Cut VDI cost, complexity, and vendor lock-in by delivering the application — not the whole desktop stack. WebStream ACP puts your Windows applications in the browser with governance built in, on infrastructure you control.
If that describes yours, you are paying for a full VDI platform — Delivery Controllers, StoreFront, NetScaler, VDAs, master images, and named-user licences — to solve an application delivery problem. WebStream solves that problem directly.
Citrix is powerful — but the cost, architecture, and admin burden are hard to justify when the goal is simply getting Windows applications to users.
Per-named-user subscriptions and forced bundles mean you pay for inactive accounts and features you never use. Renewals arrive as rigid annual commitments.
Delivery Controllers, StoreFront, ADC/NetScaler appliances, VDAs, and licence servers — each a component to deploy, patch, monitor, and troubleshoot.
The Workspace app on every endpoint brings local installs, version mismatches, and plug-in issues — a steady stream of helpdesk tickets.
Multiple consoles, golden-image pipelines, constant upgrades, and a steep learning curve keep specialist skills on the payroll.
Standing up or materially changing a Citrix environment is measured in weeks or months, not days.
Delivering a whole Windows desktop to reach one application widens the surface area users — and attackers — can touch.
A side-by-side look at how governed browser app delivery compares with a traditional Citrix VDI stack.
| Area | Citrix VDI | WebStream ACP |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Multi-tier: Delivery Controllers, StoreFront, ADC/NetScaler, VDAs | Single control plane on Windows you manage |
| Licensing model | Named users or bundled subscriptions | SessionHours — pay for active streaming time, BYOL |
| Deployment time | Weeks to months | First app in the browser in hours; production in days |
| Endpoint access | Workspace app / client installs | Any HTML5 browser over TLS — no client |
| What users receive | Full desktop or published app on a desktop stack | The specific application, governed per policy |
| Data movement control | Varies by configuration and tier | File, clipboard, and print/PDF policy with full session audit |
| Infrastructure | Often premium hardware or dedicated appliances | Your own on-premises servers or AWS EC2 |
| Admin experience | Multiple consoles, specialist skill set | One admin console; AI-assisted ops via MCP Server |
Want the wider picture? See how WebStream compares with Citrix, Amazon WorkSpaces, Thinfinity, and Kasm on the platform comparison page, or model your costs with the pricing calculator.
The common Citrix application-delivery scenarios, handled with less infrastructure and less cost.
Run existing Win32 line-of-business apps in the browser — no code changes, no rewrites, no republishing cycle.
Secure application access from any device and location, without VPN clients or endpoint installs.
SessionHours billing means you pay for active use — a natural fit for contact centres, shared workstations, and rotating teams.
Deliver a commercial Windows product as a SaaS-style browser experience under your own brand.
Give external users exactly one application, governed by policy and fully audited — never a desktop or network foothold.
Move the Windows app to AWS and deliver it from there — unblocking datacentre exit without a Citrix redeployment.
WebStream is not a like-for-like replacement for every Citrix scenario — and we would rather tell you up front.
Weighing full VDI complexity more broadly? See the companion page: application access without full VDI / RDS complexity.
The full end-to-end demo: browser login, launching Notepad and LibreOffice, file workflows, and starting a free WebStream Core trial on AWS.
Full WebStream demo — Windows applications delivered through the browser without a VDI stack.
Tell us what your Citrix estate delivers today and we’ll map the WebStream path — including where WebStream fits and where it doesn’t. Prefer to give us full detail? Use the full assessment form.
For application delivery — the most common Citrix use case — yes. WebStream delivers specific Windows applications through the browser with governance and audit. If you need a full persistent desktop estate with roaming profiles and golden-image pipelines, a full VDI platform may still be the right call, and we will tell you when it is.
There are no Delivery Controllers, no StoreFront, no NetScaler/ADC appliances, no VDAs, and no master images to patch. WebStream is a single control plane you deploy on your own Windows infrastructure — on-premises via MSI or on AWS EC2.
No. Users sign in and launch applications in any modern HTML5 browser over TLS. There is no Workspace app, plug-in, agent, or VPN client to install or keep in version lockstep.
WebStream paid tiers bill SessionHours — active streaming time — rather than named users or bundled subscriptions. You are not paying for inactive accounts or shelfware, and WebStream Core is free for evaluation.
Most teams have a first application in the browser within hours using WebStream Core, and a governed production rollout is measured in days rather than the weeks or months a Citrix deployment typically requires. You can run WebStream alongside Citrix during transition.
Start free with WebStream Core — deploy on-premises (MSI) or on AWS — and prove the browser experience with your own application before touching your Citrix estate.