Desktop as a Service

Desktop as a service is broadly deployed, generally to only a minority of an organization’s employees, often replacing VDI. Deployments are increasingly focusing on high security, compliance and sovereignty. DaaS is beginning to be used to host AI workloads, including AI agents.

Market Definition

Gartner defines desktop as a service (DaaS) as the provision of virtual desktops by public cloud or other service providers. DaaS delivers desktop or application end-user experiences from virtual machines (VMs) accessed through a remote display protocol. DaaS vendors incorporate a fully managed control plane into their offerings to facilitate user connections and provide a management interface. DaaS may be delivered as a preconfigured service or as a platform, with pricing based on subscription or usage. DaaS is charged through subscription- or usage-based pricing models.

DaaS solutions enable remote workers, offshore workers, third-party employees, contractors, frontline workers, office workers and AI agents to access cloud-hosted virtual desktops. DaaS solutions include capabilities for centralized VM management. DaaS virtual desktops can be configured for a variety of use cases, including contact center workers, process workers, information workers, and workers who require high-performance computing or rich graphics.

Report 2026

Here is a summary of the vendors featured in the Gartner magic quadrant 2026 report.
For the full analysis and detailed insights, you can read the report here and view the magic quadrant graphic here.

Market Status	Market Vendor
Leader	Microsoft
Leader	Citrix
Leader	Amazon Web Services
Leader	Omnissa
Leader	Alibaba Cloud
Leader	Parallels
Visionary	XTIUM
Visionary	oneclick
Visionary	IronOrbit
Niche Player	Accops
Niche Player	Apporto
Niche Player	Anunta
Niche Player	Flexxible
Niche Player	ZTE
Niche Player	Dizzion

Report 2025

Here is a summary of the vendors featured in the Gartner magic quadrant 2025 report.
For the full analysis and detailed insights, you can read the report here and view the magic quadrant graphic here.

Market Status	Market Vendor
Leader	Microsoft
Leader	Amazon Web Services
Leader	Citrix
Leader	Omnissa
Visionary	Parallels
Visionary	XTIUM
Visionary	Dizzion
Niche Player	Accops
Niche Player	Apporto
Niche Player	HP Inc.
Niche Player	oneclick
Niche Player	Anunta
Niche Player	Flexxible
Niche Player	IronOrbit
Niche Player	ZTE
Challenger	Alibaba Cloud

Report 2024

Here is a summary of the vendors featured in the Gartner magic quadrant 2024 report.
For the full analysis and detailed insights, you can read the report here and view the magic quadrant graphic here.

Market Status	Market Vendor
Leader	Microsoft
Leader	Amazon Web Services
Leader	Omnissa
Leader	Citrix
Visionary	Dizzion
Visionary	Parallels
Niche Player	Alibaba Cloud
Niche Player	Apporto
Niche Player	Anunta
Niche Player	Flexxible
Niche Player	oneclick
Niche Player	IronOrbit
Niche Player	Workspot
Challenger	ATSG