My company uses Proxmox VE for VDI, so we basically use it for Windows VDI, and a few of our Linux servers run on it.
Systems Engineer at SkyNet
A tool that offers an open-source version and is easy to maintain, configure, and install
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's maintenance part was very easy."
- "Proxmox VE doesn't offer a good interface for monitoring."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
My company has benefited from the use of Proxmox VE since it has helped us reduce our costs. Earlier in my company, we were using VMware. My organization's costs related to operations were on the higher side when we were using VMware, especially when it came to areas related to management and updates. With VMware, you need to have an active subscription to run a few basic VMs and other stuff, but on Proxmox VE, you don't need to pay for any overhead costs. You only need to pay for support from Proxmox VE, and otherwise, it is a completely free solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that my company gets to use the open-source version of the product while also getting better features like clustering and redundancy. Compared to the other products in the market, Proxmox VE has an easier setup phase and can be easily managed.
What needs improvement?
Proxmox VE doesn't offer a good interface for monitoring. From an improvement perspective, Proxmox VE can offer a better interface for monitoring. Other products like Nutanix offer better monitoring capabilities than Proxmox VE. Proxmox VE doesn't have any other product integrated with it for storage. My company has to look for products from other vendors to take care of the storage part in Proxmox VE. Proxmox can offer its users a storage solution integrated with Proxmox VE.
Feature-wise, the console was the only place where my company saw an issue with Proxmox VE. The console provided by Proxmox VE is not much of a console meant for virtual machines. With Proxmox VE, once you have deployed the virtual machines, you realize that the initial console is not very good, because of which the graphics may seem boring. My company also finds many compatibility issues with the tools you need to install for the virtual machines to work in Proxmox VE, like the drivers and other stuff. My company has to look into many logs and other sources to resolve the compatibility issues related to Proxmox VE. In Proxmox VE, my company installs ISO when the setup phase of a virtual machine is carried out. One of the problems my company faced with Proxmox VE was installing a server with MySQL since it didn't function as an out-of-the-box product, because of which we had to shut down the machine and go through a configuration process. The default processor provided by Proxmox doesn't work.
Buyer's Guide
Proxmox VE
November 2024
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Proxmox VE for a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution. My company does face some performance-related issues with Proxmox VE, but I feel that such issues are mostly related to hardware and not the solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company hasn't used the scalability options provided by the solution because our hardware is currently fixed. My company operates on an on-premises model, and I don't know how we can avail of the scalability options if we plan to move to a higher version of the hardware.
My company has only two servers running for Proxmox, but we have about a hundred VDIs or virtual machines that run on Proxmox.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with VMware. We had VMware in our company, which is only for service and not for the VDI part. We did not continue with VMware in our company because it was not an open-source platform. My company mostly prefers to stay on open-source platforms over paid tools.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Proxmox VE was very easy. With Proxmox VE, the installation, clustering, and configuration parts are easy.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. My company plans to deploy the solution on the cloud in the future.
For the deployment process of Proxmox VE, since my company migrated from VMware to Proxmox VE, we rely on our own hardware. The deployment process didn't require much effort. In our company, we were able to handle the workload related to the deployment process easily.
The migration process from VMware to Proxmox VE was completed in a period of 15 to 20 days. In my company, we had very little workload on VMware. To work on the VDI part in Proxmox VE, my company had to do a fresh setup, meaning we had to start from scratch since we weren't using it with VMware. After looking at the solutions available in the market, my company decided to go ahead with Proxmox VE.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an open-source platform.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
As a part of my company's evaluation process, we tested VMware.
What other advice do I have?
The solution's maintenance part was very easy.
I recommend Proxmox VE to others considering the online community support and because it is available as an open-source product.
I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of IT Operations at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reduces infrastructure cost, comes with many additional functions, and can be used for free
Pros and Cons
- "In addition to the virtualization, the firewall and the routing functions that it provides are valuable."
- "Its user interface can be improved. In the version that I am using, not all functions can be performed by using the UI. There can be some improvement on that. I'm assuming that it has already been improved in the latest version."
What is our primary use case?
At the moment, it's used for the virtualization of everything within my test environment.
I'm not using the newest version of Proxmox.
How has it helped my organization?
It brings all those benefits that virtualization brings. It reduces cost. I don't have to invest so much in buying many servers. I can go buy one new server with enough resources, and I can virtualize using that server. I can also layer features, such as routing, firewall, HTTP, and VLANs, on top of that.
What is most valuable?
In addition to the virtualization, the firewall and the routing functions that it provides are valuable.
What needs improvement?
Its user interface can be improved. In the version that I am using, not all functions can be performed by using the UI. There can be some improvement on that. I'm assuming that it has already been improved in the latest version.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the past three years or so.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has been absolutely wonderful in terms of reliability and performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I see the options for scalability, but for my own use case, I don't have the need to have several instances. It is just for my test environment, but the options that they provide sound interesting. There are some high availability configurations for multiple Proxmox instances.
My environment has about 30 users. It is being used every day. It is an operational tool because the environment has to be up.
How are customer service and support?
The way the licensing is structured is that you have to pay for the support. My use case is just for my test environment. I have not deployed it on production, so I've not had any need for technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've worked in environments where other solutions, such as VMware, have been used, but personally, I have not used any other solution. This is the first solution I am using as far as virtualization is concerned.
How was the initial setup?
For me, it was straightforward. There are different user levels for things like this, but it was straightforward for me. It takes about a day or two.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented it myself. For its deployment and maintenance, you need a minimum of one and a maximum of two people. The second person is for backup reasons when the primary resource is not available.
What was our ROI?
I have absolutely seen an ROI. I am not able to measure the actual value in terms of returns, but because I've invested nothing, apart from the cost of the server or the hypervisor upon which the Proxmox is installed, the value that we've got from it has been huge.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The way the licensing of Proxmox is structured, you can use it for free. It is an open-source solution, and you can use it for free, but if you do need support, then you have to pay for the support. So, you can use it in a way that you don't have to pay anything, which is a plus point for me. For people or users who have huge and more intense use cases, the advice or the recommendation is to always pay for support. In case something goes wrong, you can fall back on the team that will attend to your request. For me, at the moment, the cost is zero.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise that you weigh your use cases very well before deciding whether to use Proxmox or not. It meets the needs of my use case, and I don't have any reason to complain. If there is a switch or change in my use case, I might decide to not use Proxmox. I might consider some other solution.
If you want to run Proxmox without paying for support, like any open-source solution, you have to read the documentation and be familiar with all the dependencies and requirements for your environment. Once you have all of that covered, you are good.
I would rate it a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Proxmox VE
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Proxmox VE. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Founder, President at Everyman Technologies, inc.
Easy to deploy and allows us to run services without using dedicated hardware
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the ease of deployment."
- "There are some things that need to be done using the command-line interface, and these should be moved into the web-based interface."
What is our primary use case?
There are a number of services that we need, such as a dedicated phone system and an Active Directory server, that we run in a virtualized environment. Doing so means that we don't need to use dedicated hardware for them.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a low-use, but a high-need solution for us. It is helpful because it means that we don't need dedicated hardware for all of our services. It has allowed us to grow the way we have, over the past couple of years.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ease of deployment.
For the most part, it is quite user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The interface can be a little bit rough in places. There are some things that need to be done using the command-line interface, and these should be moved into the web-based interface. There are also aspects related to storage that are difficult to do with the interface.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Proxmox for between two and three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have had absolutely no problems with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is excellent and it seems to run with quite a low overhead.
I have been experimenting with adding nodes to the cluster so that we can create more of a high-availability system. The process is just a matter of installing the software and then copying and pasting the license key. It couldn't be easier.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not had problems that necessitated contacting technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not use a similar solution prior to implementing Proxmox.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
What about the implementation team?
I am the person who is responsible for configuring and maintaining Proxmox.
What other advice do I have?
This is a product that I recommend trying. There are others that are bigger and better, albeit priced accordingly. This should definitely be tried and put through its paces.
Overall, this is a good product, although there is always room for improvement.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Operations Director at Clear Basics Ltd
An open-source server management platform with a useful Software RAID feature, but backup and recovery could be better
Pros and Cons
- "I like that it's secure, and I find its Software RAID very useful. It's way better than the Hardware RAID I was used to. I'm really impressed by their Software RAID feature."
- "Backup and recovery could be better. It's a bit problematic. If you're not well-versed with Linux, it tends to be a bit of a challenge when setting up and recovering. It's not really GUI-based, and if you're not a good Linux user, it becomes a bit difficult. In the next release, I would like to have something like Hyper-V's Data Protection Manager, where you could do an offsite backup and keep a copy. I haven't seen that incorporated yet, but I'm sure they will do that."
What is our primary use case?
I use Proxmox VE to host a domain control environment, a Windows server environment, and to host a few apps that I publish on the store. I'm also using it to manage clients' remote surveillance backups because I keep my clients' CCTV footage.
I set up an NVR environment, and I'm pushing traffic to my servers. I'm running a mini data center. It's doing apps. It's doing Windows Server Management for a normal environment. It's nothing fancy, but it's working.
What is most valuable?
I like that it's secure, and I find its Software RAID very useful. It's way better than the Hardware RAID I was used to. I'm really impressed by their Software RAID feature.
What needs improvement?
Backup and recovery could be better. It's a bit problematic. If you're not well-versed with Linux, it tends to be a bit of a challenge when setting up and recovering. It's not really GUI-based, and if you're not a good Linux user, it becomes a bit difficult.
In the next release, I would like to have something like Hyper-V's Data Protection Manager, where you could do an offsite backup and keep a copy. I haven't seen that incorporated yet, but I'm sure they will do that.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Proxmox VE for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Proxmox VE is a stable solution. I don't have that much money to buy new hardware or new servers, and I have more or less deployed it on the old used servers I purchased online. It's been a breeze. Until I make money to buy the high-end servers, I'm just purchasing used servers or end-of-life servers, and they're running. For a third-world set up, they're running well. For 25-plus years, it's been a good solution for me.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Proxmox VE is a scalable solution. When I get a new host or a new client, I'll probably buy a new server and add it to the node or the cluster. It's just a breeze. It's as simple as a click, and I have added it.
I have about 20 clients. My clients are about seven schools, gas stations, coal, utilities, a bank, two small microfinance banks, and the government.
I am thinking of doing more. I am thinking of setting up a mini data center with it because we have done the proof of concept for CCTV storage. People don't have the space or the money to do their own backup and store their own footage. Part of my solution is selling them storage that they can retrieve from their devices. I store their CCTV data in my data center and give them a remote view. You don't need to have an NVR.
When I sell a surveillance solution, you don't even have to have an NVR. Give me a firewall, and then I will point your storage to come to my server. I'm the one in the neighborhood storing information at the moment.
How are customer service and support?
The forums have everything you need. I haven't had any challenges because the forums are there. I have yet to get the paid subscription support. I have yet to find an installation that has given me a challenge that I can only resolve by subscribing for support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was using Hyper-V from VMware, but Microsoft kept crashing. It takes a lot of investment here in Africa. I need to invest a lot in power because master machines crash. Windows and power are not the best of mates. After that, I moved to Huawei Desktop Protocol and Huawei Desktop Cloud. That also had issues with the support and licenses. Then we moved to Proxmox, and it's been working.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It was hard at first, but I went over the forums. After I went over the forums, I did the YouTube tutorials and videos, and after that, I managed my clients well without paying for a bit of support. Surprisingly, I have been running for about five years.
It doesn't take hours because I've deployed on two nodes, and I've deployed on three nodes. Currently, I'm running it on four nodes, and it's doing great. So, with every installation, I tend to get better.
On a scale from one to five, I would give my initial setup experience a four.
What about the implementation team?
I had some support. I've got over 12 years of experience working with Twitter, Uganda. Now Twitter, Uganda is a multinational, and the rest of the group supports the partners. I've had a bit of guidance when it comes to switching, routing, storage, and databases.
When I went out on my own, I used that background knowledge and the background skills I obtained through the years, and they helped me out. I didn't have any outside tech support to help. The tutorials were there, and the videos were available on YouTube.
I have a guy who does the power because he's got to stabilize the servers. Then I've got a guy who does the networking. He gives me the IP. He gives me the ports to connect. Then I have the guys who do the installation on-site, especially the Windows servers. I also have the Linux guys. It's a team of about four people. The rest are juniors or what we call apprentices. They help out here. I mostly use students to get the work done.
What was our ROI?
I'm definitely getting a return on my investment. I'm buying used servers, and I'm charging like I was charging for new servers, and I'm making a good profit on them. I'm repurposing servers, and I'm making a lot of money from repurposed servers using Proxmox, and they're running.
On a scale from one to five, I would rate my ROI at three.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Proxmox VE is affordable. It's cheaper than Hyper-V, Huawei Desktop Protocol, and Huawei Desktop Cloud.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I made a comparison with Hyper-V and Huawei. I bought Proxmox because it's cheaper and more resilient to our power environment. We have very unstable power in the country, so Hyper-V and sudden breaches in power were problematic.
What other advice do I have?
I would tell potential clients about the ease of use. What's quite surprising is that Microsoft is going that way now, but these guys had that solution there back in the day.
Microsoft is doing Software RAID with Server 2019. These guys already had that solution back in that day. They're doing cloud spaces, but Linux had SAFE back in the day.
I'll tell them it's a cheap option. It's a stable option. I know Microsoft has done a lot in trying to get stable, but it's an affordable option. It's a stable solution, and it just works off the fly like that.
You watch the video, use a storage guy, have a power guy, and have a good networking guy. You could get the service up and running compared to having a Microsoft MVP somewhere in a corner or on-call somewhere.
The releases are killing us. It's like they keep releasing every year. I would wish for them to come with something very stable. They keep coming up with something new every six months because I think their release cycle is every six months. I'm trying to finish something, and they release something new altogether, and I have to migrate. I know the iterations are as minimal as possible, but it still has an impact.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Proxmox VE a seven.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
System Administrator at MMCY Tech
An easy-to-use solution that needs improvement in cloud computing
Pros and Cons
- "We can access the product from iPhone 7. It is stable and easy."
- "Proxmox VE needs improvement in cloud computing."
What is most valuable?
We can access the product from iPhone 7. It is stable and easy.
What needs improvement?
Proxmox VE needs improvement in cloud computing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for 12 months personally. For professional work, I have been using it for seven months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the Proxmox VE's stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the tool's scalability an eight out of ten. There is only one user for Proxmox VE.
How are customer service and support?
I have yet to use technical support. I use Google to find answers.
How was the initial setup?
I rate the product's setup an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Director IT at Servnet
Performance and impact are great because of the clusters
Pros and Cons
- "It has a good performance and you can cluster it."
- "It's one of those things for me to move things on to the cloud. It's not so easy. I am always on the laptop and have to monitor that because if you want to make strides; you need to stay online."
What is our primary use case?
We sell Proxmox VE solutions to our customers. The workload to help our customers may be the biggest use case to be on the cloud. We use a bunch of statuses, and different ways to deliver databases, and SQL Servers. So, that's the natural way we use the platform on the cloud.
How has it helped my organization?
It has a good performance and you can cluster it.
What is most valuable?
It's more about the clusters. The clusters are pretty much good and have a high performance and impact.
What needs improvement?
For now, we're planning to migrate to another solution because there seems to be a lot of backups that we have set up. We have reviewed Proxmox VE but we want to focus more on our customers. In fact, we have already finished our first deployment and we will receive more features that will go to the cloud.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Proxmox VE for the past five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
You don't have to be very observant. We have maybe three times the hard one, but it seems as if this is an open-source solution that is supported by the community, and it's okay.
If you feel you have the skills to do it, you can go hands-on by yourself to do these deliveries, and it's going to be very useful for the solution. You need to have the training and the right skills.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
For now, we are pretty much working on that, but I think someday, we will make it solve another class from our class which is very good because we have an installation. If you start from the beginning, it's the third one, maybe you have the profile, so you will deploy it in maybe four days.
How are customer service and technical support?
So it's what you have to like to go there, but it can work because if you have some problems, you have that resource to go and I found things they will need. They will keep you updated and will help you a lot. So if you ask me, their service is good. The community forum is very technical, and they're quick to respond when they are messaged.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is very easy, but the problem is when you have to customize the solution they're talking about more episodes. You have to be more hands-on to have a very good draft, it will be more helpful to have a very good delivery.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For the price, performance is going to be the first takeaway we can offer to our customers.
What other advice do I have?
It's one of those things for me to move things on to the cloud. It's not so easy. I am always on the laptop and have to monitor that because if you want to make strides; you need to stay online. Though we intend to go with a third party to look for another solution, we hope they will fix that in the next release.
The work panel is very good for intake. It's very easy to use and you can scale from other areas which is not a very technical way, so you can use them, including the panel. They can manage their integrated solutions, and that's very good because it's the thing that you want to scale. If the customer wants to operate a downgrade and do something with Proxmox VE, that is what will take you there. You can integrate Proxmox VE with other solutions. Proxmox VE is one thing if you want to start with cloud deployment.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
Power BI Developer at a engineering company with 51-200 employees
An opne-source solution with many containers
Pros and Cons
- "Proxmox VE has many containers. You need to download the image and do basic configuration, after which it is operational within a few minutes. The solution provides many containers that are light in use and don't use a lot of memory. You don't have to spend a lot of resources."
- "The tool needs to add a lot of containers."
What is our primary use case?
We use VM for high availability.
What is most valuable?
Proxmox VE has many containers. You need to download the image and do basic configuration, after which it is operational within a few minutes. The solution provides many containers that are light in use and don't use a lot of memory. You don't have to spend a lot of resources.
What needs improvement?
The tool needs to add a lot of containers.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the product's scalability a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
Proxmox VE's installation is very simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Proxmox VE is free of cost.
What other advice do I have?
Proxmox VE is free and is a lot more professional than VMware. I rate it a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Systems Administrator at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Great affordability, scalable, and stable
Pros and Cons
- "The affordability of the solution is the product's most valuable aspect."
- "The initial setup has a pretty steep learning curve."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution to cover anything that VMware does.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has made it so that I can operate things without having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars. It's saved my company a lot of money.
What is most valuable?
The affordability of the solution is the product's most valuable aspect.
What needs improvement?
The so-called free support that the solution offers doesn't allow you to access the repositories. If they would allow that access like they say they do it would be better. It does work for about a week and then it times out and never works again.
It would be preferable if they had a different viewing product other than VNC.
The initial setup has a pretty steep learning curve.
I'd like to see more high availability capabilities.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. That's not a problem. I can't recall dealing with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. If a company needs to expand the service, it can do so easily.
We just have a handful of users on the solution. However, it fluctuates. Many users handle web servers and virtual guests.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has room for improvement. It would be nice to be able to call them and have conversations with them during stateside hours. Right now, that's not possible. Right now, it's more run through email and chats.
I'd rate their service seven out of ten. It's okay, but it could be better if calling them directly was an option.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Hyper-V and VMware, however, we switched to this solution mostly due to the costs involved in running the other options.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup isn't too bad, however, it's a bit complex. There's definitely a learning curve for people implementing it themselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is very affordable in comparison to competitors.
What other advice do I have?
We're simply customers. We don't have a business relationship with the solution.
We're currently using the latest version of the solution.
We use both cloud and on-premises deployment models.
The solution isn't too bad, and not too hard to figure out. Users considering taking on the solution can just watch some videos and train up a little bit. It will make it easier when it comes to setting everything up and understanding how to handle the solution.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It would be great if there was someone available in stateside hours instead of just German hours. Other than that, it offers pretty much everything we need at a pretty great price.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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