Amazon WorkSpaces vs Hive Fabric
Amazon WorkSpaces
aws.amazon.comHive Fabric
hiveio.comSide by side
| Figure | Amazon WorkSpaces | Hive Fabric |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 3 |
| Spec score · Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Software | 9.5 (#1) | 8.2 (#8) |
| Monitoring | CloudWatch, EventBridge and CloudTrail can provide WorkSpaces metrics, login events and API activity records. | Hive Sense evaluates phone-home data hourly for potential issues and threats and can initiate HiveIO support engagement when it detects anomalies. |
| Security | WorkSpaces requires TLS 1.2 and recommends TLS 1.3, with cipher suites that support perfect forward secrecy. | Its access gateway supports MFA using RADIUS or token-based two-factor authentication based on Open Auth. |
Plans
Amazon WorkSpaces
- WorkSpaces free tierFree
- Standby WorkSpace$3.25 a month
- WorkSpaces applications — Windows single-session user fee$4.19 a month
- WorkSpaces secure browser — standard.regular (US East/Northern Virginia)$7 a month
- Ubuntu Power hourly$7.25 a month
- WorkSpaces Personal AutoStop — Ubuntu Linux Power example (US West/Oregon)$7.25 a month
- Windows Value monthly$25 a month
- WorkSpaces Personal AlwaysOn — Windows Standard example (US West/Oregon)$44 a month
Hive Fabric
- Hive Fabric Community EditionFree
- Hive Fabric CorePriced on request
- Hive Fabric EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Amazon WorkSpaces
Amazon WorkSpaces delivers managed cloud desktops and applications for remote and hybrid users. WorkSpaces Personal provides a persistent virtual desktop that retains installed applications, files, and settings between sign-ins. Customers can choose AlwaysOn monthly subscriptions or AutoStop hourly metering with a monthly base fee. The listed Free Tier runs for up to three months: it includes either two Standard AutoStop desktops with 40 combined monthly hours or five Performance AutoStop Ubuntu desktops with 100 combined monthly hours. WorkSpaces applications supports image building and streaming on general-purpose, compute-optimized, memory-optimized, and GPU instance families. WorkSpaces DaaS includes persistent SSD-based storage and automatic backups; Amazon S3 or Amazon FSx can retain selected settings and files between sessions. Clients are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPad, Android, Chromebook, and supported browsers. WorkSpaces Pools stopped accepting new customers on July 31, 2026, while existing customers can use it until December 31, 2027. Support for PCoIP-based WorkSpaces Personal ends October 31, 2027. The pricing note starts at $25/mo, and plan examples include additional hourly or instance charges.
Hive Fabric
Hive Fabric is a virtualization platform for Windows and Linux desktop and server workloads, designed for deployments from edge sites to multiple enterprise locations. Built on the open-source KVM hypervisor, it combines hyperconverged and RAM-based storage with support for network and cloud storage. A browser portal provides access to desktops, servers, and physical systems over RDP or an integrated HTML5 client. Administrators can manage multiple sites and clusters from one web interface, and desktop pools can span hosts without shared storage, with live migration between them. Access can use MFA through RADIUS or token-based two-factor authentication. Data Protection replicates VMs, User Volumes, and Templates to selected cloud or on-premises storage on daily, weekly, or monthly schedules. Hive Sense checks phone-home data hourly and may initiate support engagement when it detects anomalies. Installation uses a single ISO. Community Edition costs nothing and provides a perpetual license for one physical host and unlimited VMs; activation requires ClusterID registration.