VMware vSphere Hypervisor vs KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

Struggling to choose between VMware vSphere Hypervisor and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

VMware vSphere Hypervisor is a System & Hardware solution with tags like hypervisor, virtualization, vsphere, vmware, server, baremetal.

It boasts features such as Bare-metal hypervisor architecture, Supports 64-bit guest operating systems, Built-in VMware Tools, Distributed Resource Scheduler, High Availability, vMotion, Storage vMotion, Fault Tolerance and pros including Free and open-source, Easy to install and configure, Good performance, Wide ecosystem support, Centralized management, Live migration of VMs, High availability features.

On the other hand, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a System & Hardware product tagged with virtualization, vm, linux, open-source.

Its standout features include Kernel-level virtualization, Supports live migration of VMs between hosts, Built into Linux kernel, Leverages hardware-assisted virtualization, Open source and free, and it shines with pros like Good performance, Leverages hardware virtualization, Integrated into Linux, Active development community, Free and open source.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

VMware vSphere Hypervisor

VMware vSphere Hypervisor

VMware vSphere Hypervisor is a free bare-metal hypervisor that virtualizes servers to enable the running of multiple operating systems on a single physical server. It provides a simple, reliable and secure foundation for business-critical applications.

Categories:
hypervisor virtualization vsphere vmware server baremetal

VMware vSphere Hypervisor Features

  1. Bare-metal hypervisor architecture
  2. Supports 64-bit guest operating systems
  3. Built-in VMware Tools
  4. Distributed Resource Scheduler
  5. High Availability
  6. vMotion
  7. Storage vMotion
  8. Fault Tolerance

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Free and open-source

Easy to install and configure

Good performance

Wide ecosystem support

Centralized management

Live migration of VMs

High availability features

Cons

Limited features compared to paid ESXi

No official support services

Less scalability than paid versions

Limited to 8 vCPUs per VM


KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is an open-source virtualization technology that allows you to create and run virtual machines (VMs) on Linux. It makes use of hardware virtualization capabilities of modern CPUs for efficient virtualization.

Categories:
virtualization vm linux open-source

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) Features

  1. Kernel-level virtualization
  2. Supports live migration of VMs between hosts
  3. Built into Linux kernel
  4. Leverages hardware-assisted virtualization
  5. Open source and free

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Free

Pros

Good performance

Leverages hardware virtualization

Integrated into Linux

Active development community

Free and open source

Cons

Linux-only

Less features than proprietary solutions

Steeper learning curve than alternatives

No centralized management