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Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Hyper-V
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
142
Ranking in other categories
Server Virtualization Software (3rd)
VMware Workstation
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Virtualization solutions, they serve different purposes. Hyper-V is designed for Server Virtualization Software and holds a mindshare of 14.5%, down 15.7% compared to last year.
VMware Workstation, on the other hand, focuses on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), holds 17.0% mindshare, up 13.1% since last year.
Server Virtualization Software
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

Ananth Narayana Rao - PeerSpot reviewer
Cost-effective and good for small workloads while addressing update-driven challenges is needed
I use Azure Monitor and other monitoring solutions to support clients in Accenture's managed services. We support multiple environments, primarily on cloud platforms like Azure and AWS, and also on-premises environments with operating systems like Windows, Linux, and Solaris, among others…
Shambhu Narayan  Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-manage solution that has really good customer support compared to other market players
VMware Workstation makes it easy to manage all the resources that we are handling. VMware Workstation has reduced our infrastructure cost. If someone wants machines, I can create them easily using the solution. VMware Workstation is easier to manage than other workstations like Oracle Workstation. VMware Workstation is an easy-to-manage solution, and its support is really good compared to other market players. Overall, I rate VMware Workstation an eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution is much easier to manage than a bare metal machine. It is so easy to manage something through the virtual machine."
"For me, the setup of Hyper-V was an easy process, which took only one hour from start to finish."
"The most valuable feature of Hyper-V is the replica service."
"It is very easy to install. It can be done in a day."
"I like that it's easy to use."
"With each update, the security of this solution just gets better and better. It is very stable."
"It is a stable product."
"It utilizes the hardware so there are multiple applications running on one hypervisor."
"VMware Workstation allows multiple operating systems in the same physical machine."
"VMware Workstation works correctly and has more features compared to Oracle VirtualBox."
"It's stable."
"VMware is incredible and is designed for simple use. They help with efficiency."
"VMware Workstation works correctly and has more features compared to Oracle VirtualBox."
"It's really easy to build testing environments with VMware Player."
"Because the setup is so easy, this is a solution that can be used at a moment's notice."
"VMware Workstation allows you to run a virtual machine."
 

Cons

"I think there is room for improvement in terms of the cloud solutions."
"It's not completely stable because your stack becomes bloated."
"It should be deployed with OS so there is no need to install OS separately, only select the OS and get it ready."
"It would be nice if they provided a free management console that we could use to manage all of the hosts for no additional fee."
"The management interface is in need of the biggest improvement."
"When it comes to Hyper-V the worst thing is it's based on the Windows operating system. For the installation of Hyper-V, you're supposed to install the right operating system. For me, it's strange."
"There is a hard limitation of 20 gigs per file with Dropbox, so you've got to overcome that by chunking the zip files into something smaller and manageable."
"In my opinion, it would have been better to truncate the site-to-site replication."
"It would be better if software updates occur automatically."
"I need to buy a newer version of the tool to support Windows Server."
"The product is outdated."
"They could add more integration between them, and compatibility with the standard virtualization format."
"For some virtual machine configurations, you have to go to the text editor and make the configuration changes, which could be improved."
"VMware Player isn't downgradable, so if you have a later set of VMs, you need to upgrade it or figure out a workaround."
"It takes too much time to load all the plug-ins and software."
"The network configuration was not as easy as it could be and could take less time. We faced challenges with backup due to limitations in the free version, requiring us to switch to a paid version."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I recommend Hyper-V to customers with budget constraints."
"There is nothing extra required for Hyper-V apart from the licenses that one purchases to use Microsoft Windows."
"There is a license to use this solution and it is an annual purchase."
"Microsoft recently tacked on a higher price for their software to use the storage migration in the Storage Spaces Direct array. That was just terrible."
"Hyper-V is free-of-charge."
"It is one of the cheapest products in the market."
"Microsoft Hyper-V is not expensive and is easy to set up."
"I think I'm okay with the cost. There are no monthly or yearly costs or additional costs."
"You need to pay for a license, but I don't think it costs that much. I think it's a one-time payment."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The tool is not the cheapest."
"Licensing costs are paid on a yearly basis."
"VMware Workstation is an expensive solution in Asian countries."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being expensive."
"The pricing is a bit steep in my opinion for testing and there are other options."
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Comparison Review

it_user234735 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 10, 2015
Hyper-V 2012 R2 vs. VMware vSphere 5.5
I was won with Hyper-V 2012R2 recently and the table below based on customer RFP (edited). This articles all about technical, there is not related with TCO/ROI, licensing cost, “political”, etc. Another to noted is the Windows Server 2012 licenses is based on 2 socket CPU, meanwhile…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
37%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Government
5%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
Which VMware solution would you go with - Workstation or vSphere?
VM Workstation’s setup is so easy, you can use it almost instantly, it works well with Windows and Linux. We like VM Workstation primarily to test environments to determine how well a solution will...
What do you like most about VMware Workstation?
The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up.
What needs improvement with VMware Workstation?
The product's integration capabilities are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Large customer base from all industries, all over the world. Two major Hyper-V customers are Telefonica and EmpireCLS.
Akademiska Hus
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