Introducing G2.ai, the future of software buying.Try now

Compare VMware ESXi and VMware vSphere

Save
    Log in to your account
    to save comparisons,
    products and more.
At a Glance
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi
Star Rating
(16)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (40.0% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about VMware ESXi
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
Star Rating
(606)4.6 out of 5
Market Segments
Mid-Market (43.4% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about VMware vSphere
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.
Featured Products
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
VMware ESXi
No pricing available
VMware vSphere
No pricing available
Free Trial
VMware ESXi
No trial information available
VMware vSphere
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
9.4
15
9.2
307
Ease of Use
8.8
15
8.9
470
Ease of Setup
9.2
15
8.6
414
Ease of Admin
8.9
12
9.0
249
Quality of Support
9.0
14
8.5
285
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.6
12
8.7
255
Product Direction (% positive)
7.7
15
8.1
306
Features by Category
9.2
14
9.0
148
Performance
9.4
13
9.2
144
8.7
13
8.9
142
8.5
13
8.7
145
Functionality
9.2
12
9.2
144
9.0
12
9.1
144
9.0
12
9.0
144
9.3
12
8.9
145
Agentic AI - Server Virtualization
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
VMware ESXi and VMware vSphere are categorized as Server Virtualization
Unique Categories
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi has no unique categories
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere is categorized as Container Orchestration
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
40.0%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
40.0%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
20.0%
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
14.1%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
43.4%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
42.5%
Reviewers' Industry
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi
Information Technology and Services
33.3%
Telecommunications
13.3%
Food Production
13.3%
Accounting
13.3%
Manufacturing
6.7%
Other
20.0%
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
Information Technology and Services
16.4%
Government Administration
5.9%
Hospital & Health Care
5.6%
Telecommunications
5.3%
Financial Services
4.6%
Other
62.2%
Most Helpful Reviews
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi
Most Helpful Favorable Review
LP
Luis P.
Verified User in Telecommunications

The ease of use of the interface is very friendly alot´s of opcion to virtualize the management of virtual machines is very god. the migration of service is fast

Most Helpful Critical Review
SM
sandeep m.
Verified User in Accounting

according to me its Ui is littlebit tough to uderstand

VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Matthew G.
MG
Matthew G.
Verified User in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing

This is the industry standard virtual server management system. It runs on a custom Linux OS (VMWare ESX) which eliminates the overheard hits you would get with Microsoft's Hyper-V offering. However, as opposed to Hyper-V, vSphere is not free. The increased...

Most Helpful Critical Review
Parag V.
PV
Parag V.
Verified User in Computer Software

Need improvement in terms of resource planning and allocations. It should allow the user to make changes for the resource allocation without switching off the virtual machines.

Alternatives
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi Alternatives
Proxmox VE
Proxmox VE
Add Proxmox VE
Xen Project
Xen Project
Add Xen Project
XenServer
XenServer
Add XenServer
Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines
Add Azure Virtual Machines
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere Alternatives
Red Hat OpenShift
Red Hat OpenShift
Add Red Hat OpenShift
Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines
Add Azure Virtual Machines
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)
Add Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)
VirtualBox
VirtualBox
Add VirtualBox
Discussions
VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi Discussions
Monty the Mongoose crying
VMware ESXi has no discussions with answers
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere Discussions
Is ESXi software free?
4 comments
Narendra A.
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
Ashwin S.
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
ABDUL H.
AH
Virtual platform to host multiple images on a single machine which has limited resources.Read more