Hydra provides a management layer for Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 environments. Its AVD autoscaling and power management adjust capacity to usage, with the stated aim of reducing idle compute costs. Image lifecycle management includes one-click rollback. An optional Hydra Agent measures session-host performance and displays user processes on a session or host. Documented native 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. Its security model can use a least-privilege Azure service principal, with activity auditable through Azure Activity Logs and Microsoft Graph; tenant separation uses platform enforcement, Azure RBAC boundaries, and tenant-specific service principal credentials. The free Community Edition has one tenant and five hosts per host pool, plus core autoscaling and image management. Hydra for Windows 365 is listed at 1.00 USD per month, and Hydra for AVD at 5.00 USD per month, both billed month-to-month. Community users get a knowledge base and forum; paid plans add dedicated email support. Login VSI states it is ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant.
Who it is for
Hydra suits enterprise IT teams and managed service providers managing Microsoft virtual desktop environments. Its plan choices cover Windows 365, AVD, and a limited free Community Edition.
What is good
- AVD tools include autoscaling and power management.
- Image lifecycle management includes one-click rollback.
- Native integrations include FSLogix, Microsoft Entra, and Intune.
- Activity can be audited through Azure Activity Logs and Microsoft Graph.
What to know first
- Community Edition is limited to one tenant.
- Community Edition allows five hosts per host pool.
- Hydra for AVD costs 5.00 USD per month.
- Paid plans add dedicated email support; Community Edition does not list it.
Verdict
Hydra combines AVD capacity controls, image management, and session visibility for Microsoft virtual desktop environments. The free edition has tenant and host-pool limits, while paid AVD and Windows 365 plans are listed with month-to-month billing.
Hydra plans and pricing
All plansCompared on virtual desktop infrastructure software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $1/user/mo
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Desktop types
- both
- Profile management
- Yes
- Application virtualization
- Yes
- Identity integration
- Yes
- GPU support
- Yes
- Client platforms
- Web, Windows
