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Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs VMware Cloud Foundation comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

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 Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
197
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Storage (SDS) (3rd), HCI (3rd), Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) (1st)
VMware Cloud Foundation
Ranking in Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms category, the mindshare of Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) is 5.6%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Cloud Foundation is 23.5%, up from 22.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

MahendraPanchotiya - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
NiteshKumar1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers automated deployment features that enhances operational efficiency and simplifying complex tasks
Cost is a big factor. Clients want a reduced price. Ease of use is definitely there – the VMware interface is user-friendly. But cost is a challenge when convincing clients, especially for large deals. They understand the value proposition of VMware's reliability, and they're willing to pay a premium for it as long as it's guaranteed in writing. Clients signing multi-million dollar deals are primarily concerned with reliability. They're willing to pay a premium for a guaranteed level of reliability that's spelled out in the agreement. If they pay a significant amount and we can't convince them of the solution's reliability, then it won't be a successful implementation.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Some of the most valuable features of Nutanix Acropolis are that it's free from Nutanix and it's very stable."
"The most valuable feature would be the ease of deployment. That is the most significant feature for me because I've worked with multiple vendors and it's always been very complicated to install the software and get everything running."
"The most valuable features of Nutanix Acropolis AOS are storage and hyper-converged. The solution is easy to use and the administration is very good."
"The scalability is great."
"We have had good feedback from our customers about this solution."
"I have found the solution to be stable."
"Single-click upgrades are the most valuable feature. In the sector in which we work, it is tough to have downtime and arrange firmware upgrades."
"We are suggesting Nutanix to the management because of scalability and time efficiency."
"The solution's most valuable features are automated provisioning, network, and storage."
"The solution is very stable."
"VMware Cloud Foundation makes it easy to set up new environments. You get hosts in a pool, which you can build into a new cluster."
"The tool's UI is great."
"The most valuable area is the ECS environment which includes many features."
"The most valuable feature is the ease of migrating from on-premises infrastructure when transitioning away from older systems."
"VMware Cloud Foundation's most valuable features are password and certificate management. The SDDC manager tool is the front tool we are using to manage the entire VCF stack. In the SDDC manager, we can able to rotate, and update the passwords of all users. Anything in the VMware portfolio, we can manage from a single dashboard and we have various data centers. We have connected everything into one Federation. From one single place, we are managing our entire virtual interactions."
"The ability to auto-scale is the most valuable feature."
 

Cons

"Compatible with third party hardware, but it's still very limited."
"It would be great if they could improve the GUI features."
"Deployment could be more user-friendly - currently, it requires certain skills with the network and nodes."
"They need to improve the look and feel of the interface. The functionality is fine, but the appearance could be better."
"In a hybrid cloud setup, we should be able to port our floors from on-premises to the public cloud and from the public cloud to on-premises."
"Storage utilization and optimization should be better."
"We ran into an issue as a managed service provider because Acropolis isn't designed to be used the way we are running it. For example, if we want to deploy a Kubernetes service, the customer networks need to reach our protected cluster network. We have isolated our customers in separate VLANs. However, our customers' networks must access our cluster network to get features like iSCSI or Kubernetes to run. It's challenging."
"An area for improvement would be the cyber security features."
"The tool's price tag is high."
"Life cycle management is an area for improvement."
"Cost is a challenge when convincing clients, especially for large deals."
"Integrations are slightly difficult, as getting resources to deal with it is not that easy."
"We would like the ability to write to both sites at the same time, in a synchronous fashion."
"VMware Cloud Foundation could be more flexible in terms of supporting other integration and components."
"They should provide integration with Azure VMware Solution."
"There is room for improvement in customer service and support."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"NCI is quite expensive compared to other products. It would help us if Nutanix considered affordability when releasing new products. We have an annual license and are considering extending it for another year."
"The pricing is very competitive when compared with other vendors. As long as Nutanix goes forward with the same price and same type of offering, it will definitely have a large number of customers adopting the same solution very soon."
"The price is good but I think there is still room for improvement on the price."
"The product’s licensing fee is moderately expensive."
"The price of the solution could improve. Nutanix has recently changed its pricing model from perpetual to subscription. They have identified there are challenges with the pricing model."
"Its licensing is fine. They provide the flexibility to choose from different options. You can go with the standard plan. You can go with the pro or platinum plan. Generally, our clients go with the pro licenses, but if you go for the platinum license, you get even more capabilities. Their starter license is also quite good."
"We are aware of the pricing since we renew every year, at almost $100,000 per year."
"Nutanix Acropolis AOS price includes no additional costs for features."
"The price of VMware Cloud Foundation is a bit high. However, it comes with a lot of useful features and can handle a lot of operational complexity. Overall the price can be seen as being fair for what it offers."
"There is an annual license required to use the solution."
"The pricing is moderate. I would rate it six out of ten."
"The pricing can be more competitive."
"It is quite expensive."
"The pricing of VMware Cloud Foundation could improve, it is expensive."
"VMware Cloud Foundation is overpriced, but I think we get what we pay for."
"This solutuion can be expensive for small and medium-sized companies."
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Comparison Review

it_user244362 - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
35%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

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...
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...
Which would you choose - Nutanix Acropolis AOS or VMware vSAN?
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...
What do you like most about VMware Cloud Foundation?
VMware Cloud Foundation provides us with the vSphere dashboard through which we can manage, monitor, schedule, and spin up your virtual machines. We can manage, monitor, and get reports of your inf...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Cloud Foundation?
After the acquisition, prices have been going up, however, we find the product quite good. The licensing model changed after the Broadcom acquisition. Lower prices are good for end users, however, ...
What needs improvement with VMware Cloud Foundation?
All virtualization features are there, and they release periodic patches and updates. There is not much I would suggest for improvement. We are almost there in terms of meeting our needs.
 

Also Known As

Nutanix Acropolis AOS, Nutanix AOS, Nutanix Acropolis
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

St. Lukes Health System, the City of Seattle, Yahoo! Japan, Sligro, Empire Life, Hyundai AUS, and many others.
ricoh, dell technologies, sky
Find out what your peers are saying about Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. VMware Cloud Foundation and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.