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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)
3rd
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 November 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Amazon WorkSpaces is 2.7%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Virtual Desktop is 6.0%, down from 9.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Azure Virtual Desktop6.0%
Amazon WorkSpaces2.7%
Other91.3%
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

JiteshRathod - PeerSpot reviewer
Expert Engineer at Apexon
Remote teams have gained secure, consistent test environments and onboarding stays streamlined
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 all workspaces, as well as improved cursor shutters and remote screen jitter. Amazon WorkSpaces can sometimes function as a black box, making it difficult to diagnose why a workspace is slow on any given day due to limited visibility into network latency from the client, real-time CPU and GPU utilization, and storage bottlenecks. Improvements are needed for built-in performance dashboards, clearer latency metrics, connection health reports, and root cause suggestions that distinguish between local network and VPC issues.
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

"We can work remotely using the solution."
"The most valuable features are easy provisioning, an active directory, and mobile access."
"The initial setup is simple."
"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 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."
"Performance and scalability are valuable features."
"The product is easy to access. You can access the solution from anywhere at any time."
"The auto-scaling option allows provisioning additional virtual desktops based on user demand, making it scalable and flexible."
"Absolutely, this solution is probably the leader in its field."
"The biggest advantages are the price and flexibility."
"Scalability is very straightforward with Azure Virtual Desktop."
"The ability to spin up virtual machines quickly and speedily in Azure has been really valuable."
"Azure Virtual Desktop provides users the ability to do remote work in a secure environment that is easy to manage."
"The best feature is scalability, as it can be used from anywhere."
"Azure Virtual Desktop is stable and provides a 100% stable experience."
 

Cons

"There is always scope of improvement in the stability."
"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."
"The speed and performance are not always the greatest. It can be improved."
"Its features for the hardware version could work faster."
"I would say that it is a little complex to configure."
"If they had a cheaper option for graphics pro, I think that it would be beneficial and I would use it."
"Configuration was a bit complicated at first but manageable."
"Making it more self-service friendly would be the implement I'd be looking for. When we have to add new applications, we have to go through the IT to do that, and they need to do some configuration changes. I believe they have to reevaluate the computation and storage and the memory. So this is this is something that as an unrequired and should be changed. Also, the initial start time takes couple of minutes and it is easy for get distracted during the time. So if it can reduce the start time to a reasonable start of time to a reasonable time of five to ten seconds. That will be great."
"I see areas for improvement in Azure Virtual Desktop, specifically regarding cost, as it is a little bit expensive."
"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."
"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."
"Azure is vast, and perhaps an architect-level experience could provide more insights into potential improvements."
"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."
"Azure could improve its uptime and the scaling aspect, as it lacks intelligent scaling."
"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."
 

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."
"The solution is expensive."
"There are several different options available, but it can range anywhere from $85 to $150 a month per machine."
"The bundle works out to be approximately $20.00 per month."
"The tool's pricing depends on company turnover and the organization's relationship with Amazon. I rate it a six out of ten."
"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"
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is low and ten is a high price, I rate the pricing a two."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
13%
Performing Arts
13%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
20%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Media Company
12%
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.
920,929 professionals have used our research since 2012.