Horizon vs VMware Fusion: What are the differences?

Introduction

This Markdown code provides an overview of the key differences between Horizon and VMware Fusion. Horizon and VMware Fusion are both virtualization software products developed by VMware. However, there are important distinctions between them that are outlined below.

1. Deployment Purpose: Horizon is primarily designed for enterprise-level environments where virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) is implemented to provide centralized desktop management and delivery. On the other hand, VMware Fusion is targeted towards individual users or small businesses who need access to virtual machines (VMs) on their personal computers. Horizon focuses on scaling and managing large-scale VDI deployments, while VMware Fusion caters to personal and professional VM usage.

2. Features: Horizon offers a wide range of features specifically tailored for VDI management, including centralized image management, application delivery, remote access, and virtual desktop pooling. It also incorporates advanced capabilities like virtual GPU acceleration and support for Linux desktops. In comparison, the feature set of VMware Fusion is more geared towards individual users, providing capabilities such as running multiple operating systems simultaneously, sharing files and folders between VMs and host machines, and seamless integration with Mac hardware.

3. Scaling and Performance: Horizon is designed to handle large-scale VDI deployments, allowing organizations to scale from a few to thousands of virtual desktops. It includes features like load balancing and multi-tenancy, enabling efficient management of resources and user sessions. VMware Fusion, on the other hand, focuses on delivering high-performance VMs for personal use. It emphasizes the utilization of system resources to provide a smooth and seamless virtualization experience for individual users.

4. Management Interface: Horizon offers a web-based management interface known as the Horizon Administrator, which provides centralized control and configuration options for the VDI environment. It enables administrators to manage virtual desktops, applications, and users from a single console. In contrast, VMware Fusion provides a user-friendly and intuitive interface directly on the host machine, allowing users to manage their VMs without the need for a separate management console.

5. Licensing Model: Horizon is licensed based on concurrent user connections, following a per-user or per-concurrent connection model. This allows organizations to optimize their licensing costs depending on the number of active users at any given time. VMware Fusion, on the other hand, adopts a per-machine licensing model, where a single license can be used on a specific host machine for running multiple VMs.

6. Target Platforms: Horizon supports a broader range of client devices with various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. It enables users to access their virtual desktops and applications from different platforms, providing flexibility and cross-platform compatibility. In contrast, VMware Fusion is specifically designed for macOS and targets Mac users who want to run VMs on their Apple hardware.

In summary, Horizon is geared towards enterprise-level VDI deployments, providing advanced features, scalability, and centralized management, while VMware Fusion is tailored for individual users, offering personal VM usage capabilities and seamless integration with Mac hardware.