Proxmox vs. VMware – the alternative for businesses

Since Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and the resulting licensing and pricing changes, many companies are looking for a VMware alternative. Proxmox VE is the obvious one – open, mature and without expensive lock-in.

What Proxmox VE offers

Proxmox VE combines KVM virtualization and LXC containers in one platform with a web UI, REST API and clustering. High availability (HA), live migration and snapshots are built in – features that often require separate, paid modules with VMware.

Cost comparison

The biggest difference is the licensing model. VMware increasingly relies on subscription bundles with minimum commitments, which significantly raises costs for many setups. Proxmox is open source, with an affordable optional support subscription. For SMBs in particular, this means predictable, lower total cost.

Migrating from VMware

The switch is doable: VMs can be exported from VMware (OVF/OVA) and imported into Proxmox, with disks converted. Careful planning, a test run and a rollback plan are key. We support such migrations end-to-end if you like – see add-on services.

Who should switch?

• Companies that want to avoid rising VMware costs.
• Teams that need high availability without per-module surcharges.
• Anyone who wants data in Germany and full control.

Learn more about our ready-to-run Private Proxmox Cloud & CEPH or request a free consultation.