Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Amazon WorkSpaces vs Azure Virtual Desktop comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon WorkSpaces
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (2nd)
Azure Virtual Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Bhaskar Rao - PeerSpot reviewer
Management console is very easy to use, readily available infrastructure and easy to scale
It's very stable. There is a big difference between traditional physical servers and cloud servers. With physical servers, we need to plan for purchasing, procurement, capacity, storage, get quotations, and then procure them. That took some time. Maybe it would take more than one month or maybe two months to procure and then install. With AWS, it is readily available. Just pay and immediately create the VPC, network, and everything. It is very easy. Within two or three hours, we can implement any server or launch any application. Within five minutes, we can just spin up and publish our servers on the Internet.
Makarand-Shrikhande - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables flexible remote application access with auto-scaling and hybrid work support
The use cases include providing application access to users through Azure Virtual Desktop using MSIX App Attach or remote app, enabling remote users like BPO or contact center resources to connect and work on applications, and allowing vendors to access specific applications securely without a…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"They maintain it and manage it very well."
"The most valuable feature is the mobility. I can use it anywhere."
"The infrastructure is readily available, with minimal latency, which each user can benefit from."
"Performance and scalability are valuable features."
"It has good speed and connects well with computers."
"The initial setup is simple."
"The experience is seamless and there is no delay. The performance is very good. Initial startup times is a little bit of wait time, but it is bearable."
"Azure Virtual Desktop enables anyone connecting to Microsoft to use MFA (multi-factor authentication), totally secured to connect and has end-to-end encryption through tunnel encryption."
"Azure pricing is quite cheap due to licensing benefits with Microsoft."
"I rate the overall solution nine out of ten."
"Azure Virtual Desktop is stable and provides a 100% stable experience."
"The best feature is scalability, as it can be used from anywhere."
"The scalability is probably the most valuable feature since I can quickly add or remove machines or increase or decrease the size depending on resources to manage the cost better."
"Absolutely, this solution is probably the leader in its field."
"The ability to spin up virtual machines quickly and speedily in Azure has been really valuable."
 

Cons

"An area that could be improved is it could work better on VPN."
"The initial setup was somewhat difficult."
"I would say that it is a little complex to configure."
"One area that can be improved is the ability to install third-party apps."
"You cannot install external applications without doing some additional configurations inside the solution as opposed to your normal desktop or laptop."
"Its features for the hardware version could work faster."
"There is always scope of improvement in the stability."
"The product needs to improve its pricing. It should also improve corporate identity management and single sign-on."
"One of the issues I had was the ability to add an internet proxy. I would like to see built-in proxy and internet filtering."
"The main issue is the response time, which needs improvement to be faster."
"I would like to see built-in proxy and internet filtering."
"There are challenges when upgrading the OS from Windows 10 to Windows 11, such as facing a black screen during testing. It is essential for Microsoft to ensure better testing and smoother transitions when decommissioning previous versions."
"The delivery of applications is a tedious process."
"My overall rating of Azure Virtual Desktop is five out of ten. While the stability and cost-effectiveness are commendable, there is room for improvement in technical support."
"The costs are a bit difficult to predict upfront."
"Azure could improve its uptime and the scaling aspect, as it lacks intelligent scaling."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We need to spend some amount for the support. Without money, they won't respond."
"It is very expensive."
"Price-wise Amazon Workspaces is cheaper than most services available."
"The tool's pricing depends on company turnover and the organization's relationship with Amazon. I rate it a six out of ten."
"The solution is expensive."
"The solution is not very cheap and it is not too pricey."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is a high price, I rate the pricing a two."
"The pricing is based on consumption. You pay for each process based on the transactions you make."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions are best for your needs.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
51%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon WorkSpaces?
Performance and scalability are valuable features.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon WorkSpaces?
The pricing is based on consumption. You pay for each process based on the transactions you make. The investment is almost the same as having your own on-premises solution, with the added costs of ...
What needs improvement with Amazon WorkSpaces?
There is always scope of improvement in the stability.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Virtual Desktop?
Azure Virtual Desktop offers a competitive pricing model, as it provides unique services compared to offerings from GCP or AWS. However, Citrix provides similar services.
What needs improvement with Azure Virtual Desktop?
There are challenges when upgrading the OS from Windows 10 to Windows 11, such as facing a black screen during testing. It is essential for Microsoft to ensure better testing and smoother transitio...
What is your primary use case for Azure Virtual Desktop?
I use Azure Virtual Desktop primarily to access desktops without using the public network. It allows me to access my workplace desktops privately and perform regular activities. It also provides a ...
 

Also Known As

WorkSpaces
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

GrubHub, Endemol Shine Nederland, CMC Property Services
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Azure Virtual Desktop and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.