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Amazon WorkSpaces vs Azure Virtual Desktop comparison

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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)
11th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) (2nd)
Azure Virtual Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Amazon WorkSpaces is 2.8%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Virtual Desktop is 6.6%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Azure Virtual Desktop6.6%
Amazon WorkSpaces2.8%
Other90.6%
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

JiteshRathod - PeerSpot reviewer
Expert Engineer at Apexon
Billing complexities affect financial predictability and resource optimization facilitates strategic use
Whenever there is an issue or incident that happens with the server part, I will provide support We are using Amazon WorkSpaces for some tools and testing purposes. We utilize the Workspace for running long-term scripting tasks. I have used the persistent storage feature for users in Amazon…
RC
Senior Advisor at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Enhanced collaboration and security with seamless remote access has transformed work efficiency
We can integrate anything with Azure Virtual Desktop from an application perspective. The App-V has evolved into MSIX. To deliver an application to Azure Virtual Desktop, MSIX can be used by expanding it as a virtual hard disk and attaching it to the virtual machine. When this is done, users who need the application will have immediate access through Active Directory group assignment. One challenge with Virtual Desktop infrastructure is application delivery. From an infrastructure perspective, it's beneficial as we can have a fallback point - if one machine is down, we can have a disaster recovery site for redirection. The delivery of applications is a tedious process. Microsoft is working on building new products for efficient application installation. This feature might be included in upcoming releases. Currently, it's burdensome for IT administrators to create applications compatible with Virtual Desktop infrastructure, unlike traditional machines where direct installation is possible.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I recommend it, definitely, as it is a very flexible solution, scalable, and easy to use, and you can use it from any device, whether you have an iPad, a laptop, a Mac, or Windows, on every platform that supports Google Chrome."
"The most valuable features are easy provisioning, an active directory, and mobile access."
"Amazon WorkSpaces is very fast."
"The best feature is that it operates very quickly. It depends on the regional location. If we choose a nearby location, nearby servers, it will be best for users to use."
"Amazon WorkSpaces Pools is a new solution that allows a group of users to use shared workspaces."
"Persistent storage helps to maintain consistency and data availability across sessions."
"It has good speed and connects well with computers."
"The best thing about Amazon WorkSpaces is the security it provides."
"Azure pricing is quite cheap due to licensing benefits with Microsoft."
"Scalability is very straightforward with Azure Virtual Desktop."
"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."
"I've always found Azure Virtual Desktop to work for me without issues."
"The integration of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams within Azure Virtual Desktop helps customers enhance collaboration because it works seamlessly."
"The biggest advantages are the price and flexibility."
"The auto-scaling option allows provisioning additional virtual desktops based on user demand, making it scalable and flexible."
"This integration enhances productivity 100%, as it makes it much easier for us to give access to external third parties to work with us for collaboration."
 

Cons

"O365 and other Microsoft products can become problematic at times, and there are some network health-related issues that appear occasionally regarding functionality inside Amazon WorkSpaces."
"I am not satisfied with the billing part because sometimes it bills for huge usage we are not aware of when we trigger every EC2 instance or every RDS instance."
"Amazon WorkSpaces needs to improve its pricing."
"There is always scope of improvement in the stability."
"Its features for the hardware version could work faster."
"Configuration was a bit complicated at first but manageable."
"I would say that it is a little complex to configure."
"The agent sometimes has connectivity issues, but otherwise, it's good."
"Azure could improve its uptime and the scaling aspect, as it lacks intelligent scaling."
"The delivery of applications is a tedious process."
"Azure is vast, and perhaps an architect-level experience could provide more insights into potential improvements."
"It takes too long to get a return call."
"The initial setup of Azure Virtual Desktop overall is complex. The complexities I've noticed are with application optimizations, and it can get complex by meeting customers' security requirements."
"I see areas for improvement in Azure Virtual Desktop, specifically regarding cost, as it is a little bit expensive."
"The primary area for improvement is around the scalability of Azure, specifically on the desktop side."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is based on consumption. You pay for each process based on the transactions you make."
"Price-wise Amazon Workspaces is cheaper than most services available."
"We need to spend some amount for the support. Without money, they won't respond."
"The solution is not very cheap and it is not too pricey."
"The tool's pricing depends on company turnover and the organization's relationship with Amazon. I rate it a six out of ten."
"There are several different options available, but it can range anywhere from $85 to $150 a month per machine."
"I think that the price can be lower. We have cases where the customer needs to have lower costs. So since we don't have options, like, shadow mode, they need to decrease pricing or have other models for reduced pricing."
"It is very expensive."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Performing Arts
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
21%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Media Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon WorkSpaces?
For Amazon WorkSpaces pricing, I think it is affordable; it is a final decision made through the management part. I am not satisfied with the billing part because sometimes it bills for huge usage ...
What needs improvement with Amazon WorkSpaces?
Desired improvements for Amazon WorkSpaces include faster and more flexible image updates, incremental image updates, patch-only updates, and a much faster push of software configuration changes to...
What is your primary use case for Amazon WorkSpaces?
Amazon WorkSpaces is used to provide a consistent environment for remote workers for testing purposes. Software testing is typically run on those desktops.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Virtual Desktop?
The usual amount customers pay for this tool varies. I have seen large deployments catering to 500 or 700 users. Enterprises do use it, and they pay quite a bit for this.
What needs improvement with Azure Virtual Desktop?
I see areas for improvement in Azure Virtual Desktop, specifically regarding cost, as it is a little bit expensive. However, when you account for replacing dedicated hardware and the maintenance it...
What is your primary use case for Azure Virtual Desktop?
We use RDP with Azure and have some virtual desktops. A major use case for Azure Virtual Desktop is that we give access to external consultants so they can access our information and interact with ...
 

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: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.