| Vista product edition | Compare with... | x64 version? | Type | Retail price | Upgrade price |
| Windows Vista Starter | XP Starter Edition | No | Select countries only, with new PC purchase | n/a | n/a |
| Windows Home Basic | XP Home Edition | Yes | Retail | $199 | $99.95 |
| Windows Home Basic N | XP Home Edition | Yes | Retail, EU only | $199 | $99.95 |
| Windows Vista Home Premium | XP Media Center Edition | Yes | Retail | $239 | $159 |
| Windows Vista Business | XP Professional Edition | Yes | Retail | $299 | $199 |
| Windows Vista Business N | XP Professional Edition | Yes | Retail | $299 | $199 |
| Windows Vista Enterprise | XP Professional Edition | Yes | Volume-license only | n/a | n/a |
| Windows Vista Ultimate | n/a | Yes | Retail | $399 | $259 |
User interface features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Windows Vista Basic UI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Aero UI ("Glass") | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Flip | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Flip 3D | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live Taskbar Thumbnails | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Instant search | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live content organization in Explorer windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Security features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| User Account Control (UAC) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Security Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Defender | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Firewall | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phishing Filter (IE7 and Windows Mail) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Update (can access Microsoft Update) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parental Controls | Yes | Yes | | | Yes |
Performance features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Windows ReadyDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows ReadyBoost | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 64-bit processor support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum RAM (32-bit version) | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Maximum RAM (64-bit version) | 8 GB | 16 GB | 128+ GB | 128+ GB | 128+ GB |
| Physical processor support | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Processor core support | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Reliability features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Real-time backup and recovery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled backup | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows ShadowCopy | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| System image backup and recovery | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypting File System (EFS) | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows BitLocker Full Drive Encryption | | | | Yes | Yes |
| Windows SuperFetch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic hard disk defragmentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Internet features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Internet Explorer 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RSS support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Mail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Bundled applications
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Windows Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Contacts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Sidebar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Games Explorer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Premium games | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Digital media features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Windows Photo Gallery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Themed photo slide shows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Media Player 11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Media Center | | Yes | | | Yes |
| Windows Media Center HDTV and CableCard support | | Yes | | | Yes |
| Xbox 360 Media Center Extender compatibility | | Yes | | | Yes |
| Windows Movie Maker | | Yes | | | Yes |
| Windows Movie Maker HD format support | | Yes | | | Yes |
| Windows DVD Maker | | Yes | | | Yes |
Networking features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Network and Sharing Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Improved wireless networking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Improved power management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of supported simultaneous peer network connections | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Windows Meeting Space | View only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Improved file and folder sharing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Network Projector support | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Presentation Settings | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Desktop | Client only | Client only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Join domain (Windows Server/SBS) | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Offline files and folder support | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IIS Web Server | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Mobility features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Windows Mobility Center | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sync Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tablet PC functionality | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touch screen support | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows SideShow (auxiliary display support) | | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Other Windows Vista features
| | Home Basic | Home Premium | Business | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Windows Anytime Upgade | Yes (to Home Premium or Ultimate) | Yes (to Ultimate) | Yes (to Ultimate) | | |
| Windows Ultimate Extras | | | | | Yes |
| Speech recognition suport | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accessibility Settings and Ease of Access Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Welcome Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| XPS document support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Fax and Scan | | | Yes | Yes | Yes |