Citrix XenServer vs RHEV comparison

Citrix and Red Hat are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. Citrix is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.6, while Red Hat is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.7. Citrix holds a 4.9% mindshare in SVS, compared to Red Hat’s 3.6% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

Citrix XenServer

Read 54 Citrix XenServer reviews

6,644 Views
6,511 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

RHEV

Read 36 RHEV reviews

4,351 Views
4,351 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

Citrix XenServer

RHEV

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 13, 2025

RHEV and Citrix XenServer are competing in the virtualization platform category. Citrix XenServer seems to have the upper hand with its comprehensive feature set and advanced management tools.

Features: RHEV offers robust integration with Red Hat systems, efficient resource management, and scalable performance. Citrix XenServer provides advanced management tools, high-performance graphics, and extensive automation capabilities, making it suitable for complex environments.

Room for Improvement: RHEV could enhance its feature depth in non-Red Hat environments, improve its automation tools, and better support heterogeneous infrastructures. Citrix XenServer could improve its affordability for small to medium businesses, simplify licensing for broader accessibility, and offer enhanced support for open-source integrations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: RHEV is known for its straightforward deployment and effective support services, especially for Red Hat ecosystems. Citrix XenServer is equally easy to deploy but stands out with its detailed documentation and responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: RHEV presents a more cost-effective option with competitive pricing and strong ROI for businesses leveraging open-source solutions. Citrix XenServer, although potentially costlier, offers significant ROI through its advanced features and performance benefits, potentially offering greater long-term value.

To learn more, read our detailed Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV

July 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 863,679 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Citrix XenServer

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

11th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

RHEV

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of Citrix XenServer is 4.9%, up from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RHEV is 3.6%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Virtualization Software

Featured Reviews

Jörg Köhler

Owner at AvalisNT AG

Consulting benefits from robust consulting while also recognizing the need for improved disk management

When it comes to optimization, that's one of the weaker points of Citrix XenServer, especially regarding disk management, which is somewhat clumsy. Backup-related issues and disk management should be improved. Especially concerning backup, as discussions with Veeam engineers about Citrix XenServer backup strategy indicate there might not be a solution from Veeam soon. License optimization is not such a significant problem, but licenses are quite complicated. Vendors constantly invent new license models, making it difficult to order the correct licenses needed. There is not a big difference between Citrix and VMware products because Citrix can implement Windows and Linux anyway.

Read full review

Sujeet-Kumar

Project Manager Cloud Infrastructure at Path Infotech ltd

The solution is scalable and affordable, but it lacks features, and it is not easy to manage

Management of RHEV is not as easy as VMware. Some features do not work. The product does not provide features similar to VMware’s VMotion. After creating the cluster, the VM is moved to another node if we move down. However, the VM does not move the parent node automatically. It has to be moved manually. VMware moves it automatically. RHEV moves it to the parent node only if we restart. Everything can be handled in VMware through the GUI. However, in RHEV, some things can be managed through UI, and others cannot. We have to troubleshoot and use CLI. A few features of the product do not work as well as those in VMware.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This is a good product for virtualization and it is easy to use."

"The feature I find most valuable, is its performance"

"The onboarding process is pretty straightforward."

"The most valuable feature is transferring and sharing applications that allow users to move files between devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers without needing USB cables, internet connections, or data usage."

"This solution allows the end users to clone, start, stop, or remotely control their VMs."

"There's no complexity in using the tool, especially with the VBI integration. It works very well and has proven to be a stable platform. I have experienced attacks, such as ransomware, but my Citrix Hypervisor virtual machines were protected. This is due to its hardened operating system and DNS, which successfully protected the virtual machines on that platform."

"I've found the following features to be the most valuable: user personalization layer, app layering, provisioning, and notification services for integration between different domains."

"I find it very easy to manage and at a cost that small customers would never refuse (free)."

More Citrix XenServer pros

"Customers are moving to open source and Red Hat is the leader in this particular space. I think customers feel more confident running Red Hat Virtualization than VMware."

"RHEV’s cost is much less compared to VMware."

"The solution is overall very good with all the facilities. It is user friendly, easy to configure, has documentation, and support is available."

"The most valuable features of RHEV are all the tools, such as virtualization, management of cloud platforms, and integration of container environments. The solution has good compatibility between virtualization, content management, and cloud management. Having the full set of these tools is the advantage of it."

"Technically, the main reason why I'm using Red Hat is because of its stability."

"The solution has a good licensing module."

"It is very stable."

"The solution makes migration easy."

More RHEV pros

Cons

"It can be useful to have a web management program because we have to install our client-server. We have to properly manage the host, if we had administration tools through a web interface it would be a benefit."

"Integration with other vendors and other applications could be improved."

"Something that could be improved in Citrix XenServer is its centralized management since the Citrix XenServer Center should be deployed in Windows."

"It would be very helpful if I could browse the data store directly in the GUI, similar to VMware and Hyper-V. This feature would be particularly useful when something goes wrong with a virtual machine or virtual disk."

"The USB support for the virtual server needs improvement."

"The built-in networking features are a little limited."

"There appear to be very few engineers at Citrix who understand the problems, and we experience considerable delays in support."

"Citrix needs to improve the hypervisor, specifically in security and performance."

More Citrix XenServer cons

"We'd like it if it would be possible on Red Hat Virtualization to possibly connect two or three VMs to the same disk."

"The Administration of the Oracle database and the SAP ERP needs improvement."

"The solution has a very small lifecycle."

"There is not any proper documentation on the site to reference."

"While everything needs improvement in some way, I have no specifics."

"When we do a direct comparison, then obviously VMware does better in terms of having Fault Tolerance and doing active disaster recovery and these kind of things. This is something that can be improved within Red Hat."

"The biggest improvement would be more third-party direct support for things like backups and provisioning through third-party portals."

"We should improve how we manage storage domains and make more comprehensive control available through the command line."

More RHEV cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"While it is free for small networks, the pricing is high if your network grows past a certain size."

"Citrix is a good low-cost alternative to VMware, so if budgeting is an issue then I would recommend it."

"This solution is open source, it's free."

"The licensing is straight forward based on usage and features."

"There is a license required to use this solution. You need a license on every server, but the license is more for support than anything else. The cost is not expensive, it is a fraction of the cost of VMware. When you look at the cost overall and features, Citrix Hypervisor has a very attractive offering."

"There are three editions available and I believe they are perpetual licenses."

"Citrix Hypervisor is a licensed product, and customers who buy the Citrix XenDesktop get Citrix Hypervisor for free. If they don't buy the license for Citrix XenDesktop, they'll need to pay for Citrix Hypervisor and its price is high. Pricing is even higher than VMware. The licensing policy for Citrix Hypervisor is good. It's straightforward. The only issue is the price because it's an expensive product."

"The most valuable feature is the cost; it is a free product."

More Citrix XenServer pricing and cost advice

"I would say the price is acceptable."

"Price-wise, RHEV is okay, in my opinion."

"The price of RHEV is high. It is an open-source solution, the price should be less. The price should not be on par with a solution, such as VMware. It's not more or equal to VMware, it's less, but the difference should be more substantial."

"Its price depends on the use cases."

"RHEV offers pricing based on a per-physical-machine licensing model."

"We have to pay extra for vulnerability and fault tolerance."

"I believe we pay on a yearly basis."

"We buy a license for commercial use, and we also use the free editions."

More RHEV pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Server Virtualization Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

863,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Comparison Review

Thang Le Toan (Victory Lee)

CIO at Robusta Technology & Training

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…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Hypervisor?

Licensing with Citrix XenServer is very cost-effective. Organizations save substantial money because competing solutions, such as VMware, cost double or triple. If you are using Citrix load only, t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Hypervisor?

In a DC, DR situation, if applications are self-dependent and self-DR replicated, then it works fine. However, if hypervisor-level backup or replication is required, very few backup software option...

See all answers

What do you like most about RHEV?

The initial setup is fairly straightforward and well-documented. The process is very similar to its competitors. The success of your setup depends on how well you plan.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for RHEV?

It's the open source. There's not much cost. It's very minimal comparably. Compared to what I am paying for VMware, it's negligible.

See all answers

What needs improvement with RHEV?

The RHEV management plane could be improved, particularly the management interface. Something more similar to a Google, Amazon, or Azure interface might attract people to use its management interfa...

See all answers

Comparisons

Proxmox VE vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 31% of the time

VMware vSphere vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 21% of the time

Hyper-V vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 17% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 9% of the time

KVM vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 7% of the time

More Citrix XenServer Competitors

VMware vSphere vs RHEV

Compared 42% of the time

Proxmox VE vs RHEV

Compared 25% of the time

Hyper-V vs RHEV

Compared 11% of the time

KVM vs RHEV

Compared 9% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs RHEV

Compared 7% of the time

More RHEV Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer

July 2025

Download Citrix XenServer product report

Buyer's Guide

RHEV

July 2025

Download RHEV product report

Also Known As

Hypervisor

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization

Overview

Citrix XenServer provides virtualization with high availability and robust security, offering seamless VM migration and centralized management through XenCenter. Its expansive compatibility and integration enhance its appeal, particularly for SMBs.

Citrix XenServer is recognized for its user-friendly virtualization capabilities, facilitating dynamic scalability and efficient resource management. It supports a wide range of operating systems and integrates with Citrix solutions for improved operations. Businesses benefit from its affordability and ease of deployment. Despite its strengths, users seek improvements in third-party tool integration, network and backup management, and storage flexibility. High costs, limited Linux support, system complexity, technical support, and hardware compatibility remain challenges. An updated and intuitive interface is in demand for more seamless operations across platforms.

What are the key features of Citrix XenServer?

User-Friendly Virtualization: Simplifies virtualization operations with efficient management tools.
High Availability: Ensures continuous access to virtualized resources.
Robust Security: Protects virtual environments with comprehensive security protocols.
Seamless VM Migration: Facilitates easy migration of virtual machines across environments.
Centralized Management: XenCenter provides centralized control for resource management.
Dynamic Scalability: Supports scaling of resources as per business requirements.
Real-Time Performance Monitoring: Enables monitoring and optimizing of system performance actively.
Unlimited Virtual Machines: Offers the capacity for deploying numerous virtual machines without limitations.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Cost Efficiency: Competitive pricing model reduces virtualization costs.
Comprehensive Virtualization: Complete solution for desktop and server virtualization needs.
Ease of Deployment: Quick and straightforward setup process minimizes downtime.
Integration with Citrix Solutions: Enhances functionality with existing Citrix technologies.

In diverse industries, Citrix XenServer is leveraged for server and desktop virtualization, cloud automation, and infrastructure management. Many deploy it for virtual desktop infrastructure, application delivery, on-premises data centers, and to support Citrix application delivery like XenApp and XenDesktop. Enterprises migrating from VMware often find Citrix XenServer cost-efficient for these applications, serving as a main computing platform for enterprise applications including ERP systems and SQL Servers.

Citrix

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, or RHEV, is a leading open standard enterprise virtualization management solution. This solution supports virtualization of servers and desktops using the same infrastructure and a single easy-to-use interface.

Because RHEV is based on open standards, it is vendor-independent and a lot more cost effective and flexible than proprietary solutions.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

U.S. Army Shared Services Center, SoftLayer, Educational Services of America, Independent Bank, and SK Telecom.

Qualcomm and Bonham's Auction House.

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV

July 2025

Free Report: Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV

Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

863,679 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV report.

See our list of best Server Virtualization Software vendors.

We monitor all Server Virtualization Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.