Hydra vs Kasm Workspaces

Hydra provides a management layer for Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 environments. For AVD, it can scale capacity and manage power according to usage, helping reduce idle compute costs; image lifecycle management includes one-click rollback. An optional Hydra Agent measures session-host performance and shows user processes on a session or host. Documented integrations include FSLogix, Hybrid Active Directory, Microsoft Entra and Intune. Hydra can be deployed from the Azure Marketplace into an Azure resource group and accessed through a web portal. It can use a least-privilege Azure service principal, with activity auditable through Azure Activity Logs and Microsoft Graph. Tenant isolation uses Azure RBAC boundaries and tenant-specific credentials. The free Community Edition has limited tenants and host pools. Hydra for Windows 365 is listed at $1 a month, and Hydra for AVD at $5 a month, both billed month-to-month. Login VSI states that it is ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant.

Kasm Workspaces provides virtual desktops, browser isolation, and application streaming through a workspace platform. It supports containerized sessions and virtual-machine workspaces, accessible through modern browsers without plugins, agents, or client installs. Deployment can be on-premises, in disconnected or air-gapped environments, across multiple clouds, or in hybrid architectures. Listed connectivity includes KasmVNC, VNC, SSH, and RDP. Administrators can apply group policies, role-based access controls, data-loss-prevention restrictions, and session controls. LDAP, SAML, and OIDC are supported authentication providers, and Kasm describes integrations with identity providers, security tools, infrastructure, operational workflows, and existing VDI, PAM, IAM, SIEM, and DLP initiatives. Kasm states SOC 2 Type II and CMMC Level 2 certifications, while noting that customer compliance depends on implementation and maintenance. Community is free for five concurrent sessions with no commercial use. Starter named-user licensing is priced on request; concurrent-session licensing is priced on request.