Microsoft announces the first Windows 365 price for cloud-based PCs.

 

Yesterday, Microsoft introduced its new Windows 365 service, but the firm stated it wouldn't talk about price until the Cloud PCs arrive on August 2nd. Microsoft has now unintentionally exposed one price option, which allows companies to utilize a virtual Windows PC in the cloud for $31 per user, per month.

During a Microsoft Inspire event yesterday, the firm showcased how businesses may join up for the service and disclosed the price choice. Microsoft provides two CPUs, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage for $31 per month. This is part of the Windows 365 Business option, which is aimed at companies with fewer than 300 employees.

“This is only one SKU's price. When the device becomes publicly available on August 2nd, Microsoft will have a lot more options to provide, both in terms of configurations and pricing points,” a Microsoft representative told The Verge.

Microsoft will also provide a single CPU, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, so this isn't the cheapest choice. It's unclear whether the Enterprise versions of the identical Cloud PC specs cost the same as the Business ones, or whether there's a discount for larger businesses.

Because there are frequently extra charges for CPU power or bandwidth utilized, it's impossible to compare this pricing to Microsoft's Azure Virtual Desktop services or even competitors like Citrix and Amazon WorkSpaces. Microsoft has made it easy for companies to use Windows 365, and the price structure incorporates all licensing entitlements, consumption, and compute.

Citrix charges about $30 per month for virtual desktop access, although the price varies based on the length of the contract and the number of users. For $35 per month, Amazon provides a virtual Windows PC with two CPUs, 4GB of RAM, and 50GB of storage.

Aside from pricing, Microsoft has provided more information about Windows 365, such as supported PC configurations and capabilities. Here's everything you need to know:

WINDOWS 365 CONFIGURATIONS

VM / OS disk size	Example scenarios	Recommended apps
1vCPU / 2GB / 64GB	Frontline workers, Call centers, Education/training/CRM access.	Office light (web-based), Microsoft Edge, OneDrive, lightweight line-of-business app (e.g. call center application – web-apps), Defender support.
2vCPU / 4GB / 64GB	Mergers and acquisition, Short-term and seasonal, Customer Services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams (audio-only), Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support.
2vCPU / 4GB / 128GB	Mergers and acquisition, Short-term and seasonal, Customer Services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams (audio-only), Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support.
2vCPU / 4GB / 256GB	Mergers and acquisition, Short-term and seasonal, Customer Services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams (audio-only), Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support.
2vCPU / 8GB / 128GB	Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home, Market Researchers, Government, consultants	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support.
2vCPU / 8GB / 256GB	Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home, Market Researchers, Government, consultants	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s) , Defender support.
4vCPU / 16GB / 128GB	Finance, Government, consultants, Healthcare services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.
4vCPU / 16GB / 256GB	Finance, Government, consultants, Healthcare services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.
4vCPU / 16GB / 512GB	Finance, Government, consultants, Healthcare services, Bring-Your-Own-PC, Work from home	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, PowerBi, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.
8vCPU / 32GB / 128GB	Software developers, engineers, Content Creators, Design and Engineering workstations	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Access, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, PowerBi, Visual Studio Code, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.
8vCPU / 32GB / 256GB	Software developers, engineers, Content Creators, Design and Engineering workstations	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Access, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, PowerBi, Visual Studio Code, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.
8vCPU / 32GB / 512GB	Software developers, engineers, Content Creators, Design and Engineering workstations	Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Access, OneDrive, Adobe Reader, Edge, PowerBi, Visual Studio Code, Line-of-business app(s), Defender support.

Each Cloud PC will also have access to a high-speed internet connection, with download rates of 10Gbps and upload speeds of 4Gbps. In virtual sessions, Microsoft is also looking at the possibility of redirecting video and other content. The ideal way to enjoy Windows 365 is to connect from an existing Windows PC, as capabilities like multiple monitors (up to 16), USB, and Teams AV are all available.

Microsoft plans to completely launch Windows 365 on August 2nd, which means we'll have all price choices in less than three weeks.