After the recent acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, Proxmox has gained significant popularity as a valid alternative raising the question: Proxmox vs VMware which platform is right for you?
Many businesses have begun seeking alternatives to VMware to avoid unexpected scenarios and manage the significant revisions in licensing fees.
It’s challenging to determine a clear winner in the Proxmox vs VMware comparison, as it involves not only license fees but also what each business requires and the solutions offered by each platform.
Proxmox vs VMware platforms overview
Proxmox
Proxmox is an open-source virtualization platform best known for its Proxmox Virtual Environment (PVE) solution, an environment that provides a web-based GUI to manage VMs, containers, and other resources.
Official website: https://www.proxmox.com
VMware
VMware is a commercial virtualization platform best known for its VMware vSphere suite and is the de facto market leader in the sector thanks to its robust and feature-set offerings.
Official website: https://www.vmware.com
Key features
Proxmox vs VMware comparison.
Proxmox
- OS - Proxmox is based on Debian and utilizes a native Linux hypervisor.
- Virtualization - supports full virtualization (KVM), lightweight containers (LXC), software-defined storage (CEPH), and networking functionality.
- Management - web-based interface with integrated management tools for both VMs and containers.
- Storage - supports local storage, NFS, iSCSI, ZFS, and Ceph.
- HA - supports High Availability clusters to ensure virtual machines remain accessible in the event of hardware failure.
- Software-defined storage (SDS) - Proxmox VE includes Ceph.
- Backup - provides a built-in backup solution known as Proxmox Backup Server (PBS).
- Deployment - minimum 3 nodes for an HA cluster, 5 nodes recommended as best practice.
VMware
- OS - VMware runs on the proprietary Photon OS as its base.
- Virtualization - primarily uses KVM and some proprietary technologies with extensive support for VMs. Containers are supported through integration with Kubernetes and Tanzu.
- Management - vSphere Web Client and vCenter Server for advanced management and automation.
- Storage - advanced storage solutions including VMware vSAN, with support for various third-party storage solutions.
- HA - supports High Availability clusters to keep virtual machines accessible in the event of hardware failure, with advanced features like DRS.
- Software-defined storage (SDS) - VMware vSphere integrates VMware vSAN.
- Backup - integration with numerous third-party backup tools and vSphere Data Protection.
- Deployment - minimum 2 nodes for an HA cluster, 3 nodes recommended as best practice.
Licensing
Proxmox
- There are no license fees to pay since it is an open-source solution. However, there is an optional subscription for enterprise support and updates.
- It is a cost-effective solution ideal for SMBs or companies with budget constraints.
VMware
- Different levels of commercial socket-based licenses are available with additional costs for support and extra features.
- It is a high cost solution but includes advanced features and enterprise support.
Support
Proxmox
Paid support is available for additional assistance and updates. Community support is also available through forums, documentation, and updates.
VMware
Commercial support is available with various service agreements and documentation. There is also extensive community support, including forums, knowledge bases, blogs, resources, and VMUGs.
Use cases
The comparison between Proxmox and VMware should consider the primary use cases where each platform best fit.
Proxmox
Due to its free license and the features it offers, Proxmox can be a good option for SMBs or for those who need a cost-effective solution or have budget constraints. If your business is primarily oriented towards open-source solutions with use cases such as development, small production, or educational environments, Proxmox is the best fit.
Keep in mind that support and updates require a paid subscription.
VMware
The advanced features and support offered by VMware make it an ideal solution for large companies where large-scale environment management, data center operations, scalability, enterprise-level support, and integration with third-party solutions are critical business requirements.
Advantages vs Disavantages
Before taking a decision on which platform to adopt, the Proxmox vs VMware comparison needs to include also an analysis of pros and cons of each solution.
Proxmox
Pros
- Cost - cost-effective solution, free and open-source.
- Customizable - as open-source software, the code is accessible allowing users to develop custom features to meet specific business requirements.
- Storage - different storage protocols are supported making the solution scalable and easy to manage.
- Cluster - Proxmox support HA clusters enabling the creation the creation of clusters with multiple hosts for a flexible, scalable, and customizable platform.
- HA - with built-in high availability feature, workloads are automatically migrated to different hosts in the event of hardware failures ensuring business continuity.
Cons
- Complex deployment - the deployment of a Proxmox infrastructure requires in-depth knowledge of virtualization and configuration optimization.
- Third-party apps - support for some popular solutions is limited or unavailable restricting the integration with third-party tools.
- Limited support - support is mostly community-driven and based on forums, which can be a significant issue during a critical infrastructure failure.
- Security - as with many open-source solutions, managing updates and fixes for security vulnerabilities requires careful attention, and patches may not always be promptly available.
- HW compatibility - running Proxmox efficiently may be challenging due to limited hardware compatibility.
VMware
Pros
- HA - the built-in high availability feature ensures that virtual machines are always available in the event of hardware failure.
- DRS - the DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) feature distributes the load across the hosts within the cluster, optimizing resource utilization.
- Integration - VMware solutions can be integrated with a wide range of technologies and services.
- Security - VMware provides several security features to protect virtual machines from unauthorized access and data breaches.
- Support - enterprise support available.
Cons
- Cost - the license cost can be prohibitive for some organizations and if advanced features are needed, expenses can escalate significantly.
- Complexity - VMware vSphere is complex to implement properly and efficiently. It requires a high skill level and the configuration can be challenging and time-consuming.
- IT resources - for businesses with limited IT resources or inadequate knowledge of the product, adopting and managing VMware can be difficult.
- Technology - third-party applications integrated with VMware are highly dependent on its proprietary technology. Changes in the architecture may cause service disruptions or apps malfunctions (backup for example).
Which virtualization platform is right for you?
To answer the question "Proxmox vs VMware: which platform should you choose?", you need to make some considerations and evaluate what the business requires and how it can be accommodated based on the available budget.
Each platform offers enterprise-grade features and can be customized to suit different use cases.
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