Azure Virtual Desktop vs. Citrix DaaS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Azure Virtual Desktop
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Azure Virtual Desktops are a comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service running in the cloud.N/A
Citrix DaaS
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, or XenDesktop) is a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and application virtualization solution from Citrix.
$375
Pricing
Azure Virtual DesktopCitrix DaaS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Virtual Apps
$375
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Azure Virtual DesktopCitrix DaaS
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Azure Virtual DesktopCitrix DaaS
Considered Both Products
Azure Virtual Desktop
Chose Azure Virtual Desktop
We moved most of our workflow to Microsoft Azure and it is wise to choose AVD and It very well suits for virtual environment requirements and application access.
Citrix DaaS

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Azure Virtual DesktopCitrix DaaS
Small Businesses

No answers on this topic

VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies

No answers on this topic

VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Azure Virtual DesktopCitrix DaaS
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(16 ratings)
8.9
(54 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(4 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(6 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.4
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(8 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
2.4
(4 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
5.2
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Azure Virtual DesktopCitrix DaaS
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
Currently Azure Virtual Desktop enviroments are our first choice for all customers. Especially because most of our customers already have a M365 License which includes Azure Virtual Desktop usage. We deploy it for both RemoteApp and Full desktop solutions. This gives us the flexibility to "lift and shift" a specific workload of more legacy customers towards the cloud and provide them with a secure solution to use their apps in the cloud from anywhere.
Read full review
Citrix
Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops is best in class for offering a great user experience in VDI, server-based sessions, or published apps. Using additional GPU allows uses like rich video, 3D apps, and great modern uses (MS Teams, Office 365, Zoom, etc.). Citrix products are very well integrated (Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops used with Citrix ADC is the best way to secure access and monitor everything).
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Better computing power
  • Configurable System and as per team needs configuration can be added or removed at ease
  • Internet Connectivity within the cloud system is way better than our home / office internet connections
  • No heating issues on personal machines, leaving all the worry on actual data center machines
Read full review
Citrix
  • Enables remote access anywhere, to any device which eliminates managing the endpoints how traditional VPN would require.
  • Integrates well with modern applications to offer optimized user experiences similar to native applications which increases user acceptance.
  • Extremely flexible in how policies are applied to different use cases to ensure the appropriate security mitigations are in place with minimal effort.
  • Easy to maintain and expand environments to fit business needs.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • Use the Azure portal, Windows Virtual Desktop PowerShell and REST interfaces to configure the host pools, create app groups, assign users, and publish resources.
  • Publish full desktop or individual remote apps from a single host pool, create individual app groups for different sets of users, or even assign users to multiple app groups to reduce the number of images.
  • As we manage our environment, we use built-in delegated access to assign roles and collect diagnostics to understand various configuration or user errors.
  • We use the new Diagnostics service to troubleshoot errors.
Read full review
Citrix
  • A single console to manage the environment.
  • The configuration is a bit complicated and we have hired Citrix administrators. But it's a good solution.
  • User profiles need improvement. They could use more stability and more functionality as well as user profile redirection.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
Because it has been a mainstay of our business for many years.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
Getting the environment setup took me three months of off and on work, with 3 complete rebuilds of the environment. Utilizing the WebUI to access the environment had presented so many random issues that we had to require end users to use the Citrix Reciever App. As it was the only stable solution. Aside from that, it hasn't required much admin intervention since the stand-up was completed.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
Xendesktop did a great job with HA of all the components.
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
The performance of XenDesktop is the best in the industry because of the fine-tuned protocol and years of updating. Overall, I don't think there is a better performer on the market. The question is if the added complexity of running XenDesktop is really worth the performance gain. While the latest version of XenDesktop is the easiest to deploy so far, it is still more challenging than the competitors.
Read full review
Support Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
The support is great when you get an engineer that knows what they are doing but getting that individual sometimes takes a while. Overall, they are professional and polite and competent in their knowledge. Sometimes the cases are open for an extended period of time which becomes very frustrating when dealing with critical issues.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
I was self trained
Read full review
Online Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
Easy to understand and learn at my own pace
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
Take it slow and read the directions each step of the way. If you are not familiar with Citrix products, use a reseller or other experienced engineer to assist you in the setup of your environment
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
I think that the cloud based [Azure] Windows Virtual Desktop is the future and sets the precedent for how these should be configured in the future. I've used cheap options and other more expensive options, but VD is the best when compared to Citrix or freeware. I would recommend it to anyone over these.
Read full review
Citrix
I never had the chance to test other products like these since whenever I read and searched online during the first phase it was only popping up Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops.... so we got in touch with the sales department and the rest is history. After the technical consultation, it was more obvious that the implementation would have been very easy and the security layers are very well for my company.
Read full review
Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Citrix
Easily scalable
Read full review
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • More people can work from home which is a positive contribution to company’s objective of promoting work life balance
  • Reduced building operating costs with more staff working from home
  • At any point in time
  • Significantly reduced loss of data if a
  • user loses or damages a work laptop
Read full review
Citrix
  • XenApp has allowed us to continue support of legacy applications and all access of those applications to users across the globe with any device.
  • XenApp can also manage software licenses by restricting number of users, number of concurrent sessions, or combination of both to required specification.
  • While initial investment in XenApp can be costly, continuing support and upgrade are very cost effective and product stability is excellent.
  • While there are competing products from Microsoft and VMware, when it comes to remote application access, XenApp is the best of breed.
Read full review
ScreenShots