This paper deals with control of parallel robots, where different controllers are proposed and compared. It demonstrates the strength of model-based controllers over the non-model-based ones when dealing with parallel kinematic manipulators known with their high nonlinearity, time-varying parameters and uncertainties. More precisely, adaptive model-based algorithms are the preferred control solutions for such kind of manipulators, thanks to their adjustable-parameters feature which is more adequate to the varying and non-accurate nature of parallel kinematic manipulators. These facts are fulfilled here by numerical simulations and real-time experiments on a four-degree-of-freedom parallel robot named VELOCE.