Virtual machines are an excellent way to consolidate resources, test out new operating systems, test new applications, and more. If you’re thinking about incorporating VMs into your business, chances are you’ve come across VMware vSphere.

vSphere is a huge name in the game, but at $995 per year for standard membership, vSphere might be out of your grasp. vSphere doesn’t have a monopoly on virtualization technology, fortunately. Here are ten alternatives and competitors for your consideration.

Top 10 Best Alternatives & Competitors

  1. Azure Virtual Machines – Most Popular Alternative
  2. Proxmox VE – Most Flexible Open-Source Alternative
  3. Citrix Hypervisor – Most Intuitive Alternative
  4. VirtualBox – Most Versatile Alternative
  5. KVM – Most Popular Linux Alternative
  6. Parallels Desktop – Most Speedy Alternative
  7. oVirt – Most Maintained Alternative
  8. Nutanix AHV – Most Integrative Alternative
  9. Xen Project – Most Secure Alternative
  10. Red Hat Virtualization – Most Scalable Alternative

1. Azure Virtual Machines – Most Popular Alternative

PRICING: starts at $0.0038 per hour

Microsoft Azure offers numerous virtual machine templates to choose from, some memory-optimized, some storage-optimized, etc. Azure is great for companies dipping their toes into the benefits of VMs, though even companies that know what they want will find Azure very helpful.

Unlike other plans, Azure is pay-as-you-go, and prices vary based on which VMs you decide to use, for how long, and where in the world you’re based. So VM may not prove cost-effective for you in the long term. Some users also found the UI confusing, especially for those new to VM management.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Audit management
  • Live machine migration
  • Performance tracking and optimization
  • Health monitoring

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Type-1 and type-2 hypervisor
  • Windows and Linux
  • Very scalable
  • Various VM options

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Confusing pricing model
  • Confusing UI

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2. Proxmox VE – Most Flexible Open-Source Alternative

PRICING: Free

Proxmox VE is an open-source software service for virtualization management supportive of KVM for virtual machines and LXC for containers. Some of Proxmox’s features include live migration, a web-based management interface, and issue tracking.

In terms of cost, Proxmox can be used for free, though you’ll need to pay for licensing, which will give you access to customer support. On the downside, some note a steep learning curve. You’ll have to be well-versed in Linux to immediately start using the solution effectively.

KEY FEATURES:

  • KVM hypervisor
  • Handles multiple VMs
  • Web-based management interface
  • Issue tracking

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Very flexible
  • Type-1 and type-2 hypervisor
  • Easy installation
  • Free, except licensing

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Learning curve

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3. Citrix Hypervisor – Most Intuitive Alternative

PRICING: Quote-based

Citrix Hypervisor is a platform that runs on XenServer. Citrix works the best for individual users and small and medium-sized businesses. Citrix is supported on most guest operating systems like Windows and Linux. The interface is fairly intuitive, though some users have struggled.

Some users have found Citrix lacking in features compared to products like Azure. A few users were disappointed that some integrations like Outlook didn’t work the same as on the users’ PC.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Desktop virtualization
  • Scheduled snapshots
  • Health monitoring
  • Performance optimization
  • Live machine migration

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Type-1 and type-2 hypervisor
  • Fairly intuitive interface
  • Integrates readily

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Needs more features
  • Integrations can be wonky

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4. VirtualBox – Most Versatile Alternative

PRICING: Free

Oracle VM VirtualBox is a free and open-source virtualizer for x86 servers and desktops. Virtualbox is supported on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris. VirtualBox will help you manage your resources more efficiently and is supported by a very dedicated community.

Highly customizable, VirtualBox is excellent for tech-savvy users who like to tinker around with virtualization. If you’d prefer your solution to be up and running immediately and don’t want to fiddle around with details, you’d probably find better alternatives, though.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Guest machine creation
  • RDP and SDK authentication
  • Snapshots
  • Type 2 hypervisor

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Highly versatile
  • Highly customizable
  • Good for enterprises and individuals alike
  • Free and open source

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • More advanced features are complex to use

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5. KVM – Most Popular Linux Alternative

PRICING: free

KVM is an open-source virtualization module for Linux that will turn your Linux kernel into a hypervisor. KVM comes with various command-line options and is highly scalable. The GUI interface has also received praise for usability. KVM is very powerful with consistently stable performance, able to run up to 32 vCPUs.

Technical support is not the best. You’ll have to go through vendors like Oracle or Red Hat for support or go onto KVM’s forum. Also, keep in mind that KVM is naturally better integrated with Linux.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Supports multiple guest operating systems from Windows to Solaris
  • Creation of VMs

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Free and open source
  • Very stable performance
  • Greate command-line options
  • Highly scalable

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Finding the right customer support might be difficult

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6. Parallels Desktop – Most Speedy Alternative

PRICING: $99 one-time permanent license fee

Parallels Desktop is a great virtualization platform for running Windows and Linux on Intel-based Macs. In fact, the solution will allow over 200,000 Windows apps to run on your Mac. Parallels runs extraordinarily smooth and fast, able to restart quickly and handle hi-res gaming.

On the downside, there is little support for the standard edition, so you might require the pro or business editions for a cost of $99 per year, which will grant you 24/7 customer support via phone and email.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Windows and Linux on Intel-based Macs
  • Virtual desk optimization
  • Parallels control center
  • Disk space wizard

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Very fast
  • Setup wizard walks you through instructions
  • Handles 200,000 Windows apps

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Will need premium subscription for continued customer support

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7. oVirt – Most Maintained Alternative

PRICING: free

A free, open-source virtualization management platform, oVirt centrally manages your entire enterprise infrastructure using the KVM hypervisor. The interface is fairly intuitive, and the software is frequently updated, the last update coming in April 2022.

On the downside, customer support is lacking. You will either have to send oVirt an email or pose a question on the forum, both of which might take several days for you to get a response. Some users also criticize how documentation is organized.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Data center management
  • Networking management
  • VMs management
  • Snapshots
  • SDK

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Supported by KVM
  • Intuitive interface
  • Updated frequently

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Customer support is slow
  • Documentation is poorly organized

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8. Nutanix AHV – Most Integrative Alternative

PRICING: Free

Nutanix AHV is an incredibly robust virtualization and VM management solution. Nutanix also comes with its own hypervisor, Acropolis. One of its highlights is that there are no licensing agreements with Nutanix, so you are free to connect with additional infrastructure and apps without worry.

Nutanix comes complete with a variety of features, but it lacks integration with third-party software.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Backup APIs
  • Creation of VMs
  • VM management
  • In-depth analytics for elements in infrastructure stack
  • Live migration
  • Automation of tasks

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Designed for enterprises and individuals alike
  • Abundance of features
  • Highly scalable

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Needs more integrations

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9. Xen Project – Most Secure Alternative

PRICING: Free

Xen Project is a free and open-source bare-metal hypervisor that supports multiple guest operating systems on the same computer hardware. Xen is very easy to install and configure, used by businesses like Amazon and Oracle alike.

Xen is ultimately a better choice if you use Linux over Windows.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Multiple guest operating systems
  • Virtual machine migration
  • Xen security modules

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Open source and free
  • Very flexible
  • Live-patching
  • Highly secure

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Better suited for Linux

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10. Red Hat Virtualization – Most Scalable Alternative

PRICING: starts at $999 a year

An enterprise x86 virtualization platform, Red Hat Virtualization is based on the KVM hypervisor with some of its technologies deriving from Qumranet and oVirt. RHV can seamlessly virtualize resources, processes, and applications alike.

RHV is well-integrated with other Red Hat products, but the solution lacks integration with third-party tools.

KEY FEATURES:

  • SPICE protocol
  • Virtual Desktop Server Management
  • Dashboard with global-use overview of CPUS, memory, and storage host resources

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Highly scalable
  • Integrated with other Red Hat solutions
  • Supports 400 hosts in single cluster
  • Unlimited number of VMs

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Lacks integration with third-party tools

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References and Links

  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/virtual-machines/
  • https://slashdot.org/software/p/Azure-Virtual-Machines/
  • https://www.nigelfrank.com/insights/microsoft-azure-virtual-machines-for-the-confused
  • https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-ve
  • https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/software/proxmox-ve-review/
  • https://www.peerspot.com/products/proxmox-ve-reviews
  • https://www.citrix.com/products/citrix-hypervisor/
  • https://slashdot.org/software/p/Citrix-Hypervisor/
  • https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28436/citrix-xenserver
  • https://www.virtualbox.org/
  • https://www.serverwatch.com/server-reviews/oracle-vm-virtualbox-review/
  • https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/oracle-vm-virtualbox-for-mac
  • https://www.parallels.com/
  • https://dataprot.net/reviews/personal-cybersecurity/parallels-review/
  • https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/parallels-desktop
  • https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1094121-REG/parallels_pdfm10l_bx1_nt_na_parallels_desktop_10_for.html
  • https://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page
  • https://technologyadvice.com/blog/information-technology/kvm-vs-vmware-comparison/
  • https://www.liquidweb.com/kb/what-is-kernel-based-virtual-machine/
  • https://www.ovirt.org/
  • https://www.nutanix.com/
  • https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/software/nutanix-ahv-virtualization-review/
  • https://www.peerspot.com/products/nutanix-ahv-reviews
  • https://xenproject.org/
  • https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/virtualization-xen-paravirtualization/
  • https://reviews.financesonline.com/p/xen-project/
  • https://www.redhat.com/en
  • https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/software/red-hat-virtualization-review/