Microsoft announced its new Windows 365 service yesterday, but the company said it wouldn’t discuss pricing options until the Cloud PCs launch on August 2nd. Now, Microsoft has inadvertently revealed one pricing option, allowing businesses to use a virtual Windows PC in the cloud for $31 per user, per month.
The pricing option was revealed during a Microsoft Inspire session yesterday, as the company demonstrated how businesses can sign up to the service. For the $31 monthly subscription, Microsoft offers two CPUs, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. This is part of the Windows 365 Business option, designed for businesses with fewer than 300 overall users.
“This is pricing for just one SKU. Microsoft will have many more options, both in terms of configurations and price points, to share when the product becomes generally available on August 2nd,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge.
© Provided by The Verge Microsoft’s Windows 365 pricing.This isn’t the lowest-priced option, as Microsoft will also be offering a single CPU, just 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It’s not clear if the Enterprise versions of the same Cloud PC specifications are priced the same as the Business versions or if there’s a discount for larger organizations.
It’s difficult to compare this pricing directly to Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop offerings or even competitors like Citrix and Amazon WorkSpaces, as there are often additional charges for compute power or bandwidth used. Microsoft has designed Windows 365 to be simple for businesses to access, and the pricing structure includes all license entitlements, usage, and compute.
Citrix offers virtual desktop access for around $30 per month, but the pricing varies depending on the length of contract and number of users. Amazon offers a virtual Windows PC with two CPUs, 4GB of memory, and 50GB of storage for $35 per month.
Pricing aside, Microsoft has also offered some more details on Windows 365, including the various PC configurations and supported features. Here’s what businesses will be able to pick from:
Each Cloud PC will also be able to access an impressive internet connection, with 10Gbps download speeds and 4Gbps upload speeds. Microsoft is also exploring the option to redirect video and other multimedia in virtual sessions. Naturally, the best way to experience Windows 365 will be through connecting from an existing Windows PC since features like multiple monitors (up to 16), USB, Teams AV redirection, and support for scanners will only be available if you’re connecting from Windows.
Microsoft is planning to launch Windows 365 fully on August 2nd, so we’ll know all pricing options in less than three weeks time.
