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Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs VMware vSphere comparison

Nutanix and VMware are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. Nutanix is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.7, while VMware is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3. Nutanix holds a 8.2% mindshare in SVS, compared to VMware’s 17.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Nutanix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of VMware users who would recommend it.
Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Read 55 Nutanix AHV Virtualization reviews
  • 13,051 Views
  • 8,924 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
VMware vSphere
Read 454 VMware vSphere reviews
  • 29,259 Views
  • 24,243 Comparison Views
94% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

VMware vSphere and Nutanix AHV compete in the virtualization software market. VMware holds an edge with an extensive feature set and live migration capabilities, while Nutanix gains appeal through cost efficiency and simplicity.

Features: VMware vSphere includes crucial capabilities like High Availability, DRS, and vMotion for seamless migration and fault tolerance. Its advanced infrastructure management suits demanding business operations. In contrast, Nutanix AHV shines with simplicity and integration, featuring built-in virtualization within hyper-converged systems, allowing management without a secondary hypervisor.

Room for Improvement: VMware vSphere can be costly, with complex licensing that may pose challenges for smaller companies. There's room to enhance its stability and support. Nutanix AHV, despite ease of use, could improve its feature richness and expand third-party support. It also needs better adaptability for AI and data analytics.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware vSphere offers a robust deployment framework but demands technical expertise, ideal for larger IT environments. Customer support is strong yet can face delays. Nutanix AHV excels in quick and straightforward deployment within hyper-converged setups, paired with responsive customer service praised for efficiency.

Pricing and ROI: VMware vSphere often incurs high costs through a tiered licensing structure but provides significant ROI due to its vast feature set and stability. Nutanix AHV offers a competitive free-to-use model, appealing to budget-conscious businesses and lowering operational costs by eliminating multiple license requirements.

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To learn more, read our detailed Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs. VMware vSphere Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs. VMware vSphere
March 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.3
Nutanix AHV Virtualization reduces costs by 45%, enhances performance, and improves agility with 30% less downtime in three years.
Sentiment score
7.2
VMware vSphere reduces costs and enhances efficiency with virtualization, offering savings, agility, and improved resource utilization and scalability.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.8
Nutanix AHV Virtualization is acclaimed for its responsive, knowledgeable 24/7 support, with generally positive feedback despite occasional response delays.
Sentiment score
7.0
VMware vSphere's customer service is efficient and knowledgeable, but response times and complex issue handling can be inconsistent.
Their engineers are excellent and provide great supportability.
They provide prompt and quality responses.
For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix AHV Virtualization report
Priority one issues are usually addressed by engineers within one to two hours.
Recently, support has been less friendly and slower, especially after the company was acquired by Broadcom.
If we have issues, the support tends to be unreliable
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware vSphere report
Zack Baraci - PeerSpot reviewerJames Vailloo - PeerSpot reviewer
RJ
reviewer2621019 - PeerSpot reviewerYoussef Hmani - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Nutanix AHV Virtualization offers efficient scalability, easily expanding resources for diverse environments, making it ideal for growing businesses.
Sentiment score
7.4
VMware vSphere offers scalable, flexible environments with minimal downtime, seamless integration, and excellent performance across diverse hardware and business needs.
We can scale our systems easily without any downtime, making it a highly effective solution for dynamic environments.
Nutanix AHV Virtualization is very scalable; however, I might be underutilizing its capabilities.
For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix AHV Virtualization report
Scaling is easy, whether it is hyperconverged or a three-tier architecture.
VMware vSphere is highly scalable in terms of the number of users and the number of servers it can handle.
It is a highly scalable solution.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware vSphere report
Mithun Nidiyenga - PeerSpot reviewerZack Baraci - PeerSpot reviewerNeeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2621019 - PeerSpot reviewerYoussef Hmani - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
Nutanix AHV is praised for stability, reliability, seamless virtual management, proactive support, and integration with Nutanix infrastructure.
Sentiment score
8.0
VMware vSphere is highly stable and reliable, with minimal outages and quick resolution of issues, ideal for critical applications.
The solution is very stable.
Issues such as patch delays and the OVF format challenge affect its stability rating.
I would give the stability a seven out of ten at the moment, primarily due to the issues I've had with updates.
For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix AHV Virtualization report
It is a very stable hypervisor solution.
While they are generally stable, if outages occur, they tend to be due to brands like HP or Dell, not VMware vSphere itself.
I would rate the stability of VMware vSphere as eight out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware vSphere report
James Vailloo - PeerSpot reviewerMithun Nidiyenga - PeerSpot reviewerZack Baraci - PeerSpot reviewerNeeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2621019 - PeerSpot reviewerYoussef Hmani - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Room For Improvement

Nutanix AHV requires improved integration, interface optimization, better documentation, disaster recovery, automation, Linux support, and competitive pricing.
VMware vSphere needs pricing, interface, compatibility, management, integration, fault tolerance, performance, and technology support improvements due to user concerns.
This delay in patching creates risk, especially for government projects that require timely updates.
These menus often show options like host, memory, and disk, however, they fail to provide insight into what's happening.
Using Lenovo hardware seems problematic with Nutanix AHV Virtualization, which demands careful consideration during updates.
For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix AHV Virtualization report
The cost changed from perpetual to subscription, and there is a need for alternative solutions.
Another area is the stability during upgrades from older versions to newer versions, where we face issues.
Sometimes, it is difficult to find documentation for specific tools and solutions.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware vSphere report
Mithun Nidiyenga - PeerSpot reviewerJames Vailloo - PeerSpot reviewerZack Baraci - PeerSpot reviewerNeeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewerJawed Iqbal - PeerSpot reviewer
RJ
 

Setup Cost

Nutanix AHV provides cost-effective virtualization with no hypervisor fees, though additional licenses and high initial prices may apply.
VMware vSphere is costly but valued for advanced features and stability, especially in large-scale environments, warranting careful budgeting.
This has been advantageous as it does not require additional licensing costs for the hypervisor, contributing to overall cost savings.
Other solutions like Citrix and VMware have seen a significant price increase, whereas Nutanix hasn't increased as dramatically.
The pricing was reasonable compared to other competitors, though the storage was expensive.
For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix AHV Virtualization report
Many customers are trying to avoid it due to its high cost.
Costs significantly increased from perpetual to subscription, with prices rising by two to three times over three to five years.
The solution is too expensive.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware vSphere report
Mithun Nidiyenga - PeerSpot reviewerZack Baraci - PeerSpot reviewerJames Vailloo - PeerSpot reviewerYoussef Hmani - PeerSpot reviewerNeeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2621019 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Valuable Features

Nutanix AHV excels in user-friendliness, cost-efficiency, scalability, flexible management, and robust data protection, enhancing virtual environment operations.
VMware vSphere offers centralized management and flexibility, enhancing data center efficiency with strong security and fast, efficient operations.
It is easier to manage than VMware in some ways, providing a good level of interaction.
The technology behind the backups is very efficient, enabling a reliable virtual environment.
For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix AHV Virtualization report
The vMotion feature is beneficial for online migration of virtual machines from one host to another without downtime.
The tool is highly available, which is crucial for implementing critical applications requiring 24/7 availability.
The high availability feature is significant.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware vSphere report
Zack Baraci - PeerSpot reviewerJames Vailloo - PeerSpot reviewerNeeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2621019 - PeerSpot reviewerJawed Iqbal - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware vSphere
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
454
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of Nutanix AHV Virtualization is 8.2%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware vSphere is 17.3%, down from 19.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Virtualization Software
 

Featured Reviews

Mithun Nidiyenga - PeerSpot reviewer
Achieves seamless upgrades and cost efficiency while managing virtualization
One issue we encountered is with third-party vendors who provide customized images in OVF format, a VMware virtualization format. When we customize these images for Nutanix AHV, some vendors refuse to support them, stating they've been altered. Another area for improvement is in the patching process. Nutanix releases product patches every three months, while the underlying systems like the backend operating system receive weekly updates, causing a gap. This delay in patching creates risk, especially for government projects that require timely updates.
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Neeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewer
Streamlines virtualization and has features like high availability and vMotion
The primary use case is for virtualization, including the implementation of vSphere, vCloud Foundation, vCloud Director, and cloud automation with vSphere My customers, particularly SMBs, mainly utilize High Availability (HA), DRS, and vMotion features. The vMotion feature is beneficial for…
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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…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
28%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
30%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Nutanix AHV compare with VMware vSphere?
To understand which is better - Nutanix AHV or VMware vSphere - you need to do a product comparison. Both products support hypervisors. However, Nutanix supports some of the most popular ones and m...
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What do you like most about Nutanix AHV Virtualization?
Integration is the most valuable feature of the product.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nutanix AHV Virtualization?
Nutanix offers a lower price compared to other solutions. This has been advantageous as it does not require additional licensing costs for the hypervisor, contributing to overall cost savings.
See all answers
What is IOMMU?
DEEPEN DHULLA did explain well IOMMU. IOMMU has to be activated at the bios level. It exists on Intel and AMD platforms. It is used a lot inside virtualization platforms like VMware VSphere. It pr...
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Why KVM??? Help please!
We use VMware and KVM. We find that KVM is a lot simpler to use and it provides the virtualization we need for Linux and Windows. For us, VMware does not offer any advantage. Moreover, KVM is free.
See all answers
What is the biggest difference between Nutanix Acropolis and VMware vSphere?
We found the reduced power consumption with Nutanix Acropolis AOS a very attractive feature. We also like the interface that allows you to talk directly to your VM from the present software. We fou...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Hyper-V vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization Logo
Hyper-V vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Compared 32% of the time
Proxmox VE vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization Logo
Proxmox VE vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Compared 24% of the time
KVM vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization Logo
KVM vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Compared 20% of the time
Citrix XenServer vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization Logo
Citrix XenServer vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Compared 5% of the time
XCP-ng virtualization platform vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization Logo
XCP-ng virtualization platform vs Nutanix AHV Virtualization
Compared 5% of the time
More Nutanix AHV Virtualization Competitors
Hyper-V vs VMware vSphere Logo
Hyper-V vs VMware vSphere
Compared 24% of the time
Oracle VM vs VMware vSphere Logo
Oracle VM vs VMware vSphere
Compared 14% of the time
Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere Logo
Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere
Compared 13% of the time
RHEV vs VMware vSphere Logo
RHEV vs VMware vSphere
Compared 10% of the time
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs VMware vSphere Logo
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs VMware vSphere
Compared 3% of the time
More VMware vSphere Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Nutanix AHV Virtualization
March 2025
Nutanix AHV Virtualization reportDownload Nutanix AHV Virtualization product report
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
March 2025
VMware vSphere reportDownload VMware vSphere product report
 

Overview

Nutanix AHV is a secure, enterprise-grade solution for intuitive virtualization and container management. It streamlines operations and simplifies management for all your workloads and environments.
Nutanix

VMware vSphere is a versatile virtualization platform known for its ease of use, flexibility, and high availability. It supports seamless migration, optimal resource allocation, and centralized management, making it highly suitable for diverse infrastructure needs.

VMware vSphere is widely adopted for its virtualization capabilities that enhance hardware efficiency and ensure minimal downtime through features like High Availability and Distributed Resource Scheduler. Despite criticisms about high licensing costs and limited fault tolerance, it remains a preferred choice due to its stability, scalability, and robust integration options. Users appreciate its efficiency in managing virtual machines and hosting enterprise applications, although challenges with web client performance and hardware compatibility are noted. Organizations often look for better integration with cloud services and enhanced automation and scalability.

What are the core features of VMware vSphere?
  • vMotion: Enables seamless migration of virtual machines without downtime.
  • Distributed Resource Scheduler: Optimizes resource allocation across hosts.
  • High Availability: Minimizes downtime by automatically restarting virtual machines.
  • Centralized Management: Facilitates easy management of virtualized environments.
  • Advanced Security: Provides robust security measures and compliance features.
What benefits and ROI can businesses look for?
  • Reduced Operational Costs: Efficiently utilizes hardware, saving on expenses.
  • Scalability: Easily scales to meet growing business demands.
  • Business Continuity: Ensures high availability and disaster recovery.
  • Integration Flexibility: Supports integration with various technologies.

VMware vSphere is implemented across sectors like healthcare, finance, and education for server virtualization, data center management, and private cloud creation. Its use in facilitating business-critical operations ensures high availability and efficient resource use, supporting both development and production environments.

VMware
 

Sample Customers

JetBlue, International Speedway Corporation, SAIC Volkswagen
Abu Dhabi Ports Company, ACS, AIA New Zealand, Consona, Corporate Express, CS Energy, and Digiweb.
Buyer's Guide
Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs. VMware vSphere
March 2025
Free Report: Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs. VMware vSphere
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