Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs vCenter Orchestrator comparison

Microsoft and VMware are both solutions in the Process Automation category. Microsoft is ranked #19 with an average rating of 9.0, while VMware is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.1. Microsoft holds a 0.8% mindshare in PA, compared to VMware’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 33% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of VMware users who would recommend it.

Microsoft System Center Orc...

Read 2 Microsoft System Center Orchestrator reviews

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314 Comparison Views

33% willing to recommend

vCenter Orchestrator

Read 50 vCenter Orchestrator reviews

165 Views
127 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Microsoft System Center Orc...

vCenter Orchestrator

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

vCenter Orchestrator and Microsoft System Center Orchestrator are automation management products for virtual environments. System Center Orchestrator appears to have an advantage due to its comprehensive feature set and integration capabilities.

Features: vCenter Orchestrator integrates smoothly with VMware, enhancing workflow automation and resource management. Its simplicity makes it a strong choice for users seeking efficient VMware automation. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator offers integration across multiple systems, facilitating diverse automation tasks and operational agility, with its variety in integration showcasing adaptability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: vCenter Orchestrator provides a streamlined deployment process for VMware users, supported by a robust service network. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator also features easy deployment, particularly in Microsoft environments, benefiting from comprehensive documentation and customer support. It shows flexibility in deployment options, supporting extensive implementation assistance.

Pricing and ROI: vCenter Orchestrator has a straightforward pricing structure with competitive setup costs, positively affecting ROI for VMware users. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator may entail higher initial costs but its extensive functionality and integration offer long-term value, reflecting a favorable ROI through versatile automation capabilities. The decision may depend on budget constraints versus future-proof automation investments.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs. vCenter Orchestrator Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs. vCenter Orchestrator

April 2025

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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

Microsoft System Center Orc...

Ranking in Process Automation

19th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

vCenter Orchestrator

Ranking in Process Automation

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of Microsoft System Center Orchestrator is 0.8%, down from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of vCenter Orchestrator is 0.2%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Process Automation

Featured Reviews

Dan Campeanu

Security Engineer at ProVision

Automates tasks and manages multiple servers from a central location

The initial setup was quite complex. It required careful preparation of installation steps, as many tasks were not automated as expected. Special attention was needed to prepare groups, users, and permissions at each step to ensure a smooth setup process. Please do so accurately to avoid having to start over. Challenges encountered during deployment included issues with installation and configuration and difficulties detecting machines and executing tasks as expected. Some solutions were found through trial and error during installation, while others were discovered through recommendations from other users. Despite these challenges, the deployment and rollout of Orchestrator took approximately one and a half months to ensure proper functionality.

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David Villota

EMEA Hosting Engineer at Yanfeng Automotive

Provides automatic monitoring capabilities that save time for users

In my company's IT environment, we use the tool to deploy production environments for products, including live manufacturing systems. The product improves my company's IT automation processes since we can use fewer resources currently. In my company, we need to spend less time considering that vCenter Orchestrator monitors everything. In general, we don't have to be present in our company to do active monitoring. Automatic monitoring is available for everything with vCenter Orchestrator, so we have proactive alerts in our company. The most valuable feature of the product in streamlining our company's workflow stems from the fact that we need to spend fewer resources and less time in general. Our company can spend time on more effective tasks like working with the plans to improve processes and so on, instead of taking care of the systems. The benefits of the product's integration capabilities were useful for HPE. My company has HPE infrastructure, and we are keen to integrate everything into the host, VMware ESXi. It is really important to have an easy integration method that allows for everything to be installed easily in a matter of minutes. I was not involved in the product's setup process. My colleague took care of the product's setup process. From what I know, I can say that the product's setup phase was straightforward. Some custom setups were to be done manually in the tool, but everything was well documented. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. One of the benefits of the product is that it is a low-cost and stable solution that offers a lot of resources. I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Automation is the most valuable feature of the solution."

"It can manage multiple servers and workstations from a single location."

"vCenter Orchestrator is very reliable and stable."

"The most valuable feature for us is the performance stability of vCenter Orchestrator, especially in complex situations, making it excellent for managing virtual machines."

"The most valuable feature is how easy it makes it to manage the VM."

"The most crucial feature of vCenter is its scalability. We can use it to expand our network, so we don't have to report our client devices. The network configuration features are also helpful because we can migrate entire networks."

"I am impressed with the tool's easiness to work with VMware solutions."

"The product's integration is good, it works well with other programs and solutions."

"The technical support services are excellent."

"In regards to the workflows, the fact that we can actually have a full dashboard library of all the existing workflows on this is great. We can see all the workflows and what all the actions do and can work with scripts."

More vCenter Orchestrator pros

Cons

"The product's management aspect needs enhancement."

"I find the Orchestrator UI to be problematic."

"Storage has room for improvement. It's a big problem for our solution. The interface also needs improvement, it should be simplified."

"I believe vCenter Orchestrator should be part of VMware vSphere's basic bundle. As a product, vCenter Orchestrator should not be licensed at all because the world has progressed way beyond what it can offer."

"This is an expensive solution."

"The cost of the solution is high."

"The only problem with the product is that it is very expensive, making it an area where improvements are required."

"The interface could be improved to bring greater user-friendliness and ease of use."

"The GUI should be enhanced in the future."

"vCenter Orchestrator's debugging capacity could be improved."

More vCenter Orchestrator cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I give the cost of the solution a five out of ten."

"We obtained a license that bundled Windows Server with System Center at no additional cost."

"The concept of hyper-convergence is smart. I don't know if it can be applied with less cost to be more affordable for small or medium-sized companies. The cost is a very important factor for it. We are currently depending on SAN storage. However, the hyper-converged solutions are depending on the storage within the hosts, such as vSAN in the VMware. It is a smart solution."

"The solution is a bit expensive."

"My company needs to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."

"We provide the VMware solution to our clients, for which they pay a perpetual license."

"The licensing cost is manageable because they have different versions available, standard, essential, and advanced."

"vCenter Orchestrator could be more affordable."

"We renew the solution's license every one or two years."

"My organization didn't have to pay extra for vCenter Orchestrator. It was already included, so it's basically free. Even VMware regular support is included."

More vCenter Orchestrator pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

23%

Financial Services Firm

18%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft System Center Orchestrator?

It can manage multiple servers and workstations from a single location.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft System Center Orchestrator?

The platform was almost free of cost for us. We obtained a license that bundled Windows Server with System Center at no additional cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft System Center Orchestrator?

The product's management aspect needs enhancement. It affects the visibility of powerful scripts that were previously accessible. Furthermore, the focus is shifting towards cloud-based features, sp...

See all answers

What do you like most about vCenter Orchestrator?

The stability of the product is very good.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vCenter Orchestrator?

We're running a low-profile budget. This is not our main focus on investment technology, so we're trying to reduce costs due to the change from perpetual to subscription licenses.

See all answers

What needs improvement with vCenter Orchestrator?

After the change from perpetual licensing to subscriptions, the cost model changed. We are considering alternatives since we lost the perpetual aspect, and support is changing.

See all answers

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Rundeck vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 12% of the time

OpenText Operations Orchestration vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 11% of the time

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VMware Aria Automation vs vCenter Orchestrator

Compared 56% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

VMware Cloud Director vs vCenter Orchestrator

Compared 12% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Process Automation

April 2025

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator report

Download Microsoft System Center Orchestrator product report

Buyer's Guide

vCenter Orchestrator

March 2025

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Also Known As

MS System Center Orchestrator

No data available

Overview

As an IT administrator, you probably perform a lot of tasks and procedures to keep your computing environment healthy. You may have automated individual tasks, but typically, not the whole process. With System Center - Orchestrator you tie disparate tasks and procedures together using a graphical user interface Runbook Designer to create reliable, flexible, and efficient end-to-end solutions in your IT environment.

Microsoft

VMware vCenter Orchestrator simplifies the automation of complex IT tasks and integrates with VMware vCloud Suite components to adapt and extend service delivery and operational management, effectively working with existing infrastructure, tools and processes.

VMware

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Beiersdorf Shared Services

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs. vCenter Orchestrator

April 2025

Free Report: Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs. vCenter Orchestrator

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