Comparing Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 Enterprise

Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 Enterprise are intended for different use scenarios. This chart summarizes the key differences between the two services. 

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) offers a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution hosted in Azure with consumption-based pricing. Windows 365 Enterprise provides persistent Microsoft-hosted Windows 10 and Windows 11 desktops via a fixed-price monthly Per-User subscription. AVD provides traditional VDI with a broad range of configuration choices, extensive customization, and associated technical complexity. Windows 365 focuses on providing subscription-based Windows desktops that are used and managed in the same fashion as a dedicated PC without the complexity of VDI.

Azure Virtual Desktop

AVD provides a highly configurable hosted VDI solution for deploying standardized virtual desktops or remote applications at scale. VDI utilizes pools of VM hosts with each VM supporting multiple user sessions, which can be a more efficient use of compute resources and help reduce costs. Load balancing determines which VM session host a user connects to in order to optimize performance, services like FSLogix provide profile mobility that allows users to connect to different session hosts while retaining their data and settings, and VMs can be shut down or started to respond to changes in demand.