- Microsoft Windows 365 virtual machines cost as little as $20 per month, per user.
- A powerful machine will cost significantly more.
- Business and Enterprize plans are available, together with a discounted Hybrid Benefit.
I already did a quick introduction about Windows 365, basically a Windows PC in the cloud, running on Microsoft’s own servers. Your device is just a terminal that gives you access to that VM. And by device I mean pretty much anything with a screen, not just a laptop or desktop, but also Android/iOS phones and tablets.
Now that the service is officially available Microsoft announced pricing for configurations ranging from a very basic 1 CPU core, 2 GB RAM, and 64 GB storage machine up to a powerful 8 core, 32 GB RAM, and 512 GB of storage. The first one will cost you $20/month, and the most expensive one will set your organization back no less than $158 each month.
As a recap, Windows 365 is meant for companies who want a secure infrastructure without the actual cost of having a dedicated security team.
With more and more jobs moving to remote work security can become a real pain. Also maintaining multiple machines and upgrading them is a cost that might make Microsoft’s solution a value proposition.
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Windows 365 Pricing and Configurations
Here’s the full list of preset configurations available at this point. The updated list is also found on Microsoft’s website.
| CPU cores | RAM | Internal Storage options | Price/month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 GB | 64GB | $20 ($24) |
| 2 | 4 GB | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB | $28 ($32) / $31 ($35) / $40 ($44) |
| 2 | 8 GB | 128GB / 256GB | $41 ($45) / $50 ($54) |
| 4 | 16 GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | $66 ($70) / $75 ($79) / $101 ($105) |
| 8 | 32 GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | $123 ($127)/ $132 ($136) / $158 ($162) |
What is Hybrid Benefit?
One interesting thing Microsoft did is that it allows its Windows 365 customers to use existing Windows 10 Pro licenses to lower the cost of the monthly subscription. Not by a lot, but enough to make it worthwhile to move a license from an old computer to a new one. The discount quantum is always $4, so the maximum discount is 16% on the lower spec tiers.
Unfortunately, Hybrid Benefit is only available on Windows 365 Business plans.
Windows 365 Business vs Enterprise
Right now there are two main pricing tiers, one named business, which allows company admins to spin up to 300 virtual PCs. There’s no limit for Enterprise customers, but they lose the ability to use Hybrid Benefit.
