Canvex vs Amazon WorkSpaces
Managed desktops shouldn't require managing AWS.
Amazon WorkSpaces removed the servers and kept the plumbing: directory services, VPC design, bundle catalogs, and a console that assumes you speak AWS. Canvex removes the plumbing too.
The honest version
WorkSpaces is the closest model to ours: fully managed desktops, no infrastructure to rack. The difference is what it asks of you before the first desktop exists. WorkSpaces requires a directory (AWS Managed AD or a connector to yours), a VPC, and fluency in the bundle catalog; sizing is locked to preset bundles, and the GPU options jump straight to several hundred dollars a month. It is excellent if your organization already lives in AWS. If it doesn't, you're adopting a cloud platform to get a desktop. Canvex asks for an email address.
| WorkSpaces | Canvex | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first desktop | Hours to days: directory setup, VPC, bundle selection, client rollout. | About five minutes from signup, in a browser tab. |
| Prerequisites | AWS account, a directory (Managed AD or AD Connector), VPC networking decisions. | An email address. |
| Sizing | Fixed bundle catalog. Between bundles? Pick the bigger one and pay for it. | Compute tiers from Light to Workstation, resize when needs change, billed daily. |
| GPU workstations | Graphics bundles start in the hundreds of dollars per month, always-attached. | GPU is a per-day add-on by VRAM, from $0.50/day to H100-class. Attach it to the workstations that need it. |
| Billing granularity | Monthly or hourly modes chosen per WorkSpace, plus AWS's bill-decoding skillset. | Daily per-workstation compute on one invoice a human can read. Stopped workstations park at $0.30/day. |
| Global regions | The AWS footprint: more regions than we'll have for years. | A growing set of regions with latency-based geo-routing. If you need Jakarta today, AWS wins. |
| Compliance certifications | The full AWS compliance portfolio: SOC, ISO, FedRAMP, HIPAA eligibility. | Encryption, isolation, and audit are live; formal certifications are roadmap. Our Trust Center is explicit about which is which. |
| Ecosystem lock | IAM, CloudWatch, AWS support plans: the desktops come with the platform attached. | Workstations are the product, not the on-ramp. |
Where WorkSpaces is the right call
- Your organization already runs on AWS: IAM, networking, and billing are solved problems with owners.
- You need regions Canvex doesn't serve yet.
- You need FedRAMP, HIPAA eligibility, or SOC 2 today rather than on a roadmap.
- You want desktops joined to your existing Active Directory as a hard requirement.
Where Canvex is the right call
- You don't have (or want) an AWS practice, a directory, or a VPC diagram.
- You need GPU workstations at prices that don't start with a comma.
- Your team sizes workstations by workload, not by the nearest bundle.
- You want the invoice to be legible to the person paying it.
WorkSpaces is a strong AWS product, with everything that implies in both directions. If you already run on AWS, use it and use it well. If you'd be drawing your first VPC diagram just to hand a designer a workstation, that is the tax.
Try it before you commit.
3-day free trial, your first desktop streaming in about five minutes. No WorkSpaces sizing call required.