GNU Make vs VMware Tanzu Platform comparison

GNU and Broadcom are both solutions in the Build Automation category. GNU is ranked #16 with an average rating of 9.0, while Broadcom is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.7. GNU holds a 1.9% mindshare in BA, compared to Broadcom’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of GNU users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

GNU Make

Read 6 GNU Make reviews

590 Views
561 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

VMware Tanzu Platform

Read 23 VMware Tanzu Platform reviews

7,253 Views
580 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

GNU Make

VMware Tanzu Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

GNU Make and VMware Tanzu Platform are key players in the software lifecycle space, focusing on build automation and containerized application management, respectively. VMware Tanzu stands out with its extensive deployment and enterprise management features, though it is priced higher than GNU Make.

Features: GNU Make offers straightforward syntax, support for nested makefiles, and optimized code compilation. VMware Tanzu provides seamless Kubernetes integration, multi-cloud support for cloud applications, and comprehensive orchestration capabilities.

Room for Improvement: GNU Make could benefit from graphical interface development, better support for complex dependency management, and enhanced scalability for cloud environments. VMware Tanzu could improve on cost-effectiveness, streamline integration processes for non-VMware environments, and enhance user interface usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Tanzu offers sophisticated deployment models and robust support, ideal for large enterprises transitioning to cloud infrastructures. GNU Make's simplicity results in fewer support needs but lacks formalized service options for troubleshooting and assistance.

Pricing and ROI: GNU Make is open-source and free, delivering high ROI for budget-conscious teams focused on build automation. VMware Tanzu requires a higher investment upfront but offers significant ROI through enhanced efficiencies and scalability in cloud deployment, justified by its robust feature set for enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed GNU Make vs. VMware Tanzu Platform Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

GNU Make vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

March 2026

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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

GNU Make

Ranking in Build Automation

16th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

VMware Tanzu Platform

Ranking in Build Automation

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

PaaS Clouds (12th), Cloud Management (25th), Development Platforms (3rd), Container Management (6th), Service Mesh (7th), Agile and DevOps Services (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Build Automation category, the mindshare of GNU Make is 1.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Tanzu Platform is 2.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Build Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
VMware Tanzu Platform	2.3%
GNU Make	1.9%
Other	95.8%

Build Automation

Featured Reviews

Josh Call

Software Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees

Enhances productivity with efficient dependency handling and a straightforward setup

GNU Make is used as a build system tool. Most people don't use GNU Make directly but utilize other systems like CMake to generate Make files, which are then run by GNU Make. This is common for tasks like compiling C++ code. In the industry, AI developers, for example, use GNU Make in their work…

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ErmiasGirma

Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc

Has supported container-based deployments and improved infrastructure visibility through monitoring tools

Aria Operations, formerly known as VMware vRealize Operations, has been renamed to vROps. We are currently using this for monitoring purposes. For orchestration, we are using VCD to automate Telco Cloud. VCD is an automation tool, and we are also using VMware Tanzu Platform for the Kubernetes environment, alongside TKG, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid. These are also other solutions for the Tanzu Kubernetes environment. For Telco Cloud, we are using it to automate our company's operations, which is for a telecom company. We are familiar with these products, especially vCenter, ESXi, VCD, vCF, and vROps. It is very easy to integrate applications when we deploy vCenter and ESXi since we can enable vSphere with Tanzu feature. We can build namespaces and provide application developers the platform to deploy their applications on pods within containerization. We can easily manage, pull results, and create containers efficiently, making it a simple way to handle applications. We provide namespace labels for application developers, and we can manage their resources along with other aspects easily. Regarding security, we use many tools such as CDX and LDAP, AD for integrating our Kubernetes cluster with the developer teams. We can manage roles and permissions simply. It is very straightforward to integrate with EDX and other third-party tools, Active Directory, to the Kubernetes cluster, allowing easy access and management.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Makefiles are extremely easy to work with using any preferred editor. GNU Make can be run directly from the terminal, not requiring any time wasted on clicking."

"Setup is extremely straightforward."

"The initial setup of GNU Make is straightforward."

"I have not encountered any scalability issues with GNU Make. It is as scalable as the project's structure is, and then some."

"Full-featured syntax allows building strategies as simple or as complex as one wishes, and declarative approach fits the task really well. Wide adoption also means that everybody knows what GNU Make is and how to use it."

"GNU Make is such an essential tool that it is almost impossible to imagine working without it. Not having it, developers would probably have to resort to doing everything manually or via shell scripts."

"The most valuable feature of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is the management functionality of the cluster life cycle. Additionally, the solution integrates well with other vendors, such as Velero for backups and Sonobuoy for compliance. Additionally, it works well in multi-cluster environments."

"The observability platform and end-to-end service portal provided by Tanzu are the most valuable features."

"The most popular feature of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is its graphical user interface for describing network policies on the Service Mesh, which is highly integrable with other tools commonly used in supply chains such as security."

"Defining security metrics has proven beneficial for customers in maintaining a safe environment."

"The solution is integrated very well with a lot of other systems. Also, its GUI is very good."

"We feel very good about these features."

"We never experienced any problems with scalability."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the ability to check the flow of all the different variants within our applications."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pros

Cons

"GNU Make requires using the Tab symbol as the first symbol of command line for execution. In some text editors this can be problematic, as they automatically insert spaces instead of tabs."

"Vanilla GNU Make does not support any kind of colored output. A wrapper named colormake exists to work around this, but native (opt-in) support would be welcome."

"GNU Make does not provide traditional customer support."

"The implementation is not easy, it is very complex and can take a day or two to complete."

"The solution is currently focused on VMware infrastructure and I would like to see more options made available."

"I would like to see additional support for things outside of Cloud Foundry."

"The solution's initial setup process was complex...The solution could benefit from improved customization and visibility for its users."

"We want to see a new feature that helps build more security architecture like Zero Trust Security or shifting left in Kubernetes."

"LYNX is a managed cluster solution that takes care of specific details within a cluster, such as sequences or services. I haven't seen this feature in Tanzu Mission Control."

"The network control and security policies must be improved."

"Tanzu could provide more granular control over whatever networking is being done on the containers. I would also like to see a slightly more detailed view of application-level tracing. I'm referring to the connections between different microservices. If they added a service-matching feature, that would be helpful for the customers to build or be more effective."

More VMware Tanzu Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"GNU Make is free and open source software."

"There is no price for this product. No licensing. It’s open-source."

"The licensing cost is expensive."

"I would recommend that businesses look into the full price for their requirements. The price is high, but there are some open-source add-ons that can be used for customization while keeping costs down, although these might not be suitable for everyone."

"The solution is bundled in with Cloud Foundry so the pricing is not independent."

"The license for VMware Tanzu Application Service is expensive. The license should be cheaper."

"Since we were at a large data center, the price might not have been a concern for us."

"The price of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is greater than that of Red Hat's competitor solution"

"The least expensive licensing cost for VMware is around $350 per core."

"The product is not expensive, but it is not cheap."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GNU Make?

GNU Make is a free solution that comes with Linux, which positively impacts operational costs by eliminating licensing fees.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GNU Make?

I am not familiar enough with it to suggest any specific new features or areas for improvement. It occupies its niche well.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for GNU Make?

See all answers

Which is better - OpenShift Container Platform or VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

Red Hat Openshift is ideal for organizations using microservices and cloud environments. I like that the platform is auto-scalable, which saves overhead time for developers. I think Openshift can b...

See all answers

What do you like most about VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

It definitely gives the end customer a good overview and perspective of running applications in terms of overall workload footprint. TMC provides a very detailed description of your cloud-native ap...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

The price of VMware Tanzu Mission Control is greater than that of Red Hat's competitor solution. I would rate the pricing of VMware Tanzu Mission Control as four out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Jenkins vs GNU Make

Compared 15% of the time

TeamCity vs GNU Make

Compared 12% of the time

LaunchDarkly vs GNU Make

Compared 10% of the time

Buildkite vs GNU Make

Compared 9% of the time

Tekton vs GNU Make

Compared 7% of the time

More GNU Make Competitors

Rancher Labs vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 9% of the time

Kubernetes vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Docker vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More VMware Tanzu Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Build Automation

March 2026

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Buyer's Guide

VMware Tanzu Platform

February 2026

Download VMware Tanzu Platform product report

Also Known As

No data available

Tanzu Application Catalog, Application Platform, Application Service, Hub, Mission Control, Service Mesh, Build Service, Concourse for VMware Tanzu

Overview

Make is a tool which controls the generation of executables and other non-source files of a program from the program's source files.

GNU

VMware Tanzu Platform is designed for cloud-native development and management of Kubernetes, CI/CD processes, microservices, and containerized workloads. It supports deployments both on cloud and on-premises, providing centralized management via Mission Control.

VMware Tanzu Platform offers seamless integration with vSphere, ESX, and vSAN, supporting centralized cluster management and lifecycle management. The platform provides a GUI for monitoring CI/CD pipelines and network policies, enhancing multi-tenancy and Day 2 operations. Users can easily manage Kubernetes clusters, monitor applications, and integrate with tools such as GitHub, GitLab, Cloud Foundry, and Azure. It ensures compliance and security for service providers, financial institutions, and businesses.

What are the key features of VMware Tanzu Platform?

Integration with vSphere, ESX, and vSAN: Enhances compatibility and flexibility.
Seamless Cluster Management: Centralized control over Kubernetes clusters.
CI/CD Pipelines and Network Policies: Simplifies monitoring and management.
Multi-tenancy Support: Facilitates resource sharing among multiple users.
Comprehensive Lifecycle Management: Streamlines deployment and scalability.
Observability Platform: Provides enhanced visibility and control.

What benefits and ROI should users look for in VMware Tanzu Platform reviews?

Centralized Management: Simplifies operations and reduces manual effort.
Enhanced Compliance and Security: Meets regulatory requirements.
Flexibility in Deployment: Supports both cloud and on-premises options.
Seamless Integration: Works with multiple vendors and tools.
Developer-Friendly Environment: Improves productivity and innovation.

Industries such as financial institutions, service providers, and businesses requiring rigorous compliance and security deploy VMware Tanzu Platform. These entities benefit from centralized management, streamlined DevOps processes, and integrated tools, enhancing their capabilities in cloud-native developments and containerized workloads.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Verizon, Cerner, Zipcar, Avarteq

Buyer's Guide

GNU Make vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

March 2026

Free Report: GNU Make vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

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