Onscryn vs
Windows 365.
Windows 365 gives each person their own Windows PC in the Microsoft cloud. Onscryn publishes Windows applications, and sometimes desktops, so that many people can open them from a browser tab. Both put Windows in front of people without a physical PC, but they start from different units: a whole machine per person, or an application per link.
| Onscryn | Windows 365 | |
|---|---|---|
| What you give people | A single app or a full desktop (plan-dependent), in a browser tab | A Cloud PC, running Windows 10 or 11, that Microsoft documents as the user's own PC in the cloud |
| Unit of access | An application, shared with many people, each in their own session | One Cloud PC per licensed user. Microsoft documents a 1:1 relationship for Enterprise, Business and Government |
| How people connect | A link in a browser tab, nothing installed | Per Microsoft Learn, through windows365.microsoft.com in a browser, or an app on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android |
| Where it runs | Windows hosts you enroll, in your network or a cloud you choose | Hosted by the Windows 365 service in Microsoft's cloud |
| Billing | Per your Onscryn plan, plus the hosts and Windows licensing you provide | Per Microsoft Learn, a separate licence per user for a fixed monthly fee, and additional network costs may apply |
| Outside people | Roles, viewer-only sharing and SSO for contractors | Per Microsoft Learn, external collaborators generally need a licence assigned to their identity in your tenant |
| Data controls | Clipboard and file policy at the broker, watermark, recording | Managed through Microsoft tooling such as Intune. Check their documentation for specifics |
| Automation | UI-tree workflows and a Copilot (preview) built in | Not part of the service. Check their documentation |
Choose Windows 365 if
- Each person needs their own Windows PC in the cloud, with their own apps and settings.
- You are already deep in Microsoft 365, Entra and Intune, and want to manage Cloud PCs the same way.
- You want Microsoft to host the machines, and you are happy with a per-user monthly licence.
Choose Onscryn if
- People need one or a few Windows apps, not a whole PC each.
- You want to publish an app once and give it to many people, including contractors, through a link.
- You want clipboard and file policy, a watermark, recording and automation in one product.
- You want your own branding and domain on the front door.
A PC per person, or an app per link
Microsoft's documentation describes a Windows 365 Cloud PC as a virtual machine that gives a user a full Windows desktop, created for them automatically when a licence is assigned. That is a good fit when the person is the unit: a developer who needs a workstation, a contractor who needs a managed desktop.
When the application is the unit, the arithmetic changes. If twenty people each open the same legacy program for an hour a day, twenty personal PCs is a lot of machine for one application. Onscryn runs the application on a host and gives each person their own session of it.
Licensing
We do not publish Windows 365 prices because they change, and Microsoft lists them on its own pricing page. Whichever you choose, Windows and your own applications still need valid licences. With Onscryn, hosting Windows for users carries Microsoft licensing obligations that depend on your agreements, and we go through it with you.
Sources, reviewed October 2026
We make Onscryn. Vendors change products and terms, so check their documentation before you decide. Spot something out of date? Tell us at [email protected].
Questions.
No. Microsoft describes Windows 365 as a software-as-a-service that creates a Cloud PC for each licensed user. Azure Virtual Desktop is a separate service for delivering desktops and apps that you configure in Azure.
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