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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)
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Remote Desktop Se...
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
5th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
91
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of Azure Virtual Desktop is 8.2%, up from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is 6.1%, up from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services6.1%
Azure Virtual Desktop8.2%
Other85.7%
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

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.
reviewer2795433 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Secure remote access has protected sensitive country data and supports strict compliance needs
I understand from the IT team managing Microsoft Remote Desktop Services that it is complex to set up the multiple roles, certificates, and networks required. Networking is quite complicated. Even though on the data center side it is quite simple, maintaining the farm of other connections that connect to that server is the complex piece. I understand there are more modern systems replicating what this solution does, which are easier to use, such as Azure Virtual Desktop within Microsoft Azure Cloud or Amazon WorkSpaces, which I have used before. Rather than having to manage all the complex networking, you could abstract it away a little further in the cloud for easier use. I also understand that this tool is in an end-of-life state now, with Microsoft actively pushing people towards Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365. I do not believe further features will be rolled out due to its end-of-life state, making it a legacy solution now.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The integration of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams within Azure Virtual Desktop helps customers enhance collaboration because it works seamlessly."
"Azure pricing is quite cheap due to licensing benefits with Microsoft."
"Azure Virtual Desktop is stable and provides a 100% stable experience."
"I've always found Azure Virtual Desktop to work for me without issues."
"The best feature is scalability, as it can be used from anywhere."
"Scalability is very straightforward with Azure Virtual Desktop."
"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."
"Azure Virtual Desktop provides users the ability to do remote work in a secure environment that is easy to manage."
"Everything is really good and it works well."
"Because of Covid, the solution has given those stuck at home the ability to continue working."
"The solution is easy to deploy and there are many features available that you can turn on or off depending on your budget."
"Everything is really good and it works well."
"The most valuable feature is ease of use."
"The best features Microsoft Remote Desktop Services offers are the performance, which is excellent, with no lag, so I can work in my window on my laptop and it will appear as if I am working on the server, never feeling as though I am using a remote desktop."
"The most valuable feature is the remote application access."
"It allows employees to log on to corporate resources remotely."
 

Cons

"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."
"The costs are a bit difficult to predict upfront."
"Azure is vast, and perhaps an architect-level experience could provide more insights into potential improvements."
"Azure could improve its uptime and the scaling aspect, as it lacks intelligent scaling."
"The delivery of applications is a tedious process."
"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 DB card needs improvement. I have a lot of experience with other competitors and Citrix is better than VMware and Microsoft. Citrix has more extensive features."
"Lacks a notification feature when internet is down."
"We would like configuration to be automatic and the price to be close to zero, however, that's not realistic."
"The initial setup of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could be a bit simpler, as it is kind of tricky sometimes and there is not much good documentation mentioning all use cases or errors, which would be great if provided."
"We'd like to see more integration with other vendors."
"The training profiles could be better."
"We find the services are not as transparent as we would like for our integration with Citrix."
"The solution isn't as good as the Citrix option."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The tool must be cheaper."
"The pricing could always be improved."
"I rate the price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services a three out of five."
"It will probably cost about $500 USD to get the resources set up in the cloud."
"Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is less expensive than some other solutions on the market."
"The solution comes free with Microsoft Windows."
"The solution is overly expensive."
"The price of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is reasonable. The solution can come for free for some clients with certain agreements."
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893,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
24%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise36
 

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?
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 ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services has been easy. I don't think there was any cost, as this was built into our experience with Windows and A...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
Microsoft Remote Desktop Services could be improved by providing a way to make it configurable without using VPN from the actual service itself.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services?
My main use case for Microsoft Remote Desktop Services is remoting into computers that I don't have physical access to in order to assist or perform configurations, or remoting into our servers to ...
 

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: April 2026.
893,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.