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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Proxmox VE

    Score9 out of 10
    N/AProxmox Virtual Environment is an open source server virtualization management solution based on QEMU/KVM and LXC. Users can manage virtual machines, containers, highly available clusters, storage and networks via a web interface or CLI. Proxmox VE code is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3. The project is developed and maintained by Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH.

    $7.50

    per month

    VMware ESXi

    Score7.6 out of 10
    N/AA bare-metal hypervisor that installs directly onto a physical server. With direct access to and control of underlying resources, VMware ESXi partitions hardware to consolidate applications and cut costs.N/A
    Pricing
    Proxmox VEVMware ESXi
    Editions & Modules
    Community
    € 90
    year & CPU socket
    Basic
    € 280
    year & CPU socket
    Standard
    € 420
    year & CPU socket
    Premium
    € 840
    year & CPU socket
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Proxmox VEVMware ESXi
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsProxmox Virtual Environment's source code is published under the free software license GNU AGPL, v3 and thus is freely available for download, use and share. A Proxmox VE Subscription is an additional service program that helps IT professionals and businesses keep Proxmox VE deployments up-to-date. A subscription provides access to the stable Proxmox VE Enterprise Repository delivering software updates and security enhancements, technical help and support.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Proxmox VEVMware ESXi
    Considered Both Products
    Proxmox Server Solutions
    Chose Proxmox VE
    Based on my experience , I selected Proxmox VE because it offers a range of powerful features and functionalities at a lower cost than proprietary platforms such as VMware ESXi and Citrix Hypervisor. Additionally, Proxmox VE is an open-source platform, which means that users …
    Incentivized
    Chose Proxmox VE
    Proxmox VE is cheaper than VMware, especially upscaling an HA architecture. Compared with other free or less expensive solutions, Proxmox VE is high compatible with more types of hardware solutions and more VM types. From my point of view, Proxmox VE has no competitor at the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Proxmox VE
    Proxmox emulates hardware exceptionally well. This makes migration easier between systems. Additionally, the licensing model is friendly and the system is quite featureful. On top of that, by having a common base (Debian Linux) we have access to tools without needing to jump …
    Incentivized
    Chose Proxmox VE
    VMWare pricing is steep when compared to the Proxmox VE licensing model. You can use Proxmox VE GPL for free to fully evaluate every aspect of it. VMWare also requires you to install software on your virtual machine instances to which you wouldn't normally need. Proxmox VE just …
    Incentivized
    VMware by Broadcom
    Chose VMware ESXi
    After trying Hyper-V, Xen, Proxmox VE and more we ended up choosing to go with VMware ESXi due to the ease of use and administration for our consultants. This in turn keeps our clients happy by reducing costs and support times when needed. While Hyper-V came in close the extra …
    Incentivized
    Chose VMware ESXi
    ESXi continues to lead the pack in compatibility, simplicity, reliability, support, everything.
    Incentivized
    Chose VMware ESXi
    vSphere has been in the virtualization game for a long time. It's hard to overlook this fact as you compare ESXi to Microsoft's less robust HyperV, Proxmox's immaturity and lack of polish. VMware has made clear that virtualization is its blood and has done a lot to push …
    Incentivized
    Chose VMware ESXi
    Comparing ESXi to the other big three hypervisors, VMWare ultimately comes out on top. Initially, we built our server farm on top of XenServer for a few years, since it was stable and everyone was already somewhat familiar with it. However, given the recent drama with XenServer …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    TrustRadius Insights
    Proxmox VEVMware ESXi
    Highlights

    TrustRadius
    Research Team Insight
    Published

    Proxmox VE and VMWare Exsi are both server virtualization tools designed to help businesses create and manage virtual machines. Proxmox VE is an open source virtualization tool designed to work with popular Linux distributions.  In contrast VMWare Exsi is a type 1 hypervisor, meaning it creates virtual machines by running directly off the hardware, instead of being an application running on the host operating system.  Both are most popular with mid-sized businesses and enterprises, though Proxmox VE is more popular with Linux users.

    Features

    Proxmox VE and VMWare Exsi both provide server virtualization features, but they also have some standout features that set them apart from each other.

    Proxmox VE is optimized for software development and can virtualize a machine with nearly any guest operating system.  Additionally, Proxmox VE supports a variety of images, from standard ISOs to QEDs and VDIs.  The open source nature of Proxmox VE also makes it highly customizable for a skilled development team. Proxmox VE is a strong choice for businesses that value flexibility and reliability.

    VMWare Exsi provides strong support for businesses that need it.  This can make implementation simpler for businesses that lack the IT resources to implement server virtualization technology on their own. Additionally, while VMWare Exsi isn’t as customizable as open source options, the customization options that are there are easier to use without a skilled development team. 

    Limitations

    Proxmox VE and VMWare Exsi both offer powerful feature sets, but they also have a few limitations that are important to consider.

    Proxmox VE allows for heavy customization due to its open source code, but it can be difficult to use for smaller or less skilled development teams.  Additionally, implementation for Proxmox VE can be more difficult than other options, and support options aren’t as robust.  Overall, Proxmox VE may be a poor choice for businesses that will need heavy support from the vendor.

    VMWare Exsi can be used for software development, but it isn’t as optimized for it as Proxmox VE, so businesses looking to develop software on Linux host systems may prefer Proxmox VE. Additionally, VMWare Exsi doesn’t support as wide a variety of image types and guest operating systems as Proxmox VE.  For organizations using an obscure image type or a less common guest operating system, VMWare Exsi may not be a viable choice.

    Pricing

    VMWare Exsi and Proxmox VE are both free server virtualization tools.  Both vendors also offer support at varying prices depending on the needs of the business.  VMWare Exsi also integrates with VSphere software, which businesses must purchase.

    Features
    Proxmox VEVMware ESXi
    Server Virtualization
    Comparison of Server Virtualization features of Proxmox VE and VMware ESXi
    Feature
    Proxmox VE
    7.2
    11 Ratings
    VMware ESXi
    8.2
    128 Ratings
    Virtual machine automated provisioning7.011 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
    Management console7.011 Ratings9.0128 Ratings
    Live virtual machine backup8.011 Ratings8.0112 Ratings
    Live virtual machine migration6.011 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
    Hypervisor-level security8.010 Ratings8.0117 Ratings
    User Ratings
    Proxmox VEVMware ESXi
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (11 ratings)
    9.0
    (129 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (55 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.1
    (2 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)