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If you’ve been looking into cloud desktops — giving your team a full Windows PC they can access from anywhere — you’ve probably come across two Microsoft options: Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
They solve the same problem but in very different ways. Picking the wrong one can mean overpaying, overcomplicating your IT, or outgrowing your setup within a year.
Here’s a straightforward comparison to help you decide.
Windows 365 Cloud PC — The Simple Option
Windows 365 gives each user their own dedicated virtual PC in the cloud. It’s always on, always theirs, and they access it from any device with a browser or the Windows App. The Business edition is built for companies with up to 300 seats.
What makes it appealing:
- Fixed monthly cost per user — no variable billing, no usage surprises
- No Azure expertise needed — managed through the familiar Microsoft 365 admin center
- No Microsoft 365 licence required — Windows 365 Business has no licensing prerequisites
- Built-in restore points — roll a Cloud PC back to an earlier state if malware or a bad update gets in
- Fast provisioning — add or remove users in minutes
What it costs (CAD/month per user, Microsoft list, verified September 2026):
| Config | Price |
|---|---|
| Basic — 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM / 128 GB storage | $42.90 |
| Standard — 2 vCPU / 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage | $55.20 |
| Premium — 4 vCPU / 16 GB RAM / 128 GB storage | $85.90 |
| 8 vCPU / 32 GB RAM / 512 GB storage | ~$198 (as of March 2026) |
For a 15-person office where everyone needs a solid workstation, you’re looking at roughly $645–$1,290/month at Microsoft list (Basic at $42.90 to Premium at $85.90 per user). MSP-resold retail adds deployment, image management, and ongoing operations on top.
Azure Virtual Desktop — The Flexible Option
AVD is Microsoft’s full virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platform. Instead of giving each user a dedicated machine, it uses shared infrastructure — multiple users share the same multi-session virtual machines, and the system scales up or down based on demand.
What makes it appealing:
- Pay for what you use — consumption-based pricing means you’re not paying for idle machines
- Pooled desktops — efficient for shift workers, seasonal staff, or shared workstations
- Highly customizable — fine-grained control over networking, storage, images, and scaling
- Can be more cost-effective at scale — for organizations with 25+ users, shared infrastructure starts to win on price in our experience
What makes it harder:
- Requires Azure expertise — someone needs to manage the Azure environment, configure networking, maintain VM images, and troubleshoot issues
- Requires an eligible Microsoft 365 licence (such as Business Premium, roughly $30 CAD/user/month at Microsoft list as of March 2026; at DVG Systems a Business Premium user bundle is C$55.00 per month including EDR, ITDR, mailbox backup and DNS filtering) on top of the infrastructure costs
- Variable billing — harder to predict monthly costs, especially during busy periods
- Shared infrastructure risk — if a VM image has a problem, it affects everyone using that pool
For that same 15-person office, our estimate is that AVD runs $1,300–$1,600/month including M365 licences and infrastructure — roughly comparable to Windows 365, but with more complexity.
When to Choose Windows 365
Windows 365 is the right call for many small and mid-size businesses. Choose it when:
- Your team is 5–25 people and everyone needs their own desktop
- You want predictable monthly billing with no usage surprises
- You don’t have dedicated Azure admins or an MSP managing your Azure environment
- You’re scaling geographically — staff in Thunder Bay, Timmins, Marathon, or working from home all get the same experience
- You need to deploy quickly — new hires get a Cloud PC in minutes, not days
When to Consider AVD
AVD makes more sense in specific scenarios:
- You have 25+ users and the shared infrastructure cost savings justify the complexity
- You have shift workers or seasonal staff who share workstations and don’t need dedicated machines
- You have an IT team or MSP with Azure expertise to manage the environment
- You need heavy customization — complex networking, custom VM images, or integration with on-premise infrastructure
- You’re running specialized software that requires specific GPU configurations or custom hardware profiles
What About AutoCAD, Revit, and Heavy Applications?
This comes up a lot with engineering, architecture, and construction firms. Windows 365 at the 4 vCPU / 16 GB RAM tier handles AutoCAD, Revit, and most demanding applications well for day-to-day work. For complex 3D rendering or simulation workloads, AVD’s ability to configure custom GPU-enabled VMs gives you more flexibility — but at higher cost and complexity.
For most firms running design software, Windows 365 Premium is the practical choice.
Can I Work Offline?
No — both require an internet connection. Windows 365 handles brief disconnections more gracefully (your session state is preserved), but neither solution works offline. If your team regularly works in areas without reliable internet — remote job sites, for example — cloud desktops may not be the right fit for those users.
The Northern Ontario Angle
Cloud desktops solve a real problem for businesses up here. When your team is spread across Thunder Bay, Geraldton, and Timmins — or splitting time between the office, home, and job sites — giving everyone the same desktop environment regardless of location takes away a whole category of IT headaches.
No more shipping laptops loaded with software. Fewer VPN issues. No more “it works on my machine.” Everyone gets the same environment, managed centrally, accessible from any device.
How DVG Systems Can Help
We deploy and manage both Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop for businesses across Northern Ontario. If you’re considering cloud desktops, we can:
- Assess your current environment and recommend the right fit
- Handle the full deployment — provisioning, security policies, user migration
- Manage it ongoing as part of our managed IT services
- Scale up or down as your team changes
Most of our clients land on Windows 365 for its simplicity and predictable cost. For larger or more complex environments, we build and manage AVD infrastructure.
Book a free cloud desktop assessment →
Or reach us at (807) 700-0061 or solutions@dvgsystems.com.
Sources and last verified
Last verified 11 September 2026. The Windows 365 and Microsoft 365 list prices in this post are Microsoft’s Canadian prices at the verification date and change with Microsoft’s price updates; the AVD monthly figure is a DVG estimate.
- What is Windows 365?, Microsoft Learn: Windows 365 Business is for companies with up to 300 seats; editions overview.
- Get started with Windows 365 Business, Microsoft Learn: no licensing prerequisites for Windows 365 Business; purchase through the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Restore a Windows 365 Business Cloud PC, Microsoft Learn: short-term restore points every 12 hours plus long-term restore points.
- Windows 365 pricing, Microsoft: Canadian list prices for Windows 365 plans (link taken from the Microsoft Learn overview above; the Basic, Standard and Premium Business prices in the table were read from Microsoft’s Canadian Windows 365 Business plan page).
- What is Azure Virtual Desktop?, Microsoft Learn: pooled, multi-session infrastructure and scaling.
- Licensing Azure Virtual Desktop, Microsoft Learn: eligible licences for internal use include Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, E5, F3 and Windows Enterprise E3/E5.
DVG Systems is a Thunder Bay-based managed IT provider serving businesses across Northwestern Ontario. We specialize in Microsoft 365, cloud infrastructure, and managed IT services for small and mid-size organizations.