Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs VMware Software Defined Storage comparison

Nutanix and Broadcom are both solutions in the Software Defined Storage (SDS) category. Nutanix is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.7, while Broadcom is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.3. Nutanix holds a 5.4% mindshare in SDS, compared to Broadcom’s 2.7% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Nutanix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructur...

Read 200 Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) reviews

15,450 Views
1,700 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

VMware Software Defined Sto...

Read 7 VMware Software Defined Storage reviews

666 Views
613 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructur...

VMware Software Defined Sto...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure and VMware Software Defined Storage compete in the enterprise cloud infrastructure category. Nutanix seems to have the edge due to its comprehensive feature set and cost-effectiveness.

Features: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure offers a single pane of glass for management, ensuring simplicity and no virtualization-vendor lock-in. The flexibility to mix performance with storage nodes and the capability for on-demand scaling enhance its appeal. VMware Software Defined Storage is appreciated for its robust performance and redundancy but lacks some of the advanced features found in Nutanix.

Room for Improvement: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure could enhance its uptime, high availability, and disaster recovery functionalities. Users highlight a need for improved compatibility and management simplicity. VMware users desire better performance reporting, executive-level reporting, and a more open hardware compatibility model, along with pricing transparency.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Nutanix offers deployment options across private and public clouds and hybrid models, winning praise for its rapid response and knowledgeable customer service. VMware provides solid support but some users find Nutanix's customer service more comprehensive and responsive.

Pricing and ROI: Nutanix is noted for its cost-effectiveness due to integrated features in its base price, with quick ROI due to its consolidated system design. On the other hand, VMware is viewed as expensive, with concerns about its value proposition compared to Nutanix, which offers similar features at a potentially lower cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. VMware Software Defined Storage Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. VMware Software Defined Storage

March 2026

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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 Software Defined Storage (SDS)

6th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

200

Ranking in other categories

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

VMware Software Defined Sto...

Ranking in Software Defined Storage (SDS)

14th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Software Defined Storage (SDS) category, the mindshare of Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) is 5.4%, up from 5.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Software Defined Storage is 2.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Software Defined Storage (SDS) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)	5.4%
VMware Software Defined Storage	2.7%
Other	91.9%

Software Defined Storage (SDS)

Featured Reviews

Obasanjo Biliaminu

Head Systems Administration/Security at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System PLC

Infrastructure efficiency has improved significantly with quick server provisioning, though physical to virtual migrations need a streamlined in-house tool

From my experience with Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI), there is one area that needs improvement. When moving a critical infrastructure from a physical machine to Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI), we currently have to use a third-party tool to convert the physical machine to a VM. We have to use VMware converter to perform this conversion before moving it to Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI). I would suggest that Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) should develop their own P2V (physical to VM) tools instead of requiring users to rely on third-party solutions.

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Mohammad Jundiah

Solutions Architect at QDS

Data security and performance excel but integration and licensing need improvement

I used Nutanix for its hyper-converged infrastructure capabilities and VMware Site Recovery for disaster recovery. Additionally, I worked with VMware Software Defined Storage both internally and with partners to consolidate servers into one solution The most valuable features of VMware Software…

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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

"We really love the Lifecycle manager and one-click upgrades."

"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 has been stable so far."

"The management interface of this solution is great."

"Acropolis has a great interface and lots of management features packaged with it at an affordable price."

"The most valuable feature of Nutanix Acropolis AOS is it has centralized management."

"One of the most valuable features of Nutanix is that it's easy to use. I love this solution—it's easy to maintain and update, and I think it's almost perfect."

"The speed of the operations and of creation of VM is fantastic."

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) pros

"The most valuable features of VMware Software Defined Storage are scalability, high availability, and performance."

"This is an easy-to-use product for adding flexibility to your storage solution."

"The single management panel is the main feature that is wonderful for the customer."

"The most valuable features of the solution are that it is easy to deploy and the support is really good."

"The best part of the solution is that you can actually scale up to a large number of operating systems without additional hardware."

"The solution is simple to configure and provides good performance and less footprint."

"VMware Software Defined Storage gives higher availability against data corruption."

"The most valuable features of VMware Software Defined Storage are scalability, high availability, and performance."

Cons

"The look and feel of the web GUI of this system needs improvement, when compared to other systems. Its hardware integration also needs improvement."

"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 that can talk. Otherwise, if I have a VMware stack and I already have a Nutanix stack, I can create containers, I create clusters on VMware, I create clusters on Nutanix."

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

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

"Nutanix marketing strategy needs improvement, particularly in Myanmar."

"While their overall Nutanix Bible is good, they are lacking good descriptions for particular scenarios that might be helpful to many users."

"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."

"The product could be improved with more security. The product needs a bit more experience in the market. I think you don't have the possibility to add other hardware. It could be improved with the ability to add and extend."

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) cons

"VMware Software Defined Storage should include a shared database on a standard version."

"It doesn't have the ability to be deployed on any kind of hardware and network connectors."

"The license model of the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"I'd like to see improved hardware compatibility"

"There is room for more integrations and plugins into more storages."

"The solution has some limitations in terms of replication to remote sites or cloud infrastructure, which need improvement."

"The performance is not as good as some competing products and reporting can be improved."

"Simplifying the licensing model and making it cheaper would improve the solution."

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The price of the solution is high."

"It is less expensive than the VMware alternative."

"It is not cheap, but if you look at the return on investment and the total cost of ownership, it is worth the price."

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

"It's a cost-effective solution"

"While cost may seem higher than your traditional 3-tier architecture, you need to look at the bigger picture. You're not just buying hardware here. You're buying a complete environment."

"AHV is free! This is a great feature that should be taken advantage of."

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) pricing and cost advice

"The product is quite expensive and is among the most expensive for this type of solution."

"I believe there is a yearly licensing fee of around $2000 - $5000. I don't think there are additional costs above that but it depends on the type of infrastructure you're booting."

"The solution is very expensive."

"A single socket costs you around US $6,000 for three years. At a minimum, you have a three load cluster for a medium or enterprise-scale company. It can get quite expensive because you're likely to need four to six sockets on the other side. It comes to around $30,000."

"VMware Software Defined Storage is a slightly expensive solution."

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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

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	92
Midsize Enterprise	77
Large Enterprise	82

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

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...

See all answers

What makes Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) worth using?

NCI is a product with many tools and services but the one that, in my opinion, makes it better than similar products and worth using, is the full-stack lifecycle management. This capacity allows u...

See all answers

Have you received reliable help from Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure's support when you contacted them?

NCI is one of the best out there. For any software, no matter how good it is, technical support makes it or breaks it for me. You may have an amazing product but if there is not anyone to help you ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Software Defined Storage?

The price of VMware Software Defined Storage is on the pricey side, rated four out of five in cost. There is room for improvement in simplifying and reducing the licensing cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with VMware Software Defined Storage?

There is room for more integrations and plugins into more storages. More automation, such as using Playbook on Ansible or other automation tools, would be very helpful. Simplifying the licensing mo...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for VMware Software Defined Storage?

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware vSAN vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 9% of the time

VxRail vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 7% of the time

HPE SimpliVity vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 6% of the time

Sangfor HCI - Hyper Converged Infrastructure vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 4% of the time

Azure Local vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

Compared 4% of the time

More Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) Competitors

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) vs VMware Software Defined Storage

Compared 42% of the time

IBM Spectrum Scale vs VMware Software Defined Storage

Compared 12% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs VMware Software Defined Storage

Compared 11% of the time

DataCore SANsymphony vs VMware Software Defined Storage

Compared 8% of the time

Everpure FlashBlade vs VMware Software Defined Storage

Compared 6% of the time

More VMware Software Defined Storage Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)

February 2026

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) report

Download Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Software Defined Storage

February 2026

Download VMware Software Defined Storage product report

Also Known As

Nutanix Acropolis AOS, Nutanix AOS, Nutanix Acropolis

VMware SDS

Overview

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure delivers high performance and scalability with central management and one-click upgrades. It enhances data protection and reduces deployment complexities, perfect for businesses seeking efficient virtualization.

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure offers a comprehensive platform integrating compute, storage, and network for optimal infrastructure management. It supports multiple hypervisors, offering flexibility, efficiency, and ease of use. With features like Prism for centralized management, organizations can manage resources effectively while benefiting from data protection enhancements such as deduplication and compression. Hyper-convergence enables seamless integration, reducing operational costs and increasing scalability. Though the pricing is high, and setup and administration can be complex, the ability to support hybrid cloud implementations and critical infrastructures like VDI and databases provides notable advantages.

What are the key features of Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure?

Prism for Centralized Management: Simplifies resource management with a single control interface.
High Performance: Offers efficient I/O operations to enhance processing efficiency.
Scalability: Easily adjusts to growing business needs with one-click upgrades.
Data Protection: Uses deduplication and compression for secure data handling.
Hyper-Convergence: Integrates compute, storage, and network to optimize infrastructure.
Multi-Hypervisor Support: Provides flexibility to choose preferred hypervisors.

What benefits should users look for in Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure?

Cost Effectiveness: Reduces operational costs through resource optimization.
Ease of Management: Centralized control enhances administrative efficiency.
Scalability: Grows seamlessly with business demand.
Data Protection: Increases security and reliability of data management.
Performance Improvement: Streamlines server provisioning and resource management.

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure finds adoption across industries for virtualization, cloud services, and infrastructure consolidation. Organizations utilize it for hybrid clouds and virtual server hosting, supporting applications like databases and virtual desktop infrastructures. They report enhanced data protection, disaster recovery capabilities, and improved performance, facilitating effective resource management.

Nutanix

VMware software-defined storage is a simple, yet intelligent, storage data center architecture that aligns with business and application demands—eliminating static, purpose-built and inefficient hardware with dynamic, agile and automated solutions.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

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

Helse Nord, Sky

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. VMware Software Defined Storage

March 2026

Free Report: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. VMware Software Defined Storage

Find out what your peers are saying about Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs. VMware Software Defined Storage and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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