September 21, 2023

Cost comparison of AVD Single Session Desktop and Cloud PC

I think you are already aware of the difference between W365 and AVD. Today I have done a cost comparison of both in a very simple format, which may help you make a decision.

Cloud PC				Azure Virtual Desktop (PAYG)
vCPU	RAM	Disk	Cost (USD)	vCPU	RAM	Disk (Premium)	Cost (USD)
4	16	128	66	4	16	128	156
8	32	128	123	8	32	128	294

Azure Virtual Desktop (3 Year Reserved Instance)				Azure Virtual Desktop (Only 222 Hrs.)
vCPU	RAM	Disk (Premium)	Cost (USD)	vCPU	RAM	Disk (Premium)	Cost (USD)
4	16	128	72	4	16	128	60
8	32	128	125	8	32	128	125

As you can see in the above table if you are running the workloads only for 222 Hrs. in a month, A single session AVD desktop is a cheaper option in terms of cost. However, you should know the difference between these two offerings.

This below table is a description of the same.

Details	Azure Virtual Desktop Cloud VDI	Windows 365 Cloud PC
OS support	Windows 11, Windows 10, single or multiple session, Windows server	Windows 11 or Windows 10
Admin	> Aure portal > VMware or Citrix or Nerdio management plane	> Microsoft Intune (Enterprise) > Web self-service (Business)
Service	PaaS – Granular controls over configuration and management	SaaS – Complete end-to-end Microsoft service
Pricing	Consumption-based	Per-user, Per-month
Scale	Unlimited based on consumption	Unlimited based on subscription
End-user	Single or multi-user, pooled, remote app	Full Windows-like local experience