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IBM PowerVM vs VMware ESXi comparison

IBM and VMware are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. IBM is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5, while VMware is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM holds a 1.3% mindshare in SVS, compared to VMware’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of VMware users who would recommend it.
IBM PowerVM
Read 36 IBM PowerVM reviews
  • 1,834 Views
  • 1,548 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
VMware ESXi
Read 31 VMware ESXi reviews
  • 442 Views
  • 316 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 6, 2024

IBM PowerVM and VMware ESXi are two primary players in the virtualization market. While both platforms excel in different areas, VMware ESXi's comprehensive integration capabilities and lightweight, user-friendly setup give it a slight edge in diverse deployment scenarios.

Features: IBM PowerVM stands out with flexible hardware resource management, strong security for database workloads, and effective handling of complex Oracle licensing thanks to Live Partition Mobility and shared processor pools. Meanwhile, VMware ESXi offers high availability, disaster recovery, and vMotion, coupled with extensive third-party application support and a simplified installation process.

Room for Improvement: IBM PowerVM could improve with expanded OS compatibility and lower pricing, alongside better interface elements and cloud integration. VMware ESXi can be challenging to set up, and pricing has been a concern post-Broadcom acquisition, with calls for better licensing transparency and support response.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM PowerVM is suited for on-premises deployments, notable for strong technical support and timely resolutions. VMware ESXi offers hybrid cloud deployment options but has mixed feedback on customer service, with some areas needing improvements.

Pricing and ROI: IBM PowerVM is perceived as expensive but justified for long-term performance, especially for Oracle workloads with inclusive licensing. VMware ESXi's pricing is complex and has increased after Broadcom's acquisition, impacting perceived value, though both solutions offer substantial ROI depending on their specific use cases.

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To learn more, read our detailed IBM PowerVM vs. VMware ESXi Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
IBM PowerVM vs. VMware ESXi
April 2025
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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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.7
IBM PowerVM offers higher ROI and cost savings, especially for Oracle users, with scalability, easy administration, and enhanced efficiency.
Sentiment score
5.7
VMware ESXi saves time and money initially but may result in higher long-term costs despite improved efficiency.
The return on investment is substantial, though other platforms may offer a better ROI, primarily due to lower costs involved in setup and maintenance.
If calculated over a five-year period, IBM PowerVM is 30 to 40% more cost-effective than physical servers despite initial costs seeming high.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
IBM PowerVM is praised for strong support, though TSM support and hardware support subscription issues need improvement.
Sentiment score
7.8
VMware ESXi support is responsive and effective, but some users note delays post-Broadcom acquisition, affecting satisfaction.
IBM provides strong support.
IBM offers excellent customer support.
IBM has an established technical support team and partners who provide extended support to end customers.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
In the last three or four years, we did not require any support from VMware engineers, indicating its high reliability.
I rate the technical support from VMware as nine or ten out of ten.
Their technical support is good, and I am satisfied with it.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
MB
AS
MR
Syed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewerNasrRafiq - PeerSpot reviewerFozia Nurye - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
IBM PowerVM excels in scalability and flexibility, supporting large enterprises with superior performance and integration capabilities despite pricing concerns.
Sentiment score
7.9
VMware ESXi offers scalable solutions, efficiently managing virtual environments with excellent vertical scalability, despite some licensing challenges.
An IBM server can handle up to sixty-four terabytes of RAM.
I think IBM PowerVM uses a 'pay as you grow' model, allowing customers to scale their resources as needed.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
My customers are highly satisfied with its scalability.
vCenter Server can manage up to 1,000 ESXi servers within a single UI interface, allowing extensive deployment and management capabilities.
The solution is scalable, allowing us to scale up or down regardless of infrastructure size.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
AS
MR
Amar Sorro - PeerSpot reviewerMir Gulzar Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewerSyed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
IBM PowerVM offers superior stability and security with excellent uptime, efficiency, and resilience, outperforming alternatives like Nutanix and VMware.
Sentiment score
8.5
VMware ESXi is praised for stability and reliability, with most users rating it highly despite occasional performance issues.
The stability of IBM PowerVM is exceptional, as industry reports have named IBM Power and Z as the most stable platforms globally for 15 consecutive years.
Our clients in India using Power Servers have been running their servers for the last four to five years without any reboot.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
ESXi is stable, and our business operations depend on it year after year.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
AS
MR
Syed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Room For Improvement

IBM PowerVM users seek better management, interface, performance, and cost-effectiveness, with enhanced automation, virtualization, and cloud integration features.
VMware ESXi requires simpler licensing, improved usability, cost reduction, enhanced support, better scalability, and features like remote access.
We have a strong relationship with IBM, which aids decision-making in transitioning clients from mainframe to other platforms.
PowerVM should integrate some capabilities of VMware vCenter to improve its management features.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
The cost of VMware ESXi is very high, especially after the acquisition by Broadcom, which led to price increases.
It's not cost-effective for small users and creates a gap for alternatives, while favoring larger clients.
Providing a mobile application for remote access to ESXi servers would be beneficial.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
MB
AS
Amar Sorro - PeerSpot reviewerMir Gulzar Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewerSyed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Setup Cost

IBM PowerVM offers flexible payment options, though initial high costs require negotiation but may yield long-term savings.
VMware ESXi is often seen as expensive, with high initial and annual costs and a confusing licensing model.
While initially costly, the ROI over five years proves IBM PowerVM is cost-effective, resulting in a 30 to 40% reduction in costs compared to a physical setup.
PowerVM itself is free with the purchase of an IBM server.
Pricing is a concern in Argentina due to the higher cost of mainframe solutions.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
The product is very cost-effective, though not fixed, as pricing tends to fluctuate over time.
Changes have made it cost-prohibitive for smaller users.
The pricing is expensive, with the cost for customers ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 yearly.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
MR
AS
MB
Amar Sorro - PeerSpot reviewerMir Gulzar Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewerSyed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Valuable Features

IBM PowerVM provides flexible resource management, high availability, and smooth cloud transitions, supporting various operating systems and complex workloads.
VMware ESXi is highly regarded for its reliability, user-friendliness, resource optimization, and efficient management of virtual machines.
It supports specific workloads, like Oracle and SAP HANA, much better due to its shared processor pool feature which reduces licensing costs.
IBM PowerVM supports multiple operating systems such as IBM i, AIX, and Linux, allowing users to run various applications seamlessly in a cloud environment.
PowerVM excels in efficiently managing all systems and environments, including development, UI, and production.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report
As a level one or bare metal hypervisor, its unmatched scalability depends on underlying hardware, capable of managing large numbers of physical servers with one management platform.
Its capability to move virtual machines to physical machines is very efficient for our live environment.
All the features of VMware ESXi are very beneficial, particularly for virtualizing our infrastructure.
For more quotes and insights, download the VMware ESXi report
AS
MR
MB
Mir Gulzar Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewerSyed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewerFozia Nurye - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM PowerVM
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware ESXi
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
8th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of IBM PowerVM is 1.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware ESXi is 0.8%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Virtualization Software
 

Featured Reviews

Atif Najam - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable system for high-end data processing with a great support structure
The only problem with the IBM system is improving its hardware licensing model. For example, when you procure a server with 40 physical codes, you must also procure licenses to activate the codes. In Dell or any system, you procure the hardware and have the full right to use the hardware. For IBM, it's different because when you procure a 40-code processor and have 40 physical codes, you only have a license to use 20. As a result, the 20 alert codes will always be in activated mode. Hence, the hardware licensing model could be improved because the licensing model is a bit different from the standard hardware procured.
Read full review
Syed Ali Waqas - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently manages development environments with robust network integration
I recommend new users download and evaluate the free version from VMware's website. Once satisfied, they should purchase the professional version for a smooth and secure IT infrastructure. The professional version is cost-effective, allowing one to create multiple servers on a single server. I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Read full review
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM PowerVM?
Managing other operating systems is also straightforward with IBM PowerVM.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM PowerVM?
While initially costly, the ROI over five years proves IBM PowerVM is cost-effective, resulting in a 30 to 40% reduction in costs compared to a physical setup.
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM PowerVM?
I have not encountered any issues or dissatisfaction with IBM PowerVM so far. Clients using it have been satisfied, and there have been no glitches since its introduction.
See all answers
What do you like most about VMware ESXi?
My customers are satisfied with the solution’s performance.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware ESXi?
VMware is shifting to Broadcom, and their prices are becoming more expensive nowadays. The management is considering whether to continue with VMware or switch to other products. I am not sure exact...
See all answers
What needs improvement with VMware ESXi?
Pricing is a major issue with VMware ESXi as it is becoming more expensive. Many financial companies use VMware, so they should consider working on their pricing model to make it more affordable.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 9% of the time
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Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs IBM PowerVM
Compared 3% of the time
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Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware ESXi Logo
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Compared 30% of the time
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Compared 20% of the time
Proxmox VE vs VMware ESXi Logo
Proxmox VE vs VMware ESXi
Compared 11% of the time
Hyper-V vs VMware ESXi Logo
Hyper-V vs VMware ESXi
Compared 9% of the time
Virtuozzo Hybrid Server vs VMware ESXi Logo
Virtuozzo Hybrid Server vs VMware ESXi
Compared 6% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM PowerVM
April 2025
IBM PowerVM reportDownload IBM PowerVM product report
Buyer's Guide
VMware ESXi
April 2025
VMware ESXi reportDownload VMware ESXi product report
 

Also Known As

PowerVM
No data available
 

Overview

Power is server virtualization without limits. Businesses are turning to PowerVM server virtualization to consolidate multiple workloads onto fewer systems, increasing server utilization and reducing cost. PowerVM provides a secure and scalable server virtualization environment for AIX, IBM i and Linux applications built upon the advanced RAS features and leading performance of the Power Systems platform.
IBM

VMware ESXi serves as a hypervisor enabling virtualization by transforming physical servers into virtual infrastructures, supporting efficient server management, development, and production environments.

Organizations utilize VMware ESXi for its high availability and ability to host diverse workloads effectively. Known for stability and maturity, it efficiently handles server, networking, and storage demands, with integral features like vMotion and memory compression. ESXi integrates well with data center operations, allowing seamless resource allocation and virtual machine migration. Despite impressive capabilities, users encounter challenges with setup complexity, licensing costs, and technical support delays, leading some to explore different solutions.

What are the main features of VMware ESXi?
  • High Availability: Ensures continuous operation of virtual machines.
  • vMotion Capabilities: Facilitates easy virtual machine migration.
  • Clustering: Enhances resource management and efficiency.
  • Server Management: Offers efficient management with third-party integration.
  • Resource Optimization: Utilizes memory compression technologies.
What benefits and ROI do organizations see with VMware ESXi?
  • Cost Savings: Reduces expenses by consolidating servers.
  • User-friendliness: Offers a stable and manageable interface.
  • Multi-OS Support: Enables running Linux and Windows environments.
  • High Performance: Recognized for speed and efficiency.

Industries deploying VMware ESXi benefit in sectors requiring robust IT infrastructure, including finance, healthcare, and education. Its capability to support high availability and diverse workloads proves essential for critical applications, enhancing productivity and agility in dynamic environments.

VMware
 

Sample Customers

Sto, Soitec, SNO, Bundesrechenzentrum GmbH, Al Mansour Holding, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Huhtamaki, ELK Group, IT-Informatik, Arkansas Tech University, Pneuhage
Information Not Available
Buyer's Guide
IBM PowerVM vs. VMware ESXi
April 2025
Free Report: IBM PowerVM vs. VMware ESXi
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