Citrix is hired to give people a managed desktop or application over the network, usually so they can reach something they could not run on their own laptop. Replacing it is rarely about the license. It is about the application behind it. Below: what to count first, the open-source option we verified, and how to move without stranding the people using it.
It was usually bought to solve one thing: reach a legacy program, keep data off laptops, or give contractors a controlled place to work. Years later the reason is half-remembered and the setup is understood by one person.
If the bill arrives through a partner or reseller, it may never land in front of the person who could question it. That is what makes it worth a look: an old, large and unreviewed line.
Only alternatives we have checked. An open-source project is listed with the license its repository reports, on the date shown; one whose license could not be read as a single standard id is not offered as open source. Read the license guide before running any of them.
| Alternative | Kind | License | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Guacamole | Open source | Apache-2.0 | Apache Guacamole repositoryChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
Each feature below is what the product's own page or README says, linked to where we read it on the date shown. Pros and cons are limited to what those pages state and to what the path itself changes. We do not rank products on quality.
Remote desktops are often bought years ago to solve a specific problem and then left running. The first honest question is whether the problem still exists. If the legacy application it was bought for has been replaced, the cheapest move may be to retire the desktops and not replace them.
Apache Guacamole is the open-source alternative we verified. Its repository lists the Apache-2.0 license on the checked date, which has terms you should read. We rate moving this job hard: it is infrastructure that people depend on all day, with a real security surface, and a replacement needs to be checked against the applications and policies you actually use before you commit. Running it yourself makes you the operator of the access path into your systems. That is the same kind of responsibility as in Okta.
Samples are made up and are not Citrix's prices. Type in the figures from your own invoice or order form.
The honest yearly cost of running open-source software yourself, set against the bill it replaces, with the seat count where it stops paying.
Paid seats against seats in use: what the idle ones cost a year, and what you save by right-sizing at renewal.
Arithmetic only, not tax, accounting or legal advice. Check the figures against your own order form.
Start from the application and the users, not the product. The move is finished when nobody connects to the old setup and the contract has ended.
List every user, group and published application. Pull a month of connection logs to see who really connects and how often. Mark accounts that have not connected in 90 days.
For each application, write down why it is remote: a legacy program, data that must stay off laptops, or an outside requirement. Retire the ones with no remaining reason.
Decide the replacement for the rest: direct installs, a hosted desktop, or an open-source gateway. Name who will administer it and who is the backup.
Move one low-use group first. Have them do their real work for a week, including printing, file transfer and anything that talks to other systems.
Move remaining groups in order of risk. After each, confirm every named user can reach what they need, and keep the old access in place until the group confirms.
Export configuration, back up any data on session hosts, and keep the logs you are required to keep.
After a month with no connections to the old setup, end the contract inside its notice window and confirm the end in writing.
Run the vendor report for QuickBooks Online or Xero, then open the free audit.
General information, not legal advice. See cancelling without penalties. Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to identify them.
Send us the export and see which lines are worth a second look. A connected version is planned. Citrix is one of the lines worth a look.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
| Self-hosting, per year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hosting, backups, tooling | 720.00 |
| Admin and restore-test time | 2,640.00 |
| Total | 3,360.00 |
| One-off set-up (not in the yearly total) | 1,200.00 |
The saving holds only if the time is real. Price the admin hours at what that person's time costs the company, not at zero.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
“In use” is your call: last sign-in in the past 30 or 90 days from the vendor's admin report. A seat for someone on leave is not idle.