Microsoft Windows 365 prices start at ₹1,555 in India; Check out all the details

Microsoft has made Microsoft Windows 365 cloud service available to the general public now and has announced the prices. Announced at Microsoft Inspire 2021 last month, Microsoft Windows 365 offers a full-fledged Windows experience over the cloud and the company calls it a “cloud PC”. Users can get Microsoft Windows 365 in a whole bunch of different configurations with prices starting as low as ₹1,555 ($20 in the US) and the service is available in two configurations - Microsoft Windows 365 Business and Microsoft Windows 365 Enterprise. After the official announcement made last month, the pricing for one of the Microsoft 365 SKU was revealed but that was just a glimpse at what Microsoft was going to ask for the cloud PC experience, the official prices have now been rolled out.

Microsoft Windows 365 is available in India starting at ₹1,555/month and can go all the way up to ₹12,295/month depending on the configuration. The starting and top-end prices for Microsoft Windows 365 Business and Microsoft Windows 365 Enterprise are the same. However, Windows 365 Business SKUs are capped at 300 users per organisation. Those users opting for the basic Windows 365 Business SKU also need the Windows Hybrid Benefit which is available to customers who have valid Windows 10 Pro licenses.

Windows 365 prices in India

For ₹1,555/month you get a single virtual core processor, 2GB RAM, and 64GB storage. You can upgrade to two virtual cores and 4GB RAM for ₹2,180/month. If you don't have a Windows 10 Pro license, you can get the basic version of Windows 356 Business for ₹1,865 per user a month. The top-end SKU brings eight virtual cores, 32GB RAM, and 512GB storage at ₹12,295 per user/month if bought with Windows Hybrid Benefit. Windows 365 is also available for regular customers who don't have prior Windows licenses for ₹12,605 per user a month.

In the US, the Windows 365 Business and Enterprise SKUs start at $20 per user per month and go up to $158 per user per month.

You also get two months of free trials of Windows 365 Basic, Standard, and Premium so customers can experience the cloud PC without having to pay immediately. However, customers on the free trial will automatically be migrated to paid subscriptions once the trial ends.

Windows 365 Business and Windows 365 Enterprise: What are the differences

Windows 365 Business has been designed specifically to offer an easy-to-go experience for users and you do not need an Azure subscription or a domain controller since all the components are running on the cloud and are managed directly by Microsoft. All you need is a Microsoft 365 subscription to get Windows 365 business. On the other hand, Windows 365 Enterprise is meant for organisations that have dedicated IT setups and larger teams. This brings in additions like a Resize feature that allows customers to upgrade RAM, CPU, and storage size to meet requirements.

To run Windows 365 with Windows Pro endpoints, customers need Windows 10 E3 and EMS E3 or Microsoft 365 F3/ E3/ E5/ BP licenses. These services can also be purchased with non-Windows Pro endpoints for customers with Windows VDA E3 and EMS E3 or Microsoft 365 F3/ E3/ F5/ BP licenses.

Irrespective of which of the two editions you get, Business or Enterprise, Windows 365 claims to bring a complete PC-like experience over the cloud that can be accessed via a Web browser through any Windows, Mac, iPad, and Android device. You get all the apps, data, and settings that are normally available on a Windows PC, and you can store content on the cloud. It is also coming to Linux devices soon.