BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs CloudStack comparison

BMC Helix and Apache are both solutions in the Cloud Management category. BMC Helix is ranked #42, while Apache is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.2. BMC Helix holds a 1.4% mindshare in CM, compared to Apache’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of BMC Helix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Apache users who would recommend it.

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Read 5 BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management reviews

1,040 Views
603 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

CloudStack

Read 34 CloudStack reviews

2,189 Views
2,036 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

CloudStack

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

CloudStack and BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management compete in cloud infrastructure management. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management has the upper hand due to richer features, although CloudStack benefits from pricing and support advantages.

Features: CloudStack integrates well with OpenStack, offers extensive hypervisor support, and manages large-scale deployments effectively. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management provides automated provisioning, policy-driven governance, and integrated monitoring capabilities.

Room for Improvement: CloudStack could enhance advanced feature integration and professional support options, while BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management might benefit from simplifying deployment processes and reducing costs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CloudStack's straightforward deployment and community support make it appealing for initial setup. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management, though complex to deploy, offers extensive documentation and professional support, aiding smoother operations.

Pricing and ROI: CloudStack is preferred for lower setup costs and faster ROI due to its open-source nature. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management incurs higher upfront expenses but provides significant long-term ROI through advanced management solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. CloudStack Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. CloudStack

March 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 885,311 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Ranking in Cloud Management

42nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Monitoring Software (46th)

CloudStack

Ranking in Cloud Management

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Cloud Management category, the mindshare of BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management is 1.4%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of CloudStack is 2.5%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
CloudStack	2.5%
BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management	1.4%
Other	96.1%

Cloud Management

Featured Reviews

Entprssol67

Enterprise Solution Architect at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Helps design blueprints in a cloud environment but the support is a major problem

One of the major problems is that support is not so good. I used to have a support expert in Spain but they left two years ago. BMC doesn't invest a lot in network automation but network automation is a major point in CLM. There aren't any experts here in Europe, maybe they have in America, I don't know. The main problem is the support in Europe. We had a lot of problems with the people who got put on our cases. The agents that we were assigned to were not so capable. They wanted to replicate the problem. If you have an incident, it takes a lot of time to troubleshoot the problem. The incident support is not so good. The technicians don't know the platform well. BMC doesn't want to invest in CLM. Two years ago we had a lot of problems. Maybe BMC realized that CLM is an end of life product.

Read full review

Tharun Kumar Reddy Thamatam

Senior Infrastructure Consultant at Infosys

Achieving seamless infrastructure management with optimized network and user access controls

I believe enhancements could be made in CloudStack, particularly in the management servers. I had the opportunity to collaborate with one of the Apache CloudStack developers, leading to the installation of additional agents for better information retrieval from hypervisors. We implemented configurations, ensuring consistency across hosts and VMs. We also utilized Ansible or YAML files to automate password upgrades during patching activities and database management, showcasing our customization efforts for improvement. For future releases, it would be beneficial if Apache enhanced CloudStack by integrating alerting systems directly. We've had instances where hypervisors experienced overloads without prior alerts, so proactive alerts within the tool would better prepare us for addressing issues swiftly, preventing disruption in business operations. A portal summarizing system metrics alongside alert capabilities would greatly enhance our operational efficiency.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Total build time has been reduced from four weeks to one week, then later to 24 hours."

"Automates Java EE Application Deployment from an SCM system."

"We have many regions where more than 10000 servers are deployed, so it helps in patching and hardening of servers."

"Integrates role-based access control with pre-configured policies for CIS, DISA, HIPAA, PCI, SOX, NIST, and SCAP documentation and remediation."

"Supports unattended installs and image-based, script-based, or template-based provisioning."

"It's helped us with our automation."

"CLM has a multi-cloud portal because they have the resources to implement in various environments in various ports."

"You can tie together your public and private cloud infrastructure into a "single pane of glass"."

More BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management pros

"We increased our IaaS sales by 30% and our deploy time of VM/instances has been reduced from one day to one minute."

"The structuring of the components and isolated environments helped us when using parts of the framework at different levels of product development."

"All our development is done on this environment because we deploy around 3,000 instances every day."

"You can manage infrastructure with a few people, since product is monolithic. We had three engineers (storage, virtual, Linux admins) only. Also, CS supports different flavours of hypervisors."

"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."

"Over the years, we have valued CloudStack for its stability."

"The API with CloudStack made integration into various external facing web applications simple enough."

"CloudStack has reduced the time to market for the delivery of new products."

More CloudStack pros

Cons

"It was complex as it does not include a good, extensive feasibility and compatibility guide."

"Going to BMC for PS is not at all recommended from my experience."

"Needs integrations with other providers to provide a custom public cloud environment."

"The installation and configuration can be tricky due to it being built on Remedy."

"Needs integrations with other providers to provide a custom public cloud environment."

"One of the major problems is that support is not so good."

"The installation and configuration can be tricky due to it being built on Remedy."

"One of the major problems is that support is not so good."

"For future releases, it would be beneficial if Apache enhanced CloudStack by integrating alerting systems directly. We've had instances where hypervisors experienced overloads without prior alerts, so proactive alerts within the tool would better prepare us for addressing issues swiftly, preventing disruption in business operations."

"The product does not have an easily implementable payment gateway."

"The absence of the feature, deploy an instance from a snapshot, is the weak point of the platform."

"We did encounter issues with stability, and the main issue was secondary storage. When it is not available, XenServers and hypervisors are affected. And CS doesn’t do anything to reboot, or fix. Come to think of it, maybe it shouldn’t, considering their approach – CS just orchestrates everything else on the hypervisor and storage level."

"VPN P2S is cutting all connections except the CloudStack environment for the user when he is connected. I would like to have VPN like Cisco's AnyConnect."

"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."

"I think CloudStack needs to promote itself better, since I believe it a better solution than OpenStack."

"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."

More CloudStack cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"There is no license, so the product is free unless you are buying professional technical support services."

"CloudStack is an open-source product."

"As far as I know, CS is still free of charge. If you want to pay some money, Citrix Cloud Platform is based on CS, I think. As for hypervisors – everything as usual, you need to pay for VMware and vCenter. As for XenServer, recently they changed the free feature list, so you may need to pay some money to get useful features like XenMotion."

"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."

"CloudStack is an open source solution, so you don't need to pay anything for it. When our company develops something specially for CloudStack, it is donated to the Apache Software Foundation and provided to anyone that wants to use it."

"The Apache CloudStack is open source, so you do not have licenses to purchase."

"Give an effort to planning. If possible, contract a specialized consultant company for the initial setup and knowledge transfer."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

14%

Insurance Company

11%

University

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Educational Organization

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	12

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CloudStack?

CloudStack is open-source, so there is no cost apart from learning. Billing solutions, if outsourced, come at a moderate cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with CloudStack?

Enhancements for CloudStack can focus on integrating more hypervisors, as mentioned regarding current features. We're working on a new feature that will allow for certain limited functions, but ove...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for CloudStack?

My usual use cases for CloudStack involve an AWS style private cloud or public cloud. I can deploy an AWS style cloud using the open source tool that is CloudStack. The use case depends on the cust...

See all answers

Comparisons

BMC Helix Cloud Security vs BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Compared 6% of the time

OpenText Cloud Service Automation vs BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Compared 5% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Compared 5% of the time

CloudBolt vs BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Compared 5% of the time

VMware Tanzu Platform vs BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management

Compared 5% of the time

More BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management Competitors

OpenNebula vs CloudStack

Compared 23% of the time

VMware Aria Automation vs CloudStack

Compared 6% of the time

Sangfor HCI - Hyper Converged Infrastructure vs CloudStack

Compared 6% of the time

Turbo360 (Formerly Serverless360) vs CloudStack

Compared 5% of the time

VMware Aria Operations vs CloudStack

Compared 4% of the time

More CloudStack Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cloud Management

March 2026

Download BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management product report

Buyer's Guide

CloudStack

March 2026

Download CloudStack product report

Also Known As

BMC CLM

Vmops, Cloud.com

Overview

BMC's cloud management platform drives digital innovation with agile, full-stack service provisioning across cloud and traditional platforms. BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management scales easily while integrating with essential compliance and governance policies to reduce risk.

BMC Helix

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.

Apache

Sample Customers

JDA Software, Morningstar, Orange Business Services, Wipro

GreenQloud, Exoscale, TomTom, ASG, PC Extreme, ISWest, Grid'5000

Buyer's Guide

BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. CloudStack

March 2026

Free Report: BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. CloudStack

Find out what your peers are saying about BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. CloudStack and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our BMC Cloud Lifecycle Management vs. CloudStack report.

See our list of best Cloud Management vendors.

We monitor all Cloud Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.