{
 "schema_version": "1.0",
 "id": "parallels",
 "name": "Parallels",
 "research_status": "researched",
 "vendor_domain": "parallels.com",
 "category": "IT & Productivity",
 "task": "Personal productivity & research",
 "summary": "Parallels Desktop runs Windows, Linux and macOS in a virtual machine on a Mac, with Standard, Pro and Business editions for home users, developers and teams.",
 "best_for": "Mac users who need to run Windows apps next to macOS apps, from home users on Standard to developers on Pro and small teams on Business",
 "skip_if": "you need a free tool (VirtualBox-type options exist), run an Intel Mac that the latest version does not support, or only need a few web-based Windows apps",
 "honest_knock": "Your Windows licence is a separate cost and is not included in any edition. The headline prices change with promotions: on the day we read the page Standard was €49.99 against a €99.99 list price, and the renewal price is the thing to check. Each licence covers one Mac, renewal payments are not returnable, and the latest major version does not come free with a one-time licence.",
 "pricing": {
  "status": "public",
  "entry_price": "€99.99",
  "entry_price_terms": "Standard · Standard subscription list price per year for one Mac, 8 GB vRAM and 4 vCPUs per virtual machine",
  "from_price_usd_month": null,
  "plans": null,
  "plans_source": null,
  "notes": "(read 2026-11-08 in a live browser on parallels.com/products/desktop/buy, euros from a Netherlands connection) Parallels Desktop runs Windows, Linux or macOS in a virtual machine on a Mac. Three editions are sold as yearly subscriptions. Standard is €99.99 a year (8 GB virtual RAM and 4 virtual CPUs per machine), Pro is €119.99 a year (128 GB and 32 CPUs, command line tools and developer features) and Business is €149.99 a year (Pro plus central administration, volume licensing and deployment through Mac management tools). On the day we read the page a Black Friday offer cut these to €49.99, €59.99 and €97.49 a year; it is a promotion, so check the number at checkout. Pro and Business can also be bought as a 2-year subscription. The page lists a one-time purchase option for Standard, and the Standard card says subscription only for the latest version features. Each licence covers one Mac, and a Windows licence is not included. All purchases carry a 30-day money-back guarantee; the vendor's help centre says renewal payments are not returnable. Enterprise pricing is by contact.",
  "verified_at": "2026-11-08",
  "source_url": null,
  "schema_offer": {
   "price": 99.99,
   "currency": "EUR",
   "description": "Standard, Standard subscription list price per year for one Mac, 8 GB vRAM and 4 vCPUs per virtual machine; Pro €119.99 a year, Business €149.99 a year; a Black Friday offer on the page on 8 November 2026 showed €49.99, €59.99 and €97.49; prices shown in euros from a Netherlands connection; the Windows licence is separate. Read on the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-11-08.",
   "page": "https://officesoftwaremarketplace.com/parallels-review.html"
  },
  "source_quotes": [
   {
    "field": "free_trial",
    "plan": null,
    "quote": "free for 14 days",
    "source_url": "https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/trial/",
    "read_on": "2026-10-15"
   },
   {
    "field": "refund",
    "plan": null,
    "quote": "cannot accept returns for renewal transactions",
    "source_url": "https://kb.parallels.com/en/123877",
    "read_on": "2026-10-15"
   }
  ],
  "recent_change": null,
  "price_history": null
 },
 "free_plan": false,
 "free_plan_evidence": null,
 "cost_traps": [],
 "compare_with": {
  "name": "VMware Fusion",
  "why": "VMware Fusion is the other well-known way to run Windows on a Mac. Our dossiers do not cover it yet, so we have no checked price to compare. Compare the cost per Mac per year and the bundled support before buying."
 },
 "links": {
  "record": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/api/v1/products/parallels.json",
  "review": "https://officesoftwaremarketplace.com/parallels-review.html",
  "marketplace": null,
  "vendor_site": "https://parallels.com"
 },
 "purchase": {
  "seller": "the vendor",
  "how": "AIBuilder Marketplace does not sell this software. Sign up, start a trial or buy on the vendor's site.",
  "handoff_url": "https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-101832528-14508993-1751579892000",
  "affiliate": true,
  "disclosure": "Where purchase.affiliate is true, purchase.handoff_url is an affiliate link: AIBuilder Marketplace may earn a commission at no extra cost to the buyer. Commission never changes what a record says, and products are not ranked by commission. Where it is false the link is the vendor's plain site."
 },
 "provenance": {
  "research": "hand-researched dossier, read on the vendor's own pages",
  "researched_since": "2026-07",
  "method": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/how-we-review/",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0. Credit 'AIBuilder Marketplace' with a link to https://aibuildermarketplace.com/atlas/.",
  "note": "A rebuild is not a new measurement: pricing.verified_at is the date that matters."
 },
 "cost": {
  "status": "not_yet",
  "engine": "https://aibuildermarketplace.com/agents/#cost",
  "rules": null,
  "growth": null
 },
 "unknowns": [
  "Plan-by-plan prices are not structured in this record yet; pricing.notes has the full text.",
  "Contract terms (cancellation, data export, data location, minimum seats) are not researched as separate fields; pricing.notes mentions them only where the vendor's pricing page does.",
  "No computable price rules yet: cost at a given team size cannot be calculated for this product.",
  "Not tested hands-on by us: what the product does comes from the vendor's pages and our reading of them."
 ],
 "verification": {
  "price": "read",
  "free_trial": "quoted",
  "refund": "quoted"
 },
 "status_page": null,
 "task_evidence": null,
 "open_questions": [
  {
   "question_id": "parallels:cancellation_terms",
   "key": "cancellation_terms",
   "question": "Can a customer cancel at any time, and what happens to an annual plan that is cancelled mid-term?",
   "status": "open"
  },
  {
   "question_id": "parallels:data_export",
   "key": "data_export",
   "question": "Which data can a customer export, in which formats, on which plans?",
   "status": "open"
  },
  {
   "question_id": "parallels:data_location",
   "key": "data_location",
   "question": "Where is customer data stored, and can a customer choose the region?",
   "status": "open"
  },
  {
   "question_id": "parallels:minimum_seats",
   "key": "minimum_seats",
   "question": "Is there a minimum number of seats or users on any plan?",
   "status": "open"
  }
 ],
 "vendor_answers": [],
 "agent_channels": {
  "vendor_mcp": null,
  "agent_checkout": {
   "status": "not_checked",
   "detail": "We could not read the vendor's pages as plain HTML.",
   "checked_at": "2026-10-07",
   "method": "homepage, /pricing and the pricing page we cite, read as plain HTML (no JavaScript) and searched for explicit support of purchases by AI agents: Agentic Commerce Protocol, Instant Checkout, Agent Payments Protocol, buy in ChatGPT, agentic checkout"
  }
 }
}