Amazon WorkSpaces vs Horizon Cloud Service comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Omnissa are both solutions in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.1, while Omnissa is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.5% mindshare in VD, compared to Omnissa’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Omnissa users who would recommend it.

Amazon WorkSpaces

Read 18 Amazon WorkSpaces reviews

1,039 Views
665 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Horizon Cloud Service

Read 11 Horizon Cloud Service reviews

1,227 Views
1,043 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Amazon WorkSpaces

Horizon Cloud Service

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

Horizon Cloud Service and Amazon WorkSpaces compete in the desktop-as-a-service space. Amazon WorkSpaces seems to have an edge in features, but Horizon Cloud Service is potentially more appealing due to its pricing and customer support.

Features: Horizon Cloud Service offers seamless integration with various cloud environments, ensuring flexibility and adaptability. Its power management capabilities provide users with advanced control over virtual desktops. The option for multiple cloud deployments makes it suitable for diverse IT infrastructures. Amazon WorkSpaces provides robust scalability and a wide array of configuration options. It supports multimedia applications, ensuring low latency and high performance. The ability to operate quickly and securely makes it suitable for international deployments.

Room for Improvement: Horizon Cloud Service could enhance its customization options and initial deployment setup to compete better with Amazon WorkSpaces. Improving scalability features further would be beneficial. Enriching real-time support could help as well. Amazon WorkSpaces could simplify its deployment process to reduce complexity for users. Enhanced integration with non-Amazon environments could expand its reach. Offering more pricing transparency might attract a broader audience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Horizon Cloud Service provides a straightforward deployment process supported by strong customer support, which enhances efficiency. In contrast, Amazon WorkSpaces offers excellent scalability but might require more effort during deployment due to its customization options.

Pricing and ROI: Horizon Cloud Service has a competitive pricing model that supports higher ROI with lower upfront costs. Amazon WorkSpaces, while possibly having higher initial costs, justifies investment with its comprehensive feature set, which is beneficial for demands requiring extensive scalability and configuration.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service Report (Updated: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service

August 2025

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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

Ranking in Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Horizon Cloud Service

Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

10th

Ranking in Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Amazon WorkSpaces is 1.5%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Horizon Cloud Service is 2.0%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Amazon WorkSpaces	1.5%
Horizon Cloud Service	2.0%
Other	96.5%

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Featured Reviews

Sachin Narvekar

Technical Lead, AWS at Tata Consultancy

Migration to cloud for secure and shared workspaces enhances productivity

There could be an end-to-end tool similar to AWS Transform that helps from assessment to migration. A single orchestrator tool could assist with discovery, implementation, and image building for Amazon WorkSpaces. 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.

Read full review

SivaKuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

Centralized management enhances multi-cloud flexibility with cost efficiency improvements

The cost of Horizon Cloud Service is high, however, it could be optimized. The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help. Improvements in application performance, especially for resource-heavy applications like intensive 3D workloads, are needed. More built-in automation for routine tasks like patching and upgrading could reduce administrative effort.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool has low latency and multimedia support. For instance, running Zoom calls on Amazon WorkSpaces seamlessly supports local microphones, speakers, and web cameras. This feature is transparent for applications, allowing me to use the Zoom application without requiring exceptional support for remote web cameras or microphones. Amazon WorkSpaces provides this functionality at the operating system level, enabling effortless video conferencing. To my knowledge, Microsoft Remote Desktop does not offer the same support."

"It has good speed and connects well with computers."

"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."

"The best thing about Amazon WorkSpaces is the security it provides."

"Amazon WorkSpaces is very fast."

"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."

"The initial setup is simple."

More Amazon WorkSpaces pros

"Horizon Cloud Service provides deployment flexibility across multiple clouds with a scalable architecture that easily scales virtual desktops and applications up or down based on demand."

"I honestly liked the application itself because it was just like using a desktop. You could copy and paste, inside and outside, and you could use multiple monitors. You could access it anytime, anywhere, no matter whether you were in the office or out of the office. I could leave the office, go somewhere, go back in, and everything would be there. I could just leave it up and running. I absolutely love this feature in VMware Horizon Cloud."

"The product allows a VPN connection, adding extra value to its features."

"The interface is much easier to use compared to Microsoft and other VDI vendors that are well known on the market. I like VMware so much more than the others. With Horizon Cloud, you don't need to spend a lot of money upfront to buy the infrastructure. You can use it the on the cloud, so it lowers the barriers to entry. It's easier to test it and get started. Some clients stay in the cloud, but others prefer to go on-premise. It depends on the nature of the client."

"Its advanced management features are the most valuable, especially power management. One of the really important things was to be able to have power management in a consumption world. This means that unlike a Microsoft environment, you could actually turn off virtual desktops or have them start up and shut down. If you're consuming resources in the public cloud, you want to be able to do that because when you're not using those, such as at the weekend, you want to be able to turn them off. So, the advanced options for managing the BDIs are very important."

"The main benefit of Horizon Cloud Service is that it is cloud-based, allowing our organization to leverage the service without having to manage all infrastructure directly."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is easy to use and the full development cloud is very good. The main features of VMware are included. It's a cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure software that allows you to permit the virtual desktops and applications to any device from the single unified management control. These are managed from the dedicated remote session desktop."

"The product’s on-premise version has the ability to create an image of any updates or changes in the system."

More Horizon Cloud Service pros

Cons

"An area that could be improved is it could work better on VPN."

"Configuration was a bit complicated at first but manageable."

"The product needs to improve its pricing. It should also improve corporate identity management and single sign-on."

"Amazon WorkSpaces needs to improve its pricing."

"Amazon WorkSpaces needs to improve on releasing the most number of patches immediately as quickly as possible. And they need to enable more USB options to connect a mobile phone to that particular workspace."

"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."

"I would say that it is a little complex to configure."

More Amazon WorkSpaces cons

"It is very expensive. Its price needs to be improved. They can do a better job with external resources such as a USB or a hard drive. When I tried to connect using these external resources, it failed a lot of times. I had to do a shared connection with a local laptop and then connect from a network standpoint, rather than through VMware Horizon point. They definitely have weaknesses with external connections. A lot of companies probably don't let people use external connections because it defeats the purpose of having a cloud solution and keeping the data in a secure area. You can copy to an external device, and you can lose the data. A lot of companies may not focus on this feature, but if you are providing it, you should make it work."

"The licensing model is complex, particularly for hybrid deployments, and simplifying it could help."

"In the design phase, sometimes the tools for designing Horizon solutions have issues when they're calculating the number of nodes and platforms needed to support the VDI systems."

"There should be more emphasis on the Workspace One access part of the solution. This is essentially identity management provided with Horizon. There needs to be some kind of integration because you are able to have all of these desktops on any device, but you have to have this other component to make it easier from a single sign-on perspective. That's why there should be an emphasis on Workspace One access. It actually comes free with the product, but people don't really know how powerful it can be."

"The product has a lot of bugs."

"The application remoting features have some room for improvement."

"The licensing model needs to be adjusted, as a cloud license is currently required even for on-premises devices."

"Logging into VMware Horizon Cloud could be made easier. Additionally, the VMs could be better in their performance."

More Horizon Cloud Service cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is a high price, I rate the pricing a two."

"We need to spend some amount for the support. Without money, they won't respond."

"They have hourly and monthly pricing, and because our use case is, more of a sporadic use, so I go for hourly pricing. Again, the details of the pricing is handled by the procurement. From an end user perspective, pay as you use hourly is suitable"

"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."

"There are several different options available, but it can range anywhere from $85 to $150 a month per machine."

"It is very expensive."

"The bundle works out to be approximately $20.00 per month."

"Price-wise Amazon Workspaces is cheaper than most services available."

More Amazon WorkSpaces pricing and cost advice

"It is too expensive as compared to other solutions because of which we don't use it that much. We tend to go more for Hyper-V or Azure just because VMware licensing is quite up there. We sway people away from VMware Horizon Cloud. We have some clients who already have it. They stay on it for a little while, and then most of them end up moving off when we provide them a better solution that isn't as license heavy cost-wise."

"There is a license required for the use of this solution and there are different tier levels available."

"I rate VMware Horizon Cloud pricing a ten out of ten."

"Initially, the product is cheap, but it starts to get expensive when users try to scale out."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is a low-cost solution. The model that they have is consumption-based. However, some features are expensive."

"For what you get, it is very compelling. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership of this type of piece of software in terms of being able to utilize it as a cloud service. I don't have to run everything on-premises. When you look at the total cost of just being able to use it and then being able to point it to any public or private cloud, it is very compelling. You have one less thing to manage."

"VMware Horizon Cloud is an expensive solution. This solution is approximately 30 percent more than Microsoft Azure Cloud. There can be extra costs."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Performing Arts

14%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Media Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	9

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon WorkSpaces?

Performance and scalability are valuable features.

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon WorkSpaces?

I have not integrated AWS VPN with my Amazon WorkSpaces setup. Regarding disadvantages, I feel that the product has no areas for improvement. The billing part could be improved. Some features could...

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware Horizon Cloud?

The tool remains pretty stable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Horizon Cloud?

The cost is considered normal, not remarkable but not outrageous. In terms of expense, compared to other virtualization products, I would rate it as a six.

See all answers

What needs improvement with VMware Horizon Cloud?

The licensing model needs to be adjusted, as a cloud license is currently required even for on-premises devices. Horizon Cloud Service should continue improving their protocol and work with other h...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time

VMware Workstation vs Amazon WorkSpaces

Compared 9% of the time

NICE DCV vs Amazon WorkSpaces

Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 18% of the time

Azure Virtual Desktop vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 13% of the time

Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service) vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 12% of the time

Amazon Appstream vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 11% of the time

Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) vs Horizon Cloud Service

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon WorkSpaces

September 2025

Download Amazon WorkSpaces product report

Buyer's Guide

Horizon Cloud Service

August 2025

Download Horizon Cloud Service product report

Also Known As

WorkSpaces

VMware Horizon Cloud, VMware Horizon DaaS

Overview

Amazon WorkSpaces is a fully managed desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solution provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It allows users to access a virtual desktop environment in the cloud from various devices, including laptops, tablets, and thin clients.

With Amazon WorkSpaces, users can have a complete desktop experience with their familiar applications and data, while the underlying infrastructure and management tasks are handled by AWS. The virtual desktops provided by Amazon WorkSpaces are persistent, meaning that user data and settings are retained even when disconnected from the virtual desktop.

Amazon WorkSpaces Features:

Desktop Experience: Provides a complete Windows or Linux desktop experience for users.
Device Flexibility: Accessible from various devices such as computers, tablets, and thin clients.
Managed Service: AWS manages infrastructure, updates, patches, and backups.
Flexible Scaling: Easily scale the number of virtual desktops based on needs.
Security and Compliance: Built-in security features and compliance capabilities.
Cost-Effective: Pay-as-you-go pricing model for optimized cost management.
Integration with AWS Services: Seamlessly integrates with other AWS services.
User Profile Management: Supports saving and applying user-specific settings.
Application Compatibility: Supports a wide range of applications.

Amazon WorkSpaces Benefits:

Flexible Accessibility: Users can access their virtual desktops from various devices, providing flexibility and mobility.
Simplified Management: AWS manages the underlying infrastructure, reducing the burden of desktop management for organizations.
Scalability: Easily scale the number of virtual desktops up or down based on business needs, accommodating workforce changes.
Enhanced Security: Built-in security features and compliance capabilities ensure data protection and regulatory compliance.
Cost Savings: Pay-as-you-go pricing eliminates upfront infrastructure costs, allowing organizations to optimize their desktop infrastructure expenses.
Integration with AWS Services: Seamlessly integrate with other AWS services for enhanced functionality and capabilities.
User-Friendly Experience: Offers a familiar desktop environment with customizable settings and application compatibility.

Reviews from Real Users

Sachin Narvekar, IT-IS LEAD at Tata Consultancy, writes that "Amazon WorkSpaces is a virtual desktop platform. So, instead of having your laptops, and desktops, you can have your data on the cloud.”, he also adds, "Security, streaming, faster performance, scalability, and the fact that it is very much cost-effective, are some of the solution's valuable features."

Ravi-Bhardwaj, Manager at Ravi RITS Enterprice, states that “The solution has improved the organization because now any user who doesn't have a corporate laptop can connect to the system, security is still high, and it uses very low bandwidth.”

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

The VMware Horizon Cloud Service delivers feature-rich virtual desktops and applications using a purpose-built cloud platform that is scalable across multiple deployment options, including fully managed infrastructure from VMware, public cloud infrastructure from Microsoft Azure, or on-premises hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI). The service supports a cloud-scale architecture that makes it easy to deliver virtualized Windows desktops and applications to any device, anytime. And, with a flexible subscription model and turnkey solutions, organizations can easily get up and running and scale quickly.

Omnissa

Sample Customers

GrubHub, Endemol Shine Nederland, CMC Property Services

Marriott, Sprint

Buyer's Guide

Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service

August 2025

Free Report: Amazon WorkSpaces vs. Horizon Cloud Service

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