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Citrix XenServer vs Hyper-V comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.9
Citrix XenServer offered significant ROI with user satisfaction, virtualization benefits, and cost savings despite significant initial expenses.
Sentiment score
6.8
Organizations reported significant cost savings and ROI with Hyper-V over VMware, benefiting from included Windows Server licenses.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.5
Citrix XenServer's support is inconsistent, with mixed reviews on response times and effectiveness, benefiting from paid options.
Sentiment score
6.7
Hyper-V support quality varies, with first-level mixed and higher levels better; users often rely on personal resources.
They do not provide adequate support for midsize businesses.
The technical support for Hyper-V is excellent
The technical support is very good
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Citrix XenServer excels in scalable deployments, effective for varying business sizes, but needs more features, especially in storage.
Sentiment score
6.4
Hyper-V is considered scalable and effective, though performance varies with architecture planning and hardware compatibility in clusters.
The scalability of Hyper-V is great; I would rate it nine out of ten.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Citrix XenServer is a reliable, stable system with minimal issues, appreciated for uptime and dependability despite minor glitches.
Sentiment score
7.5
Hyper-V is generally stable and reliable, with improved performance and security, though some experience occasional I/O instability.
Automation is unavailable, and reporting is difficult.
 

Room For Improvement

Citrix XenServer needs improved backup, flexibility, and support, addressing concerns over cost, interface, Linux support, and community assistance.
Hyper-V seeks enhanced third-party integration, simplified management, and improved performance to compete with VMware in virtualization.
Although the product is technically competitive, it is not widely known or used due to poor marketing.
All the actions are manual, and if customization is needed, it is difficult with Hyper-V.
Hyper-V should ensure the features of VMware are covered within its platform.
I suggest improvements in platform support and performance considerations for Hyper-V.
 

Setup Cost

Citrix XenServer offers free and paid versions; customers find it cost-effective but note licensing can be confusing.
Hyper-V is considered cost-effective and flexible, with competitive pricing and potential additional costs for management and features.
The pricing and licensing policy of Citrix XenServer is not transparent and quite confusing.
Hyper-V is completely free and requires no licensing fee.
Until 2019, Hyper-V was a cost-effective solution because it was available as a free product.
 

Valuable Features

Citrix XenServer provides cost-effective, high-performance virtualization with seamless integration, intuitive management, and robust features enhancing user satisfaction.
Hyper-V is valued for cost-effectiveness, scalability, ease of use, and seamless integration with Microsoft solutions and Azure.
It provides secure access to applications and resources, which is crucial for us and our clients.
It is completely free, which is a significant advantage.
I find the quick provision feature in Hyper-V to be extremely helpful.
The most valuable features of Hyper-V include high availability and management for virtual machine management.
 

Categories and Ranking

Citrix XenServer
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
11th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Hyper-V
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
141
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of Citrix XenServer is 5.3%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hyper-V is 15.2%, down from 16.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Virtualization Software
 

Featured Reviews

Siva Kuppala - PeerSpot reviewer
Allows us to allocate CPU, memory, storage, and network resources across VMs and minimizes downtime in case of hardware failure or maintenance
It is a scalable product and provides great benefits for virtualization needs. However, there are a few considerations: * Cost: Citrix Hypervisor can be fairly expensive. * Complexity: There's a learning curve, especially for those coming from a Microsoft background. Setting it up and managing it can introduce some complexity. * Hardware Support: Not all major hardware vendors fully support Citrix Hypervisor. * Third-party Integration: Integrating Hypervisor with other technologies within a large ecosystem can sometimes be challenging. * Community Support: Compared to solutions like Microsoft Hyper-V, the community support for Citrix Hypervisor is somewhat less extensive. It is not vast. If there are any issues or errors, the community support is not that good. Those are definitely important disadvantages.
NagendraC - PeerSpot reviewer
Quickly provisions virtual machines with ease and efficiency
I use Hyper-V primarily to create virtual machines (VMs) I find the quick provision feature in Hyper-V to be extremely helpful. Additionally, the ease of setup since we have been using it for a long time also adds value. Hyper-V supports the creation of VMs efficiently. Today, most backup tools…
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Server Virtualization Software solutions are best for your needs.
830,824 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

VL
Jan 13, 2015
vSphere vs. RHEV vs. Hyper-V vs. XenServer
We have used the following functions: 1. Hypervisor: to ensure that the virtual server provide web and email services to the company, thus providing a stable operation a with single sign-on integration of an AD server and vCenter. 2. Network and Storage: centralized data server…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
54%
Computer Software Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
4%
Manufacturing Company
4%
Educational Organization
37%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Hypervisor?
The core function enables multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. This maximizes hardware utilization and efficiency.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Hypervisor?
The pricing and licensing policy of Citrix XenServer is not transparent and quite confusing. The sales channel has deteriorated over the years and sales margins have dropped significantly, making i...
What needs improvement with Citrix Hypervisor?
The marketing of Citrix lacks effectiveness. Although the product is technically competitive, it is not widely known or used due to poor marketing. Additionally, the technical support for midsize b...
How does KVM compare with Hyper-V?
KVM is better. But let's just look at the software instead of judging. Hyper-V was a free solution from Microsoft to virtualize Server or Client OS as it is a feature on Windows Server since 2008 a...
How does Proxmox VE compare with Hyper-V?
One of the best things about Proxmox VE is that it is open-source and very inexpensive. You get all of the same features as with the more well-known products. Proxmox VE is very easy to deploy - it...
What do you like most about Hyper-V?
The initial setup is not difficult at all. It is very easy.
 

Also Known As

Hypervisor
No data available
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

U.S. Army Shared Services Center, SoftLayer, Educational Services of America, Independent Bank, and SK Telecom.
Large customer base from all industries, all over the world. Two major Hyper-V customers are Telefonica and EmpireCLS.
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix XenServer vs. Hyper-V and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
830,824 professionals have used our research since 2012.