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Azure Virtual Desktop vs Microsoft Remote Desktop Services 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

Azure Virtual Desktop
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Azure Virtual Desktop is 9.0%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is 6.2%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services6.2%
Azure Virtual Desktop9.0%
Other84.8%
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

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…
Terje Romen - PeerSpot reviewer
Accessing the same desktop experience from anywhere but user template creation needs improvement
Mostly we are quite happy with it. However, some of us want a more powerful desktop. When not present, we use a remote tool called Splashtop, which is a good solution for some users. We have about ten licenses for those who need a powerful workstation at the office. We have not used many different tools. We are never in contact with Microsoft. These are quite basic configurations, to be honest. It's not complicated. AI is coming to or is already in some applications we are using. Not system-wise, however, it might be good. I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It's quite good, yet certainly not perfect.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"Scalability is very straightforward with Azure Virtual Desktop."
"The best feature is scalability, as it can be used from anywhere."
"Absolutely, this solution is probably the leader in its field."
"The cost-effectiveness of Azure Virtual Machines is one of the most valuable features."
"Azure Virtual Desktop provides users the ability to do remote work in a secure environment that is easy to manage."
"Azure Virtual Desktop is stable and provides a 100% stable experience."
"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."
"The most valuable feature is that it gives me full accessibility to my servers."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is that it scales well."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is managing the remote desktop end user or remote server."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is the ability to remote into a system that is not on-premises."
"The solution performs well and is easy to use."
"Since the tool has a graphical user interface, it's easier for us to access the server."
"The solution is easy to deploy and there are many features available that you can turn on or off depending on your budget."
"The most valuable feature is ease of use."
 

Cons

"Access from Entra ID should be implemented to provide only tenant access to users connecting to the Azure Virtual Desktop environment, eliminating the need for on-premises requirements."
"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."
"The primary area for improvement is around the scalability of Azure, specifically on the desktop side."
"The main issue is the response time, which needs improvement to be faster."
"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 costs are a bit difficult to predict upfront. When I am trying to sell it to a customer as a consultant, it is hard to give them a fixed price."
"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."
"It could be made simpler from a management perspective."
"We would like configuration to be automatic and the price to be close to zero, however, that's not realistic."
"We find the services are not as transparent as we would like for our integration with Citrix."
"We had some instability during the implementation process. This has since been resolved."
"The only problem I see is that when I am connected, there is a certain lag because of the network."
"The reliability of the solution could improve."
"The current process I have to go through to get a Windows 11 VM up and running is difficult. Windows 10 worked a whole lot better than Windows 11."
"My customers are worried that the RDP protocol can be easily compromised and would like the option to use an alternative like Blast."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"It's not an expensive product."
"It will probably cost about $500 USD to get the resources set up in the cloud."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services comes free as part of Microsoft Windows."
"The solution has a perpetual license and it is purchased upfront."
"We do not have to pay for the product."
"The cost is fair."
"Although not an expensive product, pricing is always something that can be improved."
"The pricing could always be improved."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
45%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business39
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise30
 

Questions from the Community

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?
Areas of Azure Virtual Desktop that could be improved or enhanced include the cost part and the auto-scaling part. There is a new dynamic auto-scaling feature which is in preview as of now, and wit...
What is your primary use case for Azure Virtual Desktop?
The usual use cases for Azure Virtual Desktop are for developers trying to have a development environment, and there are a couple of kinds of environments. One is dedicated instances and one is the...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
In limited use cases, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is free as it is defaulted by any Microsoft license. The paid version for enterprise requires RDS ( /products/amazon-rds-reviews ) CALs, or c...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
The only problem I see is that when I am connected, there is a certain lag because of the network.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Remote Desktop Services
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Bank Alfalah Ltd.
Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Virtual Desktop vs. Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.