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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

"The most valuable feature is the mobility. I can use it anywhere."
"The best thing about Amazon WorkSpaces is the security it provides."
"The most valuable features are easy provisioning, an active directory, and mobile access."
"Security, streaming, faster performance, scalability, and the fact that it is very much cost-effective, are some of the solution's valuable features."
"It has good speed and connects well with computers."
"For anyone looking at the solution, I can say that it is a good solution and within well-defined price ranges, and a very scalable one."
"Persistent storage helps to maintain consistency and data availability across sessions."
"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 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 integration of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams within Azure Virtual Desktop helps customers enhance collaboration because it works seamlessly."
"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 ability to spin up virtual machines quickly and speedily in Azure has been really valuable."
"The biggest advantages are the price and flexibility."
"Azure Virtual Desktop provides users the ability to do remote work in a secure environment that is easy to manage."
"I've always found Azure Virtual Desktop to work for me without issues."
 

Cons

"The speed and performance are not always the greatest. It can be improved."
"The product needs to improve its pricing. It should also improve corporate identity management and single sign-on."
"The solution lacks a shadow mode option, and it needs to have it."
"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."
"There is always scope of improvement in the stability."
"One area that can be improved is the ability to install third-party apps."
"Amazon WorkSpaces needs to improve its pricing."
"Configuration was a bit complicated at first but manageable."
"It takes too long to get a return call."
"The primary area for improvement is around the scalability of Azure, specifically on the desktop side."
"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 delivery of applications is a tedious process."
"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 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."
"I see areas for improvement in Azure Virtual Desktop, specifically regarding cost, as it is a little bit expensive."
"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

"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."
"The bundle works out to be approximately $20.00 per month."
"The solution is not very cheap and it is not too pricey."
"The solution is expensive."
"There are several different options available, but it can range anywhere from $85 to $150 a month per machine."
"The tool's pricing depends on company turnover and the organization's relationship with Amazon. I rate it a six out of ten."
"It is very expensive."
"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
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.