Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Logo

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services pros and cons

Vendor: Microsoft
4.1 out of 5
Badge Leader

Pros & Cons summary

Buyer's Guide

Get pricing advice, tips, use cases and valuable features from real users of this product.
Get the report

Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is praised for its stability and reliability, providing a consistent user experience.
The accessibility feature allows remote access from any location, enhancing productivity and flexibility.
The service is valued for its scalability, accommodating growing organizational needs effectively.
Installation and setup processes are straightforward, making it user-friendly and easy to deploy.
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services offers good performance and cost-effectiveness, ensuring efficient resource usage.

CONS

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services faces challenges with integration into other systems, particularly Citrix and Linux, affecting its transparency and versatility.
Security is a concern, with risks linked to the RDP protocol, inadequate VPN support, and firewall issues.
Scalability is limited, leading to performance issues, especially during concurrent user sessions and mobile access.
Pricing is a barrier, perceived as high compared to competitors with less restrictive licensing models.
Operational stability is problematic, with frequent disconnections, system lags, and impacts from updates.
 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Pros review quotes

it_user822975 - PeerSpot reviewer
‎Database Administrator with 51-200 employees
Dec 10, 2018
It is a stable product.
reviewer1212501 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Systems Consultant at a aerospace/defense firm with 51-200 employees
Dec 15, 2019
It's almost an out of the box function once you have installed the other components.
it_user968307 - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Owner IT Services at Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG)
Dec 25, 2019
I like that it works. In most cases, it's predictable. You know what you get.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.
YY
IT Infrastructure and Operations General Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Mar 19, 2020
The most valuable features are availability and security.
reviewer937473 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Administrator at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Mar 23, 2020
The most valuable feature is that it gives me full accessibility to my servers.
it_user1066779 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at KBSL Information Technologies
Apr 13, 2020
The most valuable features are the desktop session and desktop virtualization.
reviewer1330419 - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre-Sales at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Apr 23, 2020
In terms of the valuable features, I like the profile, the new version is really good.
reviewer1338708 - PeerSpot reviewer
Microsoft UC Solutions Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
May 7, 2020
The most valuable feature is the remote application access.
reviewer1353171 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant - Private Sector at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Sep 27, 2020
The most valuable feature is the ease of use.
reviewer1353171 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant - Private Sector at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Oct 1, 2020
The most valuable feature is ease of use.
 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Cons review quotes

it_user822975 - PeerSpot reviewer
‎Database Administrator with 51-200 employees
Dec 10, 2018
We find the services are not as transparent as we would like for our integration with Citrix.
reviewer1212501 - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Systems Consultant at a aerospace/defense firm with 51-200 employees
Dec 15, 2019
In the next release, I would like to see better performance over slower networks, and integration with Linux, but this is something that we're going to get out of Microsoft in terms of a unified solution.
it_user968307 - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Owner IT Services at Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG)
Dec 25, 2019
Microsoft still has some really bad remote desktop appliance for Mac.
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.
YY
IT Infrastructure and Operations General Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Mar 19, 2020
We are searching for a product with better remote access and remote sessions.
reviewer937473 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Administrator at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Mar 23, 2020
Security in the connection between us and our clients' servers is something that can be improved.
it_user1066779 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at KBSL Information Technologies
Apr 13, 2020
My customers are worried that the RDP protocol can be easily compromised and would like the option to use an alternative like Blast.
reviewer1330419 - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre-Sales at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Apr 23, 2020
The DB card needs improvement. I have a lot of experience with other competitors and Citrix is better than VMware and Microsoft. Citrix has more extensive features.
reviewer1338708 - PeerSpot reviewer
Microsoft UC Solutions Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
May 7, 2020
There are problems with using Microsoft Teams within a virtual desktop on a mobile device.
reviewer1353171 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant - Private Sector at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Sep 27, 2020
I would like to be able to access the remote desktop using a web-based interface, rather than having to use the client.
reviewer1353171 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Consultant - Private Sector at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Oct 1, 2020
I would like to see a web-based interface, instead of client installation to refresh the UI through HTML.