CloudStack Reviews

Name: CloudStack
Brand: Apache
Rating: 4.0 (31 reviews)

4.0 out of 5

31 reviews
93% willing to recommend

918 followers

What is CloudStack?

Apache CloudStack is open source software designed to deploy and manage large networks of virtual machines, as a highly available, highly scalable Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud computing platform.

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CloudStack is the #12 ranked solution in top Cloud Management solutions. PeerSpot users give CloudStack an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. CloudStack is most commonly compared to VMware Aria Automation: CloudStack vs VMware Aria Automation. CloudStack is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 52% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 20% of all views.

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Featured CloudStack reviews

Wido Den Hollander

Community Ambassador at 42on

The market keeps changing, and so does technology. I think that container technology in CloudStack is an area that needs to be improved. Regarding container technology, Kubernetes is something many people want to use and something which, as of now, many are using currently. However, there is still room for improvement in Kubernetes, particularly with networking functionality and network virtualization. When it comes to what needs to be improved in CloudStack, I would say that it should stay the way it is currently. It should continue being a stable product that people can rely on since many may be inclined to follow the latest trends and hype, which is not always good for a solution's stability. It is crucial to prioritize stability, which is a key factor that companies seek. In my view, the platform could benefit from adding more metrics. More metrics would offer more insights and data on the platform's performance, utilization, and usage. Overall, I believe that having more metrics available would be highly desirable.

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Arun S .

Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 201-500 employees

The number of contributors to this solution is relatively small compared to other solutions. However, if more frequent users of CloudStack contribute to the open-source community, it will significantly enhance the overall community experience and make it more useful for everyone involved. There is room for improvement when it comes to maintenance options in CloudStack, particularly with regard to rolling maintenance for multiple Hypervisors. CloudStack does offer this option, but it has not always worked as expected. However, I believe that this largely depends on our expectations for the solution and how we want it to work. As an example, CloudStack maintains a list of Hypervisors where we can host our virtual machines, and we may need to update these Hypervisors on a regular basis, such as every month or every two weeks. Instead of having to perform manual updates, it would be helpful if there were options to automatically perform live migration and update the Hypervisors properly. While there are improvements being made in this area, I believe that there is still some work to be done. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these maintenance options depends on our specific requirements and how we expect the solution to function.

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Nelson Marcos

Engineer Manager at Globo.com

My teammates have complained about the upgrade. The source code had massive files that had to be merged with our own development to upgrade to the latest version of CloudStack. It was quite painful for them. CloudStack could add some cost management tools to give me some control over the costs associated with the number of users of my services.

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CloudStack mindshare

As of May 2025, the mindshare of CloudStack in the Cloud Management category stands at 5.5%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Management

PeerResearch reports based on CloudStack reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Cloud Management	May 13, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	May 13, 2025	Download
Comparison	CloudStack vs VMware Aria Automation	May 13, 2025	Download
Comparison	CloudStack vs Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM)	May 13, 2025	Download
Comparison	CloudStack vs VMware Aria Operations	May 13, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
VMware Aria Automation	4.0	11.7%	94%	170 interviews Add to research
VMware Aria Operations	4.1	8.3%	94%	374 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

CloudStack offers easy installation, compatibility with various hypervisors, centralized management, and strong networking features. It supports multi-zone environments, API integrations, and virtualization capabilities. Users appreciate its scalability, stability, and ability to customize. It integrates well with Kubernetes and provides robust load balancing and networking options. CloudStack is preferred for its user-friendly interface, making cloud orchestration more efficient compared to alternatives like OpenStack. It's an open-source IaaS platform that remains reliable over time.

"CloudStack provides an environment that is very simple to use, with built-in APIs and a web interface that supports almost all features of AWS and Azure."
"Everything in CloudStack works effectively."
"Everything in CloudStack works effectively."

Room for Improvement

CloudStack requires enhancements in upgrade processes, user interface simplification, third-party integrations, and error feedback. Virtual router functionality, stability, and network disruption issues are significant concerns. Adding features like cloud edge computing support and payment gateways would benefit users. Maintenance and performance insights need improvement with more metrics and better documentation. Marketing efforts are lacking, and there is a need for stronger community engagement and newer technology adoption such as GPU virtualization and Kubernetes.

"CloudStack lacks a billing solution which would complete it as a full 360-degree product."
"The product could improve by embracing newer technologies like GPU virtualization."
"The product does not have an easily implementable payment gateway."

Pricing

CloudStack, recognized for being open source, often incurs no licensing fees under the Apache license. While initial setup doesn't require inherent charges, optional costs may arise for dedicated support, training, or specialized consultancy services. Infrastructure-related expenses, such as for hypervisors like VMware and XenServer, might be necessary. Commercial support is available and priced fairly considering its quality. Organizations typically contribute developments to Apache, emphasizing the community-driven nature of CloudStack.

"CloudStack is an open-source product."
"It is a 100% open-source solution needing just an Apache license. Also, there are no hidden fees to be paid."
"The solution is open-source and free."

Popular Use Cases

CloudStack is primarily utilized for offering IaaS to customers, managing internal virtual environments, and setting up multi-zone infrastructure across datacenters. Companies employ it for public, private, and hybrid cloud configurations, facilitating server creation and management. It also supports development and testing, orchestrates services, and provides VPS services via on-premises setups. Wide adoption is seen in various industries, including telecommunications, academia, and enterprise, for efficient cloud management and orchestration.

Service and Support

Responses are mixed, with users praising CloudStack's active community for quick assistance through forums and mailing lists. Several companies like ShapeBlue offer additional support. Despite positive feedback regarding community aid, some users report that specific issues require technical expertise to resolve independently. Commercial support from Accelerite was deemed unsatisfactory, leading companies to seek alternatives. Users emphasize the necessity of internal expertise due to CloudStack’s unique environmental dependencies and hypervisor interactions.

Deployment

Many found CloudStack's initial setup easy or straightforward, appreciating its monolithic architecture and easy-to-follow guides. However, some highlighted complexities related to business logic and hypervisor interactions. The setup ease varied based on user expertise, with experience reducing deployment time. While several found CloudStack simpler than competitors like OpenStack, others noted challenges with scalable setups and nested virtualization. Proper documentation was crucial for a quick deployment, influencing experiences positively or negatively.

Scalability

Users find CloudStack highly scalable, effortlessly managing thousands of hosts. It seamlessly scales with minimal complexity, supporting availability zones and clusters. Some mention documentation issues for deleting components. While scalability is strong, it may demand user effort to understand the features fully. Also noted are hypervisor-related limitations. Organizations appreciate scalability, with ratings typically above eight out of ten. Administrators value its multi-tenancy and ability to define custom regions and zones.

Stability

CloudStack users generally find it stable, though some have encountered stability issues, such as problems with hypervisors and storage dependencies. Most have experienced improvements in newer versions, while some continue to face bugs and disruptions, particularly with older versions. Community support offers mixed reliability for troubleshooting. Updates and maintenance may require external expertise. Despite sporadic challenges, many rate stability highly, recognizing CloudStack's consistency in providing a stable infrastructure environment.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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