it can always have more features. They can maybe merge the servers. They can give the Horizon 7 server in one package with ESXi.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. We didn't have any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you are a small business, and you can easily grow from, let's say, 10 people to maybe 30 or 60 people. You can buy and scale based on your needs.
In terms of the number of users, we have four groups of operators who use this solution. Each group has six to seven users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is good. We faced an issue after deploying the product, and in less than 24 hours, we got a response from VMware. Everything was good.
How was the initial setup?
You need to get trained and have a license to be able to deploy it.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed it on our own. I take care of its maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Its cost is fair. You can go for a free trial, but for initializing a project, you need to purchase a license. There are different types of licenses.
What other advice do I have?
You should know why you need this solution. Before working with Horizon 7, you should have at least three to six months of experience with VMware and ESXi. You also need to get well trained in Horizon 7.
I would rate VMware Horizon 7 an eight out of ten. It is a stable and feature-rich solution at a fair price.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Horizon 8
July 2025

Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.
ITSM Administrator & Analyst at Ministry of Interior
A scalable solution for deployed applications with good support
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for deployed applications.
What needs improvement?
The solution’s stability and pricing could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware Horizon View for one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It will be difficult to manage or to scale if the deployment is complex.
We have the product countrywide.
How are customer service and support?
We always use the tech support and health check. Everything is excellent.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex. Depending on the project, it can take one year, one and a half year to deploy. We have to take a lot of things in the configuration.
What about the implementation team?
We do the deployment in-house. We too have many vendors onboard like Dell.
What other advice do I have?
VMware Horizon has been changing a lot in the past years. It is a good option. The company should adopt more technology as it went on cloud.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
VMware Consultant at V2S Corporation
Offers good scalability and stability
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to scale. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten."
- "There is room for improvement in the integration with other parts of the suite. For example, you currently need separate windows to manage app volumes and the dynamic environment manager (DEM)."
What is our primary use case?
I use VMware Horizon for a variety of workforce, both internal and external.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution is easier to deploy and maintain on any Windows desktop, making it simpler to manage. It provides a robust infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the instant clones, the integration with ESXi, and the center servers are the standout features.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the integration with other parts of the suite. For example, you currently need separate windows to manage app volumes and the dynamic environment manager (DEM). So, it's important to integrate all these infrastructure elements into one window.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six years. We used version 7, now we are using VMware Horizon 8.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to scale. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The complexity of the initial setup was acceptable.
What was our ROI?
There is a big return of investment. Because I implemented it in a university, and they mentioned that the administration of lab PCs became much more efficient. Tasks that used to take a month now take less than a week, so it's a significant return on investment.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. I recommend choosing the best implementation company because sometimes clients aren't happy with Horizon due to poor implementation. I've seen this happen often. So, selecting a company with a lot of experience and successful implementations is essential. Sometimes, users get frustrated not with the product itself but with the way it's implemented.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Chief Enterprise Architect at Alinma Bank
Stable, with a straightforward setup, but could offer better pricing
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
- "The solution isn't quite mature yet. It needs more time to mature and to get more market recognition."
What is our primary use case?
Horizon basically protects you're VMware and your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). BYOD connecting to your network and these can be secured using VMware Horizon.
With COVID there is a very big impact. There is a hybrid kind of workforce model now. People will be able to connect using their own devices. If it is BYOD case, the number of assets is going to increase. It will almost double the number of the secured assets out there. This means that as the asset size grows, there's a lot of traffic. If you talk about the Horizon it is Zero Trust Architecture plus Micro-segmentation. It has to level both into one platform.
You then need to physically test that your endpoints are all secured so that there is no way for somebody connecting from their own device or laptop to accessing the network with any kind of malicious code. You're protected.
What is most valuable?
The solution is quite stable. The performance is good.
The scalability has been very good. It's easy to expand it to more endpoints.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more secure. Horizon is a recent addition in the sense that, due to COVID, we're working from home and those off-network devices also have to get secured. It's not only on-premises and the cloud infrastructure anymore. Your connectivity from the endpoints from the employees who are logged in from home also has to get brought in.
The solution isn't quite mature yet. It needs more time to mature and to get more market recognition.
The solution needs to work on its pricing. Compared to VMware Workspace ONE it should not be more in terms of cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It offers good performance. There aren't crashes and it doesn't freeze. there aren't bugs or glitches. It's been good overall.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is excellent. If you need to extend it to more endpoints, it's possible to do so, and it's not difficult in terms of a process. If a company needs to expand the offering, it can do so with ease.
We have a hybrid workforce, with 8,000 or so users who likely have both their work and home devices on the system.
We do plan to continue to use the product going forward. We have no plans to move away from it.
How are customer service and support?
Our end-user support is our level end-user computing, EUC. EUC is a separate kind of support model, and there is dedicated support if we run into issues. So far, we have been satisfied with the level of support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
VMware worked with Workspace One, which has been upgraded into Horizon.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not overly complex. It's easy. It's a part of the VMware Workspace segment which makes it quite simple. A company should have no issues with the implementation.
Normally, the process from beginning to end only takes a couple of hours. It's a pretty quick process.
For maintenance, we have a team called EUC - End User Computing - that inspects all the upgrades and handles all the maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the process of implementation myself. If did not need an outside consultant or integrator. We were able to manage everything in-house.
What was our ROI?
There is a good ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do have a licensing fee that we need to pay. Horizon is expensive if you were to consider EDR. I cannot speak to the exact cost of the product, however.
EDR itself is a big investment. If you're investing in EDR be prepared to pay a bit. There are two platforms that we are using - Windows and Linux. In the Windows platform, basically, we can secure it using the Windows Defender. In the case of Windows Defender, we don't need any separate EDR. For Linux, however, we need it. That said, mostly the users are all Windows users. More than 60% to 70% of the users are Windows users and so we don't need the EDR product across the board. That saves some costs for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did evaluate multiple EDRs before choosing this solution.
What other advice do I have?
We use the latest version of the solution at this time. It's the most up-to-date option.
From the COVID impact, the number of vulnerabilities has gone up. That means there are other challenges of coping with the security in recent times due to the deluge of more assets, basically, made on one level because people are bringing their own devices into the mix. So far, we've been able to secure everything, and we've been able to stand back and say that we're fine and, even with this new hybrid work model, we are secure and back to normal, so to speak.
The solution is a recent edition that is not been fully adopted and it is still slightly immature. It's not reached a stage where it is saturated. For that reason, I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.
I would recommend the solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Deputy Manager at Giga Tech Ltd
Stable and scalable but expensive
Pros and Cons
- "VMware's technical support is good."
- "Horizon View's pricing is high."
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Horizon View for almost two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Horizon View is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Horizon View is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
VMware's technical support is good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Horizon View's pricing is high.
What other advice do I have?
I would give Horizon View a rating of seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Consultant at IWM Network Solutions
Provides great functionality and has a good app virtualizing feature
Pros and Cons
- "The app virtualizing is a great feature."
- "The initial setup is a little complicated."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers are using this product on simple data and to access some applications. We are customers of VMware Horizon View.
What is most valuable?
The app virtualizing is a great feature. The system developers use it to deliver apps to targeted staff. It basically reduces the server infrastructure resource. The solution provides good functionality.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup is a little complicated.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been engaged with this solution for almost a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable, we've hardly had any problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable and we're planning to scale up to 700 users. I think it will be easy. The infrastructure is hyperconverged so we don't expect any issues. We currently have a license for 300 users.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is supplied by the implementer. Problems can generally be solved by a phone call.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is a little bit complex at the start and that's related to the migration of the current users to the client. The setup was a little easier in the latest version. The migration to our 315 clients took a couple of weeks. We have one person dedicated to monitoring the system.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing costs are quite high, we pay for a bundle.
What other advice do I have?
Customers need to know their requirements clearly and this will likely create a significant saving when it comes to working out a licensing model.
I rate this solution 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Manager at ICSI
Scalable, straightforward easy, and simple to use
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of VMware Horizon View technology is easier to use and is user-friendly with the customers."
- "VMware Horizon View has worked a lot to improve the solutions. There are some issues in the delivery of the applications, such as network problems. You can lose your connection at times."
What is our primary use case?
VMware Horizon View is used for virtualization.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of VMware Horizon View technology is easier to use and is user-friendly with the customers.
VMware has spent a lot of money to improve its solutions.
What needs improvement?
VMware Horizon View has worked a lot to improve the solutions. There are some issues in the delivery of the applications, such as network problems. You can lose your connection at times.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware Horizon View for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware Horizon View could be more stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of VMware Horizon View is very good.
How are customer service and support?
I have never contacted support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of VMware Horizon View is easy.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is if they have a VMware base implementation, it would be very good to use VMware Horizon View. If you want to improve the solution with other technology or other solutions from VMware is a great decision to use.
I rate VMware Horizon View a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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