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KVM vs Oracle VM VirtualBox vs VMware Workstation comparison

 

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Executive Summary
 

Mindshare comparison

Server Virtualization Software
Server Virtualization Software
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

Lan Tuong - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful to manage the virtual environments
The most valuable features of KVM for us are the console, which allows us to build or clone VMs quickly, and the ability to take snapshots and recreate new VMs rapidly. That's one of the things we love about KVM. The built-in management console, Auto KVM, is the most valuable tool for managing our virtual environments. We use it most to create and fire up new VMs or clone them for customers based on requests. The migration tools have worked quite well for us. We're moving from an Oracle Solaris platform for KVM logical domains, upgrading, and using KVM from Red Hat. It's slightly different but very similar to Oracle Unbreakable Linux, which is basically a clone of Red Hat. Oracle's console is easier to use than Red Hat's, though.
Tomasz Pietas - PeerSpot reviewer
Good functionality and free to use with a useful snapshot feature
The functionality and productivity are very good. I can test and roll back features in my work. It's a big platform. It's very useful. I like that it has a snapshot feature. The virtual network is great. There are a lot of features. It has everything I need. The product is free to use. It's easy to set up.
Phanindar Ada - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers ease of deployment and use along with a comfortable configuration process to be handled
The tool's performance is really good, so I can rate it a ten out of ten. The product did meet my expectations by allowing me to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up. I took care of the integration part of VMware Workstation with vSphere. I describe the product's documentation as a good area. My company gets complaints about technical notes from VMware. My company does face limitations with the product, and it is based on the licenses that we have purchased from VMware. I rate the overall product a ten 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

"I like that this is an open-source solution. It is very powerful, and it's easy."
"The performance is great."
"KVM has a rich options set which can be directly used or via wrappers, such as libvirt."
"I find the density of the product most valuable. It is density that a technologist can just assign page merging. This is what makes KVM one of the important players of the virtualization market."
"Very cost-effective."
"The most valuable feature is hypervisor. I can host at the same time different operating systems in Linux Windows."
"I like that it's easy to manage. It's also more powerful when it comes to security than others. That point of view is the one consideration. The other consideration is that it's cost-effective."
"Our production servers are running in Linux, and this solution supports that environment well."
"Oracle VM Virtualbox is easy to use and does not require much training."
"I like that Oracle VM is safe and stable. It is also very easy to administer. For example, opening a VM or adding a host adapter is extremely easy."
"This product is extremely easy to install, use, has a great GUI and is incredibly stable."
"It's very simple to use."
"The snapshot feature is very powerful; it protects us from disaster."
"The initial setup was straightforward."
"I like that it is free and runs on Linux/Ubuntu - I wouldn't use any other solution. I am able to perform small developing tests."
"Technical support is good."
"VMware Workstation allows you to run a virtual machine."
"The product is really easy to use."
"It's stable."
"The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up."
"We are able to simultaneously run multiple operating systems in a single machine and have virtually no performance hit."
"Because the setup is so easy, this is a solution that can be used at a moment's notice."
"Having ten people working off a single piece of hardware reduces costs."
"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is an easy-to-use product."
 

Cons

"I think the management console has room for improvement. It could be more straightforward and user-friendly, like VMware's Console Management. This would make it easier for system admins to use and reduce training needs."
"The solution’s user interface could be improved and made more user-friendly."
"The virtual manager and the graphical QEMU for KVM need some improvement."
"Some things are pretty basic, and they could be more robust with more detail."
"The networking with wireless devices needs improvement."
"Its resource usage can be improved."
"I have encountered difficulties in getting the tool's documentation."
"Although KVM meets our expectations, it can be somewhat fragmented with numerous management tools available, making it difficult to determine which tool to use."
"They could improve the graphics functionality of the product."
"The solution is a bit less stable than I would like."
"There are a few bugs that need to be updated."
"The solution is not flexible."
"Oracle VM VirtualBox doesn't work properly with an antivirus tool."
"This should have better support for multiple network cards and some parts of the GUI should be improved."
"One valuable feature would be for it to work right the first time but it doesn't necessarily do that."
"Oracle VM VirtualBox is not flexible, It's not like VMware."
"It would be helpful if VMware Workstation included an in-built monitoring tool for monitoring things."
"The solution should provide a guide on its installation."
"It takes too much time to load all the plug-ins and software."
"It would be better if software updates occur automatically."
"It could have more platforms and CPUs."
"The price of VMware Workstation is an area of concern where improvements are needed."
"The price of VMware Workstation could improve."
"I need to buy a newer version of the tool to support Windows Server."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"One only needs a subscription to Oracle Linux. So, it's cheaper with Oracle Linux's subscription. It is not very expensive. In short, the solution is open source, and you need only a subscription."
"​It is free and can be run from your laptop, if needed, unlike VMware.​"
"KVM is priced reasonably."
"I use KVM for free through Proxmox, which offers a free license alternative."
"The product's pricing is above average but cheaper than that of VMware. I can't provide specific licensing costs, but we have a contract with Red Hat for client support that covers everything. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees."
"I use the free version of KVM, and I'm not sure if there is a paid version."
"KVM is an open-source solution."
"The price is fair compared to others. But in our local market, it's a problem to get budget approval from management. That's why they are trying to get those products so we can give them the price benefit. But if you consider the international market or other products, it's sometimes better than their price."
"Available for free use"
"This is an open-source product and it can be used free of charge."
"It is a very cost-effective solution."
"Oracle should consider reducing the cost of the product."
"The tool is not as expensive as other products."
"No licensing is required as it is open-source."
"The solution is free."
"There are no licensing fees."
"The product has a moderate price."
"The product is expensive."
"The tool is not the cheapest."
"You need to pay for a license, but I don't think it costs that much. I think it's a one-time payment."
"The cost differs depending on the customer's requirement."
"VMware is expensive. Licensing can be tricky. For example, I recently had a client running VMware vSphere Essentials and wanted to migrate to a more scalable solution. However, they had no choice but to purchase a completely new license and deploy a completely new instance of VMware."
"The price of the solution per workstation is approximately 200 Francs annually. We pay a total of 800 francs. Everything is included in the price such as the support."
"The licensing costs are cheap. I pay approximately $100 per year."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Why KVM??? Help please!
KVM scales better, orchestration better, performs better and supports a wider range of hardware and, also, you can im...
Why KVM??? Help please!
Small support team, small cluster, low core count, use VMware products Large support team, large clusters with many c...
Why KVM??? Help please!
Far from being an expert, my opinion is that the positive sides of KVM are: Lower costs and open-source which gives ...
How does KVM compare to Oracle VM VirtualBox?
KVM is easy to use, stable and flexible. It is mature and very fast. It is an affordable open-source solution that is...
What do you like most about Oracle VM VirtualBox?
The product’s most valuable feature is the ability to manage multiple operating systems through one application.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle VM VirtualBox?
The pricing is flexible. When Oracle bought VirtualBox, they introduced some licensing issues. However, it did not af...
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 ...
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.
 

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Sample Customers

MediaWiki, Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Wikidata, Wikiversity, Commons
Airbus, Colorado State University, SCS Africa, Wolf Medical Systems.
Akademiska Hus
Find out what your peers are saying about Proxmox, VMware, Microsoft and others in Server Virtualization Software. Updated: November 2024.
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