Amazon WorkSpaces vs Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service

Amazon WorkSpaces8.9Visit Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service8.8Visit

Higher score Amazon WorkSpaces #5 in Desk As A Service Software 8.9/10 Paid Visit AWS

vs

Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service #6 in Desk As A Service Software 8.8/10 30-day trial Free trial Visit Alibaba Cloud

• Amazon WorkSpaces fits best

  Mid-market and enterprise teams needing cloud desktops

• Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service fits best

  Multi-OS cloud desktop pools with enterprise identity

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Side by side

Feature	Amazon WorkSpaces 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.8
Ranking	#5 in Desk As A Service Software	#6 in Desk As A Service Software
Best for	Mid-market and enterprise teams needing cloud desktops	Multi-OS cloud desktop pools with enterprise identity
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$25/device/mo	30-day trial
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Browser extension
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Support	Docs	Live chat, Tickets, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2	SSO/SAML
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Specs
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Vendor-hosted
Desktop persistence	Not checked yet	Both
Desktop OS	Not checked yet	Windows; Ubuntu; Rocky Linux; Kylin V10 (availability varies by region and instance type)
Access clients	Not checked yet	Windows client; macOS client; web client; Android client; iOS client
Identity integrations	Not checked yet	Active Directory; Azure Active Directory; AD FS; Google Workspace; Okta; OneLogin; Alibaba Cloud IDaaS
Session duration limit	Not checked yet	96 hours
Our review
Pros	Offers Windows and Linux desktops, including GPU-enabled bundles. Supports AlwaysOn monthly and AutoStop hourly billing. Provides native clients and browser access across listed platforms.	Centralizes desktop creation, assignment, configuration, and release Offers pooled desktops, custom images, and automatic assignment Supports SAML, directory integrations, encryption, and snapshot backups
Cons	There is no free plan; pricing starts at $25 per device monthly. Pricing varies by AWS Region, operating system, bundle, storage, and billing mode. Documentation is the only listed support channel.	No ongoing free plan; trial is limited to eligible new users Billing varies by configuration, region, and usage Windows and Linux availability depends on region and instance type
Our verdict	Amazon WorkSpaces delivers fully managed cloud-hosted virtual desktops and applications. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise teams, including remote or hybrid groups, task workers, contact centers, back-office staff, developers,… Read the review →	Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service (EDS), also presented as WUYING Workspace, lets organizations create, assign, manage, and release cloud desktops centrally. It is aimed at teams supporting remote work, branch offices, education, or… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon WorkSpaces — where it wins

  • Offers Windows and Linux desktops, including GPU-enabled bundles.
  • Supports AlwaysOn monthly and AutoStop hourly billing.
  • Provides native clients and browser access across listed platforms.

  Where it doesn't

  • There is no free plan; pricing starts at $25 per device monthly.
  • Pricing varies by AWS Region, operating system, bundle, storage, and billing mode.
  • Documentation is the only listed support channel.

• Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service — where it wins

  • Centralizes desktop creation, assignment, configuration, and release
  • Offers pooled desktops, custom images, and automatic assignment
  • Supports SAML, directory integrations, encryption, and snapshot backups

  Where it doesn't

  • No ongoing free plan; trial is limited to eligible new users
  • Billing varies by configuration, region, and usage
  • Windows and Linux availability depends on region and instance type

• Amazon WorkSpaces8.9/10 · Paid

  Managed Windows and Linux desktops with flexible billing and configurable bundles.

  Visit AWSFull verdict →
• Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service8.8/10 · 30-day trial

  Centralized cloud desktops with pooled provisioning, enterprise identity, and flexible billing.

  Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict →