Top 6 VMware alternatives to consider in 2024 and beyond

The virtualization software market is expected to see substantial growth, projected to reach between 120 and 163 billion U.S. dollars in revenue by 2027*.

Virtualization is a foundational technology in today’s IT landscape, optimizing resources and shaping the way businesses operate today. While VMware has long been a leader in this space, recent developments, including Broadcom’s acquisition of the global leader in virtualization, have sparked increased interest in alternative platforms.  

Only two groups of people are happy with this development – Firstly, Broadcom shareholders who are enjoying a 27% surge in stock prices since the deal’s closure in November, and secondly, the competitors in the virtualization space who are experiencing a boom in sales prospects. However, the partners and customers are not exactly among the happy lot. There’s a disruption in the customer experience and prices have been increased significantly. Broadcom, having terminated partner agreements, has unveiled an exclusive invite-only program and boldly redirected the top 2,000 accounts in a direct trajectory*. Thus, in a ripple effect, industry partners are actively working to migrate accounts away from VMware towards these compelling alternatives. 

In this blog, we shall delve into the top 6 VMware alternatives, shedding light on the distinctive features and benefits that make each platform a worthy contender in this dynamic landscape. 

 1. Virtuozzo  

Virtuozzo is a versatile alternative cloud platform offering cost-effective solutions for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Everything as a Service (XaaS). IaaS provides a public cloud with flexible pricing, while PaaS caters to DevOps-focused SaaS companies and cloud hosting providers. The Bare Metal Solution enhances shared hosting businesses with high-margin VPS, containers, and storage.  

It is a cost-effective alternative to VMware, offering strong containerization capabilities, ease of use, and efficient resource utilization, making it a compelling choice for businesses seeking a flexible and budget-friendly virtualization solution.

Virtuozzo Hybrid Infrastructure allows the creation, management, and sale of branded IaaS clouds. Specialized solutions include the Application Platform for DevOps, Cloud Storage with high availability, and tailored offerings for WordPress hosting and CDN platforms. 

The Virtuozzo Hybrid Infrastructure is an OpenStack-based production-ready cloud platform for service providers. Streamlining the creation, management, and marketing of IaaS clouds, it supports various deployment options, including public, private, or hybrid models. Offering XaaS functionalities such as Kubernetes-as-a-Service, Load Balancer-as-a-Service, and Storage-as-a-Service, it combines KVM-based virtualization, OpenStack orchestration, software-defined storage, a user-friendly self-service portal, and efficient cloud management tools. 

Key features: 

• Flexible Deployment Choices: Deploy in your datacenter or utilize fully managed cloud infrastructure, allowing you to concentrate on business development.  
• Versatile Licensing Model: Offers tailored licensing for service providers: pay-as-you-grow model and traditional perpetual license.  
• High Performance and Availability: Ensures automatic recovery from server or component failures, coupled with storage performance up to 3.5 times that of Ceph.  
• Cost-Effective Investment: Utilize a hyperconverged solution with software-defined storage to minimize costs – requiring only a little investment to launch.  
• Quick Time-to-Value: Access a ready-to-use OpenStack cloud with 24/7 support benefits. Reach the market with profitable cloud services promptly. 
• Optimized for Cloud Service Providers: Virtuozzo is designed specifically with hosting service providers in mind, offering features like multi-tenancy, pay-as-you-go billing, and easy integration with control panels like Plesk and cPanel.
• Ease of Use: Virtuozzo is generally easier to set up and manage, reducing the learning curve and administrative overhead.
• Performance: Known for efficient resource utilization, Virtuozzo can deliver better performance in high-density environments.
• Hybrid Cloud Support: It offers robust support for hybrid cloud environments, facilitating seamless integration between on-premises and cloud resources.

2. Red Hat Virtualization 

Red Hat Virtualization (RHV) stands as an enterprise-grade, open-source virtualization platform enabling the creation and management of virtualized resources like virtual machines, storage, and networks. Built on the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) hypervisor, it delivers a resilient and scalable virtualization solution tailored to business needs. 

Key features:  

• Scalability: Supports thousands of virtual machines, making it highly scalable for enterprise workloads. 
• Live Migration: Offers live migration capabilities with minimal disruption. 
• High Availability: Provides automated failover and recovery for critical workloads. 
• Security: Includes advanced security features such as SELinux and virtualization-specific firewall rules. 
• Integration with Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Seamlessly integrates with Red Hat Enterprise Linux for a complete infrastructure solution. 

3. Oracle VirtualBox 

Oracle VirtualBox has gained popularity as an open-source virtualization solution, allowing users to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical device. This software exhibits compatibility with a range of host operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris. VirtualBox offers users the capability to operate multiple virtual machines concurrently, each customized with its own virtual hardware settings, covering aspects like virtual CPUs, memory allocation, storage configurations, and network interfaces.  

Key features: 

• Cost-Effective Solution: Low-overhead, open-source desktop virtualization software reduces IT costs by streamlining configurations for both desktops and servers. 
• Universal Compatibility: Runs on any x86 host OS, supporting Windows, Linux, and macOS, simplifying development environments and accommodating a wide range of OS versions on virtual machines. 
• User-Friendly Adoption: An intuitive GUI and robust command line interface make VirtualBox easy for developers. 
• Effortless Deployments: Allows IT teams to rapidly provision development VMs with preconfigured Oracle software and automate smooth releases to production. 
• Enhanced Application Security: Facilitates secure distribution of desktop-based images for critical restricted applications, enhancing security through role-based restrictions to datasets within these applications. 
• Encrypted Workspaces: Provides secure remote connections with 256-bit encryption keys, preventing users from downloading or storing data on remote devices.  

4. Nutanix 

Nutanix AHV stands is a contemporary and secure virtualization platform, driving VMs and containers for on-premises and public cloud applications, including cloud-native workloads. Featuring intuitive tools and automated workflows, it streamlines the day-to-day administration of VMs and containers. This platform encompasses advanced enterprise capabilities crucial for meeting demanding SLAs, ensuring efficiency in deployment and management.  

Key features: 

• High Availability Assurance: Supports advanced virtualization features, including VM live migration, dynamic scheduling, VM HA, and metro clustering, for ensuring uninterrupted availability for all workloads. 

• Optimized Utilization and Performance: It ensures highly optimized resource utilization and performance with features such as memory overcommit, VM affinity, vNUMA, automated CPU compatibility, AHV turbo, and an optimized storage stack. 
• Efficient Lifecycle Management: Easily upgrade cloud infrastructure with a single click. 

5. Microsoft Hyper-V 

Microsoft Hyper-V stands as a formidable alternative to VMware, serving as a robust virtualization platform. It enables the simultaneous operation of multiple operating systems on a single physical host computer. Functioning as a native hypervisor, Hyper-V excels in the creation and management of virtual machines (VMs), providing users with the capability to consolidate numerous servers onto a singular physical host. 

Available both as a feature within Microsoft Windows Server and as a standalone product known as Hyper-V Server, this platform offers versatility in deployment. Managing Hyper-V is a seamless experience, facilitated through either a graphical user interface (GUI) or the powerful PowerShell.  

Key features: 

• Computing Environment: Hyper-V virtual machines emulate essential physical computer components like memory, processor, storage, and networking with configurable features. 
• Disaster Recovery and Backup: Hyper-V Replica ensures disaster recovery by creating copies stored in an alternate location, while backup options include saved states and Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). 
• Optimization: Integration services tailor a set of drivers and services for each supported guest operating system, enhancing usability within Hyper-V virtual machines. 
• Portability: Live migration, storage migration, and import/export features simplify the seamless movement or distribution of virtual machines. 
• Remote Connectivity: Hyper-V’s Virtual Machine Connection tool provides console access for both Windows and Linux, surpassing the capabilities of Remote Desktop. 
• Security: Secure boot and shielded virtual machines protect from malware and unauthorized access to virtual machine data.

6. Citrix Hypervisor 

Citrix Hypervisor streamlines virtualization management, providing enhanced performance and simplified maintenance of environments. It efficiently supports robust workloads while ensuring the security of virtual infrastructure against advanced threats. Specifically optimized for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops workloads, Citrix Hypervisor seamlessly integrates features throughout the stack, exposing hardware-level functionalities for an optimal user experience, heightened security, and simplified operational management. It handles diverse workload types, mixed operating systems, and storage or networking requirements for the most demanding business scenarios. 

Key features: 

• Effortless Workload Virtualization: Rapid deployment of VMs enables quick software installation without the complexities of configuring an intricate management infrastructure or a dedicated storage network. 
• Robust Server Management: Tailored for creating and managing diverse virtual infrastructures, Citrix Hypervisor automates and integrates management processes, transforming intricate IT environments into more manageable ones. 
• Cost-Effective Solution: The solution is cost-effective for smaller organizations, as Citrix Hypervisor is free for Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops customers. 
• Vendor Lockdown-Free: Being an open-source product, Citrix Hypervisor eliminates vendor lockdown issues, providing flexibility and control over the virtualization environment. 
• Live Migration Capability: Allows seamless live migration of VMs, enabling systems to stay operational during hardware changes in the background. 

Comparison of VMware alternatives 

Choosing the right VMware alternative 

The choice of a suitable VMware alternative is a pivotal decision for organizational success. With an array of options at your disposal, the key considerations in choosing the solution include scalability, security, user-friendliness, and the level of support and management provided by each solution. Among the many choices, Virtuozzo stands out as a fully managed platform, offering top-tier features and capabilities. 

Virtuozzo goes beyond conventional solutions, facilitating a remarkable cost reduction of 30-50%. It presents an opportunity to transition seamlessly from legacy shared hosting to a future-proof environment encompassing profitable VPS, containers, and storage solutions. For organizations poised for innovation and efficiency, Virtuozzo is the transformative choice. Connect with us at sales@znetlive.com to start your journey with Virtuozzo and revolutionize your virtualization experience. Or book a demo today  and see how Virtuozzo can transform your business!

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only. The listing of the VMware alternatives is done in reverse alphabetical order and represents no other ranking as such. ZNet Technologies is the official distributor of Virtuozzo in India.  

While we strive to keep the information up to date and accurate, we make no representations or warranties of any kind about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the information, products or services contained in this blog for any purpose.   

*Source: 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/outlook-virtualization-software-global-market-114300314.html  

https://www.crn.com/news/virtualization/2024/broadcom-takes-top-vmware-accounts-direct-effective-immediately 

Image by storyset on Freepik

Read next: Simplifying Multi-Cloud Adoption with Virtuozzo: A Guide