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Compare VMware ESXi and VMware vSphere 
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At a Glance
Market Segments
Mid-Market (47.1% of reviews)
Enterprise (44.2% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
No pricing available
VMware ESXi
Star Rating
(18)4.7 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (47.1% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about VMware ESXiVMware vSphere
Star Rating
(745)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (44.2% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about VMware vSphereSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Users report that VMware vSphere excels in scalability with a score of 9.2, allowing businesses to easily expand their virtual environments as needed, while VMware ESXi shines even brighter with a score of 9.5, making it a top choice for organizations anticipating rapid growth.
- Reviewers mention that the ease of setup is a significant advantage for VMware ESXi, which scored 9.2 compared to VMware vSphere's 8.6. Users appreciate the streamlined installation process of ESXi, which minimizes downtime during deployment.
- G2 users highlight the superior quality of support for VMware ESXi, scoring 9.2 against vSphere's 8.5. Many users have noted that the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team make a considerable difference in resolving issues quickly.
- Reviewers say that both products offer excellent OS integration, each scoring 9.2, but users on G2 have pointed out that VMware vSphere provides more comprehensive support for a wider range of operating systems, making it a better fit for diverse IT environments.
- Users report that VMware vSphere has a slight edge in performance management with a score of 9.0, while VMware ESXi scored 9.3. Reviewers mention that ESXi's advanced performance monitoring tools help optimize resource allocation more effectively.
- Users on G2 emphasize the enhanced security features of VMware ESXi, which scored 9.5 compared to vSphere's 8.9. Reviewers mention that ESXi's built-in security protocols and regular updates provide a more robust defense against potential threats.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
VMware ESXi
No pricing availableVMware vSphere
No pricing availableFree Trial
VMware ESXi
No trial information availableVMware vSphere
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.5
17
9.2
325
Ease of Use
8.9
17
8.9
608
Ease of Setup
9.3
17
8.6
550
Ease of Admin
9.0
14
9.0
268
Quality of Support
9.1
16
8.5
302
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.6
14
8.6
274
Product Direction (% positive)
7.3
17
8.1
325
Features by Category
Performance
9.4
15
9.2
162
8.9
15
8.8
160
8.7
15
8.7
163
Functionality
9.3
14
9.2
162
9.0
14
9.1
162
9.0
14
9.0
162
9.3
14
8.9
162
Agentic AI - Server Virtualization
Not enough data
7.4
16
Not enough data
7.9
15
Not enough data
8.1
16
Not enough data
7.3
16
Not enough data
7.2
17
Not enough data
7.5
17
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
VMware ESXi and VMware vSphere are categorized as Server Virtualization
Unique Categories
VMware ESXi has no unique categories
VMware vSphere is categorized as Container Orchestration
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
VMware ESXi
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
VMware vSphere
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Information Technology and Services
41.2%
Telecommunications
11.8%
Food Production
11.8%
Accounting
11.8%
Manufacturing
5.9%
Other
17.6%
Information Technology and Services
15.2%
Hospital & Health Care
5.4%
Government Administration
5.2%
Telecommunications
5.1%
Financial Services
4.9%
Other
64.1%
Alternatives
Discussions
VMware ESXi has no discussions with answers
Is ESXi software free?
4 Comments
NA
ESXi has a free version! Basic features, perfect for personal use or testing. No advanced features or official support, but it's free forever. Paid editions...Read more
What is VMware vSphere standard?
2 Comments
AS
vSphere 7 has been rearchitected with native Kubernetes for application modernization. Developers can’t afford infrastructure that slows them down –...Read more
What is VMware vSphere Hypervisor used for?
2 Comments
AH
Virtual platform to host multiple images on a single machine which has limited resources.Read more
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