Citrix vs ThinLinc: Best Linux Desktop Solution?

Introduction

The latest changes in some virtualization licensing models have I&O teams reconsidering established VDI players like Citrix vs simpler solutions. VMware Horizon is caught in the same mess.

Once these major services get acquired by corporate firms (like Broadcom or Cloud Software Group), computing costs spike and simplicity gives way to layered setups. While frustrating, this is the push many need to finally check less tangled routes.

Gartner research is picking up on a growing preference in IT for lightweight and more efficient virtual desktop infrastructure. If you’re primarily deploying Linux virtual apps and desktops, this naturally points to native VDI solutions over Citrix.

Here at Cendio, we’re convinced ThinLinc is the answer for organizations prioritizing Linux. It’s been around for over two decades, delivering where Citrix struggles with Linux-native support and a strong commitment to cost-effectiveness, ease of maintenance, and security.

Citrix vs ThinLinc – Why Citrix isn’t ideal for Linux VDI

Linux is projected to dominate the market by 2026, with over 82% share, but this doesn’t reflect in how many desktop virtualization solutions, including Citrix, still treat it as a second thought. This is clear in their Linux VDA support, which, even after years of development, doesn’t offer quite the same features as the Windows version.

You might think that transitioning from a long-standing platform like Citrix would mean dealing with complex migrations. That isn’t always the case and, still, sticking to a solution that doesn’t specialize in what you need can hold back performance, flexibility, and long-term reliability.

Complex Architecture

Citrix VDI offering, whether on-premises or hybrid, has many interconnected components. Among the server-side essentials are Delivery Controllers, Citrix Studio, licensing Windows Servers, Linux VDA, Citrix Hypervisor and others, while on the client side you have the Citrix Workspace app.

What works well here for a few users here becomes a significant hurdle when trying to scale the system to hundreds or more users, requiring much more resources and Citrix’s expertise.

Image source: TrustRadius

Another user’s feedback from TrustRadius reflects this complexity: “Getting the environment setup took me three months of off and on work, with 3 complete rebuilds of the environment.” They further remarked, “Product documentation is bloated with information and lacks documentation on assisting with first time setup.”

In contrast, a typical ThinLinc cluster builds on a single master server, paired with agent servers you can add as user demand grows. You can scale even to thousands of users quickly, and if you hit any issues, you contact our developers directly for help.

We’ve also recently reworked our documentation with an updated guide that takes you from zero to a fully functioning multi-node cluster.

Costly Reliability Fixes

In a Citrix Virtual Apps environment, the Site database (the SQL Server holding all configuration, session state, and connection data) is a critical single point of failure. 

To avoid this, you’re forced to double down on redundancy using external Microsoft SQL Server high availability (HA) solutions such as database mirroring and clustering, among others. That’s more hardware, pricier licenses, and way more time spent on configuring and managing the setup when scaling. 

With ThinLinc, you configure an HA setup with two machines, where the session database is kept synchronized between them to ensure continuity if one fails. It’s a simple approach, though you’ll need additional software to implement this properly.

Expensive Licensing Model

The licensing strategy of Citrix underwent a complete transformation in 2022, after it became part of the Cloud Software Group portfolio. A similar shift followed with VMware a year later, and in both cases, many long-time customers found themselves blindsided by the price increases and new complicated licensing terms.

Beyond concerns about poor support and a short notice to explore other Citrix alternatives, one user noted a sudden 300% price increase compared to the previous year.

Image source: Reddit

Another user, for example, saw a quoted price double in just a few months before they could even accept the initial offer.

As of publishing this article, the estimated figure for Citrix DaaS (Desktop as a Service) licensing, according to Capterra, is between $10 and $23 dollars a month for each user. 

If you only manage virtual desktops and apps on Linux, the real problem here is the ripple effect. Per user licensing fees stacking up alongside the hidden infrastructure expenses and Windows server dependencies. 

ThinLinc is built for centralized Linux computing and offers a transparent concurrent session licensing model, which naturally lowers total cost of ownership.

Shifting Industry Landscape

According to IDC, most enterprise IT environments nowadays are moving to the cloud. The shift is more towards PaaS and IaaS cloud services, and it’s all because they’re easier to scale than traditional DaaS like Citrix. 

All the upfront costs, integration challenges, and ongoing management we’ve detailed mean getting a decent ROI can take a good amount of time. It isn’t an easy change for Linux-first teams, though. 

Take Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop for example. Linux runs approximately 90% of public cloud workloads, but Azure Virtual Desktop is a Windows-first VDI solution that, one, introduces unnecessary overhead and management layers and, two, lacks a Linux-native client.

Our experience working with small to medium businesses, as well as large businesses and educational institutions proves that ThinLinc provides far better ROI in this context. Less hardware costs, downtime and simplified management.

Just days into April 2025, we launched ThinLinc Linux DaaS in partnership with beebyte as a direct response to this need. It’s another good option if you need to quickly roll out cloud-based and secure Linux environments, especially within Europe.

What features should a good Linux desktop solution have?

Among the solutions out there, you’ll get the most value if you choose one that helps you leverage your existing infrastructure and enjoy an easy migration from Citrix. 

There’s a bunch of great open-source projects you might think of, but you risk implementing them in environments they’re not rigorously validated for. A remote desktop solution that builds on both trusted open-source components and mature proprietary components is usually the safest option.

What you get is a stable solution with a extensive feature set:

• Performance: Expect a consistently smooth user experience, even when the network is a bit patchy or users are connecting from far away.
• Resource optimization: It should distribute CPU, memory, and GPU resources dynamically, based on user workload, so everyone gets a responsive session.
• Scalability: Scaling to thousands of concurrent users across various devices without slowdowns is easier, with features like built-in load balancing.
• Cost efficiency: That is, concurrent session licensing with perpetual licenses and no hidden costs or extra management fees.
• Security & compliance: SSH encryption for secure access, along with multi-factor authentication, Single Sign On (SSO), and robust application security features to help meet compliance.

ThinLinc as the best Linux desktop solution 

Image source: ThinLinc website

Cendio has been refining ThinLinc since 2003 into a reliable Linux remote desktop solution that’s deeply rooted in open-source projects like TigerVNC and noVNC and enhanced with proprietary components for optimized performance. It lightens the load on system administrators with a centralized management console for overseeing thousands of sessions across any device as long as they have a supported web browser.

Explore ThinLinc for Linux remote access today.

Optimized for Linux 

Just like Citrix Linux VDA, ThinLinc integrates with many major Linux distributions, though it has broader compatibility and deeper integration with different versions. What’s also wider is its out-of-the-box support for different desktop environments (MATE, XFCE, GNOME, KDE, etc).

Image source: ThinLinc website

Citrix, in contrast, has documented issues where using GNOME might end in startup failures and screen rendering glitches. And it’s not just Citrix. You may find similar compatibility issues in other alternatives like Oracle Secure Global Desktop, and even on open-source options like X2Go.

High-performance remote sessions 

Many Citrix customers complain about slowdowns and occasional session drops when connecting over unstable or long-distance networks, which isn’t the case with ThinLinc. 

Image source: Gartner Peer Reviews

As one of our users attested: ”ThinLinc is much smoother for GUI over long-distance connections. Even from 2,000 miles away ThinLinc provides a good experience”

It uses adaptive optimization to minimize latency and deliver reliable and persistent connections across Linux, macOS, Windows, and web clients. For universities and research labs running simulations or data analysis remotely, ThinLinc’s been praised for making remote work feel local.

Another of our users noted: “I can say I have tried VCN (clunky and no sound), MS Remote Desktop (painfully, painfully slow) and Real VCN (how on Earth do you install the license if you use professional subscription?). ThinLinc was easy to set up and just worked extremely well. 85ms is not so far away, and yet MS client just chokes on it.”

Cost-effective licensing 

ThinLinc licenses only the users actually connected, not every account that might log in, unlike Citrix’s model.

Image source: ThinLinc website

As of April 2025, ThinLinc provides three pricing plans —one’s free for up to 10 concurrent sessions, a great starting point to test the waters with a pilot deployment. For more information, check our pricing page.

Scales effortlessly 

Scaling from just a few concurrent users, say 10, to thousands, is simpler than Citrix’s resource-heavy tuning, as long as there’s enough hardware. Beyond the HA functionality we previously described, ThinLinc built-in load balancing functionality spreads the workload as more users log in.

Enterprise-grade security 

ThinLinc uses SSH tunnels for securing remote sessions, a different tack from Citrix’s heavier reliance on SSL/TLS. While both offer enterprise-level security, the consensus often leans towards ThinLinc setup being simpler. For authenticating users, ThinLinc also supports LDAP-based authentication systems, such as Active Directory, as well as smart card and one-time password (OTP) authentication among other methods. 

Easy deployment 

ThinLinc’s architecture is designed for an easy initial setup. Installing ThinLinc takes no more than 15 minutes, and administrators can then configure their specific VDI deployment via GUI or CLI. Check our guide on getting started for an overview of the process.

Citrix vs ThinLinc: Comparison table

How to transition from Citrix to ThinLinc

We’ve helped small businesses and large enterprises alike move to ThinLinc, and we’ve found that these steps make for the cleanest transition:

1. Try ThinLinc capabilities: Download the free version to conduct a thorough proof of concept and see if it’s the right fit for your use case.
2. Assess your Citrix environment: Reach out to our staff with your requirements before going for a full migration. They’ll provide personalized help and insights into any potential challenges you might face with your organization’s setup.
3. Gradually transition: Implement a phased rollout—we’ll be there in every step of the way. You can also find comprehensive guidance in ThinLinc documentation.
4. Optimize and scale: Monitor and adjust your deployment, then scale the system as you wish to handle growth.

Conclusion: The smarter choice for Linux VDI

Citrix VDI solution has been a standard for a long time, and its strengths lie in its flexibility across diverse operating systems and applications. Those working mainly with Linux virtualized desktops and apps, however, don’t really need all the complexity, resource overhead, and expensive licensing that comes with it.

A Linux-first design, optimized performance, and transparent licensing that aligns with your actual deployment scale will fit you better. We think ThinLinc offers just that, along with easier centralized management and a less demanding system.

The only true way to know, though, is trying it for yourself. Deploy ThinLinc in minutes to simplify your VDI setup today.