VDI Cost Calculator
Enter your team size, workload type, and configuration to estimate your monthly cloud VDI cost. The calculator also shows the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an equivalent physical desktop setup, so you can compare the two and see the potential savings.
Estimate only. Final pricing depends on region, term commitment, and your exact configuration. Figures update live as you adjust the inputs above.
What is the VDI Cost Calculator?
The VDI Cost Calculator is a free tool for estimating the monthly cost of a hosted virtual desktop. It takes the number of users, the type of work each user performs, and the required GPU capacity, and returns a monthly cost estimate. It also shows the estimated cost of an equivalent physical desktop setup for comparison.
How to calculate the cost of Cloud VDI?
Compute & vGPU + Storage + Add-ons × Commitment term × Number of users = Your monthly estimate
Compute & vGPU
The VDI TCO calculator prices four vGPU profiles, from Light (NVIDIA RTX8000-2Q) up to Pro (NVIDIA RTX8000-16Q). More vGPU means smoother 3D viewports and faster renders. Task workers who only need email and a browser can skip a vGPU entirely and pay less.
Storage per user
Slide storage from 50 GB to 2 TB per user. CAD, BIM, and rendering teams working with large assemblies or textures typically need more; task workers rarely go past 100 GB.
Add-ons
Dedicated Active Directory, backup, two-factor authentication, and Microsoft 365 licensing are priced separately and only added to your total when you switch them on.
Commitment term
Pay-as-you-go gives month-to-month flexibility at list prices. Reserved terms bring the price down, and a 3-year term is the fairest comparison against a physical desktop, since a workstation is also a multi-year investment before it needs replacing.
Number of users
Everything above is priced per seat, then multiplied by your team size, so the calculator total scales up or down the moment you change the user count.
Not included: Third-party application licenses; SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, Adobe, and similar, aren't part of this estimate. You can bring your existing licenses to your virtual desktop.
Match Your Team to The Right Seat Type
The calculator sorts every user into one of four types. Here’s what each one is built for.
Task worker
Email, browsers, and everyday office apps; no GPU is needed. The lightest, most affordable seat type, ideal for shared or shift-based roles.
Knowledge worker
Spreadsheets, reporting, and general business tools, with a Light vGPU on standby for occasional 2D drafting or light GIS work.
Power user
AEC and engineering teams running CAD, BIM, and ArcGIS workloads that need real GPU acceleration for smooth, responsive modeling.
Designer
The heaviest workloads, large-scene rendering, simulation, and GPU-intensive 3D and video work that demands the most vGPU power.
SOLIDWORKS
Precision modeling for modern engineering
AutoCAD
Turn concepts into accurate CAD drawings
Revit
Create coordinated building models faster
Inventor
Create precise 3D mechanical designs faster
CATIA
Design complex products with precision
Solid Edge
Design faster with intelligent 3D tools
ArcGIS
Turn concepts into accurate CAD drawings
3ds Max
Model, animate, and render with confidence
SOLIDWORKS
Precision modeling for modern engineering
AutoCAD
Turn concepts into accurate CAD drawings
Revit
Create coordinated building models faster
Inventor
Create precise 3D mechanical designs faster
CATIA
Design complex products with precision
Solid Edge
Design faster with intelligent 3D tools
ArcGIS
Turn concepts into accurate CAD drawings
3ds Max
Model, animate, and render with confidence
The infrastructure behind it
Built on Citrix DaaS with NVIDIA-powered vGPUs
The estimate above accounts for factors beyond hardware pricing, including GPU utilization, IT administration time, and downtime.
Your desktop runs on the cloud, accelerated by NVIDIA virtual GPUs. You get a share of GPU power sized to your plan, not a dedicated card sitting idle most of the day. That’s a big part of why cloud VDI costs less than buying hardware outright.
Managed Citrix DaaS
Secure remote access to a full Windows desktop through our Managed CITRIX solutions, with policy controls for clipboard, USB, printing, and file transfer.
NVIDIA vGPU acceleration
Dedicated NVIDIA vGPU profiles deliver workstation-class 3D performance for CAD, BIM, and rendering, with HDX 3D Pro handling smooth image delivery over your connection.
Multi-monitor, high resolution
2K and 4K multi-monitor support, so your virtual desktop looks and feels like the workstation it's replacing.
Enterprise-grade data centers
SOC 2, HIPAA, and SSAE-16 certified Data Centers across the US, India, and Singapore, with 99.99% uptime and 24x7 monitoring.
CASE STUDY
From lag-prone workstations to a scalable SOLIDWORKS cloud workspace
A U.S. manufacturer scaled SOLIDWORKS to 37 engineers without buying a single new GPU workstation
~40%
Faster assembly opens
1 hour
To provision a desktop
24x7
Managed support
4X
Team scaled, no new GPU workstations
Read the full case study 
Cloud VDI vs. Buying Physical Desktops
Physical desktops carry costs beyond the initial hardware purchase. For power users running CAD, CAM, or BIM workloads, the higher-spec workstations required cost more upfront, and that cost compounds with GPU procurement delays, hardware refresh cycles, and the IT time needed to maintain each machine individually.
Scaling a team is also harder with physical hardware, adding capacity means procuring, shipping, and configuring new workstations, while reducing capacity leaves hardware sitting unused. The table below outlines the key differences between cloud VDI and physical desktops that drive these cost gaps.
| CLOUD VDI/Virtual desktop | PHYSICAL DESKTOP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost basis | Monthly subscription (OPEX) | Upfront purchase (CAPEX) |
| Hardware refresh | Included in your plan | Every ~3 years, out of pocket |
| Provisioning time | About hour | Weeks, procurement, shipping, setup |
| Remote access | Built in, any device | Needs a VPN or laptop issued |
| Maintenance & patching | Handled for you | Handled by you IT Team |
| GPU availability | On-demand vGPU, hyperscaler-controlled | Subject to market pricing & scarcity |
| Scalability | Add or remove seats in hours | Procurement and shipping cycle per seat; underused hardware when a team shrinks. |
| Energy & facility costs | Included in subscription | Power, cooling, and workspace costs are borne by the business. |
The calculator uses a 3-year reserved term as the default comparison point. A physical workstation is typically depreciated or replaced over a similar period, so comparing cloud VDI's 3-year reserved rate to the amortized cost of a physical desktop over 36 months provides a consistent basis for comparison.
Whant to Check Before Moving to Cloud VDI
A 154-check readiness assessment for AEC firms across 21 sections, covering goals, CAD/BIM applications, GPU performance and sizing, network, security, backup, and go-live planning.
- 154 checks across 21 sections, covering goals, CAD/BIM applications, GPU performance and sizing, network, security, backup, and go-live
- Each item scored Ready, Needs Work, or Blocker, with criticality (Critical, High, Foundational) and owner tags (IT, BIM, CAD, PM)
- Includes a Readiness Summary Sheet and a Decision Gate indicating whether to pilot, proceed with conditions, or pause
