Both are awesome, but I guess it depends on what you’re doing that determines which one you want to buy.  Here are some viewpoints and yeah.  Don’t take me on my word, both offer trials, but this is just from my experience.

Developing

If you’re developing, I say go with VMWare Fusion 3.  VMWare Fusion 3 feels more stable and crashes less on me.  Parallels is pretty stable, but I run into a few quirks every once in a while (mainly with how the windows move or programs closing without notice).

VMWare Fusion also offers some cooler integration features (in my opinion).  Both show the windows notification area, but VMWare introduces an application menu as well (which works on Linux as well, at least Ubuntu).  Parallels shows the start menu if you click on the icon in Mac’s Dock (while in Unity), but it shows the Windows start menu, not feeling very Mac-like.  Okay, okay… that’s not really development related, but when I’m testing stuff, I like feeling some connection between everything.

As for speed, Parallels does feel faster, and it does perform some tasks faster, but it’s not as stable.  I’ve had Visual Studio crash a couple of times so far while it’s pretty stable in VMWare Fusion.

Gaming

Not that I do much gaming.  Parallels wins.  That sums it up.  Sure VMWare has made tons of improvements, but it’s not as good as Parallel’s.  I’ll post a video running some stuff in Parallels, then running in VMWare.  I play some simple games, like The Secret of Monkey Island, and there’s a difference.

So if you’re gaming, then I suggest using Parallels.  Some of the bigger games will die or slow down (in both Parallel’s Desktop 5 and VMWare Fusion 3), but the games that do run tend to run better in Parallels.

Office & Productivity

I say go with either.  Parallels is less stable with some applications, but for general office and productivity applications, it ran well.  VMWare runs fine too.

If you’re buying it to run general Windows apps under Mac OS X, then pick either.  If you want to watch some wmv’s under it, pick either.

Linux Support

Go with VirtualBox.  It provides a really awesome Linux experience…  The only issue is it doesn’t integrate with Exposè or the Dock.  It does do OpenGL and DirectX (for Windows) though (I think).

If you don’t want to use VirtualBox (because you’re running multiple VM’s at once, or just want to spend some money), I say go with VMWare Fusion 3.  In my opinion, the features offered by VMWare beat Parallels making the Linux experience better.  It’s mainly just how they handle the “Unity” or “Coherence” modes.

Other Points

• When switching to Unity or Coherence, VMWare Fusion 3 is faster (at least for me).
  • VMWare has better integration with the Dock.  Applications minimize to their place in the Dock (so I.E. minimizes into the I.E. icon).  Parallels doesn’t do this.
  • Parallels has better integration with Exposè.  Overlapping windows aren’t drawn overlapping in Exposè.
  • For dragging windows, Parallels looks a lot nicer.  I tend to get a trailing effect with VMWare Fusion.
• For running and starting applications, Parallels Desktop 5 is faster (for things like Firefox, Internet Explorer and whatnot).
• In terms of stability, VMWare is better.
  • Applications tend to crash less.
• Feature wise
  • Windows Support: I think Parallels is slightly better at running Windows.
  • Integration with Mac OS X: VMWare Fusion wins in number of features and usefulness, Parallels wins in quality of features (definitely looks nicer).

Buying Advice

Like I said, it depends on what you’re using it for.  I feel safer with VMWare Fusion 3.  It feels more stable, but it is also somewhat sluggish.  If you’re developing, or just looking to run simple Windows apps, VMWare Fusion is good.

For gaming, I like Parallels better.  It’s faster, and the graphics seem smoother.  It also support OpenGL 2 on all versions of Windows, unlike VMWare which only support OpenGL 2 on Windows XP (or is it the other way around?).

Hope this helps you.  Don’t blame me if you spend but don’t like, there’s a free trial for both.

• Parallels Desktop 3.0
• VMWare Fusion 2.0
• VirtualBox 2.2

All of my experiences are from installing Windows XP Professional-32 bit.  All guests has the same settings.

I originally purchased Parallels Desktop as it was the main option for Virtualization.  Parallels 3.0 is okay.  I’ve heard that 4.0 is an epic improvement.  Parallels 3.0 is sluggish and painful to use.  It has a better “coherence” mode than VirtualBox, but I can live without the eye candy (it’s a perk, but if it’s more sluggish, then why would I use it?).  I plan on upgrading to 4.0 this summer, but until then, Parallels 3.0 will remain as an outcast.  It was running slower than VirtualBox.  It was much faster than Q though.  The multi-monitor support on Parallels Desktop 3.0 is bad, almost horrible.  It just tells the guest that the screen resolution is (X2 – X1) by (Y2 – Y1)  So if you click maximize, you lose control of windows, windows might appear in regions you can’t see.  It’s find if all of your monitors are the same resolution and positioned in a square or a rectangle, but if you have a setup like mine (13-inch macBook and 20-inch monitor) it doesn’t work.

VirtualBox 2.2 is an awesome improvement from the 1.X version.  2.2 added much more support on Macs for other guest operating systems.  I’m fairly certain that VirtualBox was the first to offer a “seemless” mode for Linux guests.  The question being why would I want a seemless Linux guess on Mac when a lot of the stuff is ported over?  Just to be able to do it.  VirtualBox is fast and effecient.  One of the problems I have is it lacks multi-monitor support.  So for free, it does an awesome job, and the only perks of the paid software seems to be better support for some items (like 3-D gaming, Multi-monitor support, and some other things).  For my purposes (browser testing and cross-platform app testing) VirtualBox is fine, but if you know anything about me, I’d rather pay a lot for a name than to get something cheap or free.  VirtualBox rocks, but people like me tend to crave more and file for bankruptcy early on in life.

VMWare Fusion is so far my favorite.  I hear that Parallels Desktop 4.0 beats it hands down, but until I upgrade, VMWare Fusion is what I’ll use.  My one problem with it is that VirtualBox starts up a bit faster than it.  Once it gets up and running, I can’t really see any differences in speed, but I do see differences in functionality.  The multi-monitor support in Fusion is awesome.  The “Unity” mode does exactly what it’s called.  Windows works on my Mac just like it should.  The windows can be dragged anywhere and if I use the maximize button, it only maximizes in that monitor, not in all of them.  If feels like they’re working just fine together.  Parallels Desktop 3.0 makes me feel like Windows is running in a separate application, like it’s struggling to work.  VirtualBox works fine, and in a single-monitor setting, it’s fine, but Exposé doesn’t work as nice as it does in Parallels and Fusion.

So, in terms of cost, VirtualBox wins hands down.  You get the most for your money.  It runs fast, handles most of what you throw at it, has a “seemless” mode, and is good for those who can settle with it.

In terms of functionality, VMWare Fusion has my heart.  They added educational purchasing options, so for those poor unfortunate college students like me, you can grab a copy at $40 instead of $80 (heck, buying it new in school is cheaper than me upgrading to Parallels Desktop 4.0 at $57).

Parallels Desktop 4.0, I’ve been told, surpasses Fusion, so I’ll post an update on that later on.

If you’re wondering what I do, I basically test different web site designs and interfaces on different platforms.  VirtualBox is enough for that, but now I’m doing desktop application interface design and testing.  VirtualBox is enough for that, but the features in Parallels and Fusion make them better options as a Windows Virtual Machine in one of those integrates better with Mac OS X.

I don’t really do gaming or 3-D interface design, so I can’t review anything like that yet.  This summer, I should hopefully officially open my portfolio, so wish me luck with that.  Hopefully I can find a job next year >.<

People+Service. First off, the people are different. I understand the Orlando apple store gets tons of more people than the Annapolis mall, but that doesn’t give them the right to be egotistical. I understand the people are supposed to be “apple geniuses,” but I’m pretty confident in the knowledge of my Mac OS X skills. The people in Orlando were a bit jerkish acting Godly compared to us. We asked for help in finding a time we could get our laptops fixed, and they told us we’d have to leave our laptops there for a week and that if we couldn’t then we were SOL. Okay, they didn’t say it directly, but their attitude and sarcasm came off with it. We were there a week earlier and were told they would be able to fix it that week. Now then, when we went to the Annapolis mall, it was much different. The people didn’t act like they were elite or gods. We came early and were seen early, unlike Orlando where we came early and had to wait until 30 minutes until after our scheduled time to be told that we were SOL. So in Annapolis, they told us how the problem most likely came about and how we could prevent it from happening again after they repaired it. They could repair it, but they didn’t have the part in stock. So, they ordered it and told us to come back in a week and they’d fix it then. But we didn’t have to leave the laptops, and they’d fix it when we came back while we shopped. So the service and attitude at the Annapolis store was much better.

Selection. One thing that shocked me was the difference in selection. The Orlando store had a much larger selection. The Annapolis store didn’t have as much. The Orlando store was much bigger, so it was understandable, but that doesn’t mean the Annapolis store only has to carry the pricey things. Everything in the Annapolis store was $25.00+. The Orlando store was $13.00+. Sure the cheaper things are the things you don’t really want, but yeah.

The Annapolis store is nice when I need service, but the Orlando one is nice when I’m looking for a specific mac product.