Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure comparison

Nutanix and Red Hat are both solutions in the HCI category. Nutanix is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6, while Red Hat is ranked #25. Nutanix holds a 8.3% mindshare in HCI, compared to Red Hat’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Nutanix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructur...

Read 197 Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) reviews

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94% willing to recommend

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infr...

Read 6 Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure reviews

505 Views
363 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructur...

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infr...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure and Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure compete in the hyperconverged infrastructure market. Nutanix takes an edge with streamlined management and public-private cloud integration, while Red Hat has the advantage of open-source flexibility and strong security.

Features: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure is known for its hypervisors, scalability, and disaster recovery capabilities. Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure stands out with notable data protection, open-source software integration, and robust security. Nutanix is also recognized for its accessible management and automation, whereas Red Hat's flexibility is due to its open-source structure.

Room for Improvement: Nutanix could enhance pricing transparency, improve support for hybrid cloud integrations, and expand open-source compatibility. Red Hat might work on simplifying deployment, integrating advanced management features, and reducing the need for specialized knowledge in deployment processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Nutanix provides streamlined deployment with comprehensive documentation and responsive customer support, making it easy to integrate in various environments. On the other hand, Red Hat benefits from open-source adaptability but requires more specialized knowledge for deployment. Nutanix excels in implementation speed, while Red Hat is recognized for customizable support options.

Pricing and ROI: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure typically has higher upfront costs but promises substantial ROI through its robust features and scalability, especially in hybrid cloud models. Red Hat generally offers lower initial costs and delivers long-term value via its open-source model and strong security features, enhancing ROI with strategic integrations.

To learn more, read our detailed Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure

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:

Categories and Ranking

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructur...

Ranking in HCI

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

197

Ranking in other categories

Software Defined Storage (SDS) (3rd), Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) (1st), Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms (4th)

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infr...

Ranking in HCI

25th

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the HCI category, the mindshare of Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) is 8.3%, down from 8.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure is 0.7%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

HCI

Featured Reviews

MahendraPanchotiya

Infrastructure Manager at ER Tech Pros

Offers a unified platform, reduces downtime, and simple updates

Nutanix offers a unified platform for managing databases, virtual machines, and applications. This simplifies management by consolidating everything into a single interface. While Nutanix may have a higher upfront cost compared to other hypervisors, it can significantly reduce the resources needed for infrastructure management. With our previous hypervisor, we needed nearly ten IT personnel. Nutanix has allowed us to streamline our team to just three members. We use a combination of database technologies, including SQL databases and web servers such as IIS, BHP, and NGINX. Nutanix features helped our organization reduce downtime. I don't recall the last time we had downtime related to Nutanix because it is such a stable product. Nutanix, a reliable product, helps us streamline our processes, which in turn improves company revenue. We began to see the benefits after two years, with a 40 percent reduction in operational costs. We migrated 200 servers from AWS to Nutanix. Nutanix may not consolidate applications, but it helps us run them more efficiently on its platform. Updating is simple with one click. I would rate the updating processes 10 out of 10. Adding compute and storage on demand is not difficult. However, we need to factor in the existing and new firmware and software requirements.

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systemar777972

System Architect at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Comes in a small, compact model that does not have any separate management but it is not so stable

This product is not so stable. Maybe it is just not mature enough in its development. When we upgrading from one version to another, there have been some hiccups. There have been a few times where upgraded features cause changes that make problems with existing implementation on the deployment side. I'm not sure if I really need any new features in this product at this point. For us, it is a fixed solution. It's not a full-blown solution and doesn't need to be. It is not really a cloud product, but we use it like some kind of cloud in a box. It is very limited in our use case. It has limited capability in general. You can not really have something like private security domains. Or there are so few servers that you can not really use the different kinds of applications you could with different physical servers. So you cannot select the kind of security that you can have on a cloud with separate layers.

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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

"The most valuable features are the RBAC, role-based access control, and the reporting. NCI also provides a single platform, a single pane with a dashboard, to manage the entire infrastructure. We have complete information about overall utilization, performance, and a forecast for our platform in that single pane."

"It is easy to use. One of the things they have as a design goal is to reduce complexity and simplify things."

"The features that I have found most valuable include its HA facility, viability, robustness, flexibility, it's time to go live is very short, and it has a friendly user interface."

"Some of the most valuable features of Nutanix Acropolis are that it's free from Nutanix and it's very stable."

"The initial setup was quite straightforward."

"I definitely find the reduced power consumption very valuable."

"Great flexibility and scalability."

"We like that the size of the box is 1U or 2U only, and all the servers are fit into that box. The ease of operation is there. All the servers and the SAN storage are inside the box."

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) pros

"The size of the hardware is what we need because it is very good for small configurations."

"It is stable and scalable."

"The most useful feature is the solution's automation in terms of how we are able to spin up a certain workload in real-time when we are doing R&D."

"I like that you can add other types of services."

"Both the scalability and stability of this solution are excellent."

"The consolidation of the management in one control point is the most valuable. The whole infrastructure management is consolidated in just one console point. The documentation is also pretty good."

Cons

"In terms of the IT different categories, I would like for the governing sections to be able to use it in the IT department. If they can have something like a one view management portal or software similar to VMware that would be an added value."

"Notifications could be improved as they're not currently very useful."

"Nutanix now supports four hypervisors but they are not all at feature parity."

"I would have liked it if Nutanix were a hardware as well as a software platform."

"The compatibility and integration of Nutanix Acropolis AOS could be improved. For example, we have a WAF application firewall and it does not work on this solution. Not all the OS's run on AOS. You need to have a newer version of an operating system if you want Nutanix to perfectly run all the different options."

"As of now, Acropolis and VMware cannot talk to each other. Until we have some kind of interface, it would be much better for Nutanix if they built an interface which can talk. Otherwise, if I have a VMware stack and I already have a Nutanix stack, I create containers, I create clusters on VMware, I create clusters on Nutanix. All of these clusters cannot talk to each other. Then it has to be then subverted as a parallel execution. What happens then is that I have to work in two different environments within my data center. Practically, they are two different data centers but physically and logically, they are one. If they cannot talk to each other that creates a lot of issues. That is something which Nutanix has to develop because for Nutanix it is very simple. For example, Oracle is using a function called GoldenGate. They have a feature called GoldenGate which allows them to talk to various different environments which must really help."

"It would be ideal if it was more secure."

"USB dongle-based licenses do not allow us to directly locate the USB ports on Nutanix."

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) cons

"The licensing policy needs to be improved. They have a licensing policy based on the number of CPU sockets. Nowadays what has happened is that the license they are trying to move is based on the number of CPU cores. With the advancement in technology there are now more cores in a single CPU. It's been very challenging in terms of managing the license around everything. Today we have a processor with 24 and 32 cores on the same physical CPU."

"The main issue is the initial investment. It is an expensive product, and it should be cheaper. It should also be easier to use and manage. The professional service for this solution is quite complex and expensive."

"The cloud deployment could be improved."

"This product is not so stable. Maybe it is just not mature enough in its development."

"It should be more user-friendly, in my opinion."

"It is not user-friendly, and it is very difficult to operate. You have to have a deep understanding of the technical details of the infrastructure to implement it. When you compare it with VMware, it is totally different because the graphical user interface is not that easy to understand. It is not intuitive. To use it, you have to read a lot of documentation and even understand what is going on behind the solution. It is not for someone who has a little bit of knowledge. Currently, it is too complex. I need something that is easy to implement. It should have a basic configuration as well as a complex configuration."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We renew our license on a yearly basis and have no costs in addition to the standard fee."

"Cost-wise, it is very good. It is like the hypervisor cost is not there. We only need to pay for the system and AOS licenses."

"My advice is to get the ultimate license, as it is worth it."

"I would rate the price seven out of ten with ten being the most expensive."

"Our Nutanix license is for five years. There is a support arrangement there, but that aspect is more or less taken care of during the initial installation. With HCI architecture, whenever we do any kind of auto scaling or scaling of servers and resources, there is a significant amount of software licensing involved."

"Reconsidering the licensing packages could reduce the price, especially for companies that may not need all the bells and whistles. Many of the features are based on open-source software, so there's potential to offer more flexible pricing options. Additionally, with the right expertise, companies could potentially create similar environments themselves, reducing the need for extensive support and licensing costs. I rate its pricing a six out of ten. The tool costs around 300,000 dollars per year."

"The pricing is fair for the package."

"This product is less expensive than some of the competing HCI solutions."

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) pricing and cost advice

"It is quite pricey."

"Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure is an open-sourced, low-cost solution with full features."

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Comparison Review

it_user244362

Managing Consultant with 51-200 employees

Aug 30, 2015

Nutanix vs. VMware EVO:RAIL vs. FlexPod

Originally posted at www.storagegaga.com/dont-get-too-drunk-on-hyper-converged/ I hate the fact that I am bursting the big bubble brewing about Hyper Convergence (HC). I urge all to look past the hot air and hype frenzy that are going on, because in the end, the HC platforms have to be aligned…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

36%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

22%

Manufacturing Company

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Real Estate/Law Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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...

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How do I choose between Cisco Hyperflex HX Series and Nutanix Acropolis AOS?

Cisco HyperFlex HS series vs Nutanix Acropolis AOS Cisco HyperFlex gives extended hyper-convergence functions from core to edge and multi-cloud environments. It helps IT and OT teams deploy hyper...

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Which would you choose - Nutanix Acropolis AOS or VMware vSAN?

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Comparisons

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Compared 8% of the time

VMware vSphere vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 7% of the time

Dell PowerFlex vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 6% of the time

HPE SimpliVity vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 6% of the time

VMware vSAN vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 48% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

VxRail vs Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure

Compared 13% of the time

Sangfor HCI - Hyper Converged Infrastructure vs Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure

Compared 13% of the time

HPE SimpliVity vs Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure

Compared 10% of the time

More Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

March 2025

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) report

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HCI

March 2025

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure report

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Also Known As

Nutanix Acropolis AOS, Nutanix AOS, Nutanix Acropolis

Red Hat HCI, Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure for Virtualization

Overview

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) is a top-ranking HCI software, cloud management tool, and Software Defined Storage (SDS) tool that is marketed as the foundation for users' hybrid clouds. It offers a powerful and secure hyperconverged infrastructure to deliver all data and applications at any scale and on any cloud. The solution offers a complete software stack that allows users to unify their hybrid cloud infrastructure.

NCI’s services include computer, storage and network, hypervisors and containers, and deployment in public or in private clouds. The product also comes with built-in resilience, disaster recovery capabilities, self-healing, and high-security capacities. It provides further deployment flexibility through several software and hardware options and platforms. NCI includes a full set of enterprise capabilities. It can also be deployed on a wide range of servers from popular manufacturers.

The capabilities of the product are categorized into three main groups:

AOS storage
Flexible and open compute
Automated and secure networking

Outside of these categories, NCI also offers other capabilities:

Integrated disaster recovery
Full-stack lifecycle management
VMware with Nutanix
Intelligent operations

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) Features

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) offers its customers various features and tools in each of the previously mentioned categories. The available features for users currently include:

High-performance: This set of features utilizes hardware advances such as NVMe and RDMA to accelerate users' most demanding applications with consistent performance. The tools in this feature category work alongside data locality to ensure successful results.
Foolproof resiliency: These Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure features protect data and keep it available by facilitating advanced distributed consistency algorithms. Users can utilize these features to protect their data from issues like bit rot, hardware failures, and even entire site failure.
Flexibility: This set of features allows storage to be sized for the needs of each organization and expanded promptly and easily so that the organization and its data can grow. The features offer flexibility to users in terms of applying storage policies logically on a pre-workload basis, instead of being tied to hardware.
Hypervisor choice: Users can choose from the leading hypervisors - Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware ESXi. They can also leverage the built-in hypervisor AHV that Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) provides.
Integrated virtualization: These features offer simplified automation and AHV streamlined operations. The services in this category are optimized for high performance and reliability.
Kubernetes: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) offers features to build and deploy cloud-native applications on intelligent distributed infrastructure. Apps can be integrated with cloud-compatible storage and both building and deployment can be achieved within the same platform.
Microsegmentation: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) offers features to prevent malware spread and reduce attack surfaces by leveraging machine learning (ML).
Virtual networking: This set of features allows users to easily implement multi-tenancy in their environment or stretch networks across clouds.
Centralized network management: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) provides organizations with a way to manage networking configurations centrally. Users can utilize it across their human-computer interaction (HCI) environment with simple virtual switch management.

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) Benefits

The product offers various benefits to users who utilize its capacities. Some of these include:

NCI reduces technology sprawl and frees up technical resources to allow organizations to focus on other activities, potentially reducing costs for the business.
The product allows customers to deploy, scale, and bridge to the public cloud to be able to react in evolving business environments.
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure improves data availability while simultaneously protecting it against several kinds of failures and attacks.
The solution offers high-performance, resilient distributed storage for all workloads.
Working alongside Nutanix Cloud Platform, NCI offers simple management of data from one console.
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure works by the zero trust philosophy, protecting users' apps and data through specially designed security protocols.

Reviews from Real Users

According to Gerhard J., an IT manager at Q4 Fuel, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) provides serious reliability and stability across the entire system makes for ROI.

A solutions architect at a computer software company describes NCI as a stable, straightforward to set up, and scalable solution.

Nutanix

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure - based on our leading OpenStack and virtualization platforms - provides co-located, scalable, software-defined compute and storage, driven by Red Hat Ansible Automation on economical, industry-standard hardware.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

St. Lukes Health System, the City of Seattle, Yahoo! Japan, Sligro, Empire Life, Hyundai AUS, and many others.

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Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure

March 2025

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