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IBM PowerVM vs VMware vSphere Foundation comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 6, 2024

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
6.4
IBM PowerVM offers cost savings and efficiency, especially in Oracle licensing, while proving more cost-effective than physical servers long-term.
Sentiment score
5.3
VMware vSphere Foundation improves scalability, recoverability, and cost management through server consolidation and infrastructure optimization for hybrid architectures.
The return on investment is substantial, though other platforms may offer a better ROI, primarily due to lower costs involved in setup and maintenance.
Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees
If calculated over a five-year period, IBM PowerVM is 30 to 40% more cost-effective than physical servers despite initial costs seeming high.
Solution Sales Specialist at TD SYNNEX
In an environment where the infrastructure has to be up for monitoring and controlling physical infrastructure like water plants, it has absolutely returned on its investment.
OT Technologist at a energy/utilities company with 201-500 employees
There is flexibility and interoperability with multi-mode architectures that accommodate both on-prem and cloud realities.
CIO and Chief Digital Officer at Reliance Industries Ltd
Server consolidation is one return on investment where we can use one server for multiple workloads.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
IBM PowerVM's support is responsive and efficient, with knowledgeable staff, though some users seek improvement in specific areas.
Sentiment score
5.9
VMware vSphere Foundation's customer service is mixed, praised for availability and support but critiqued on costs and response times.
IBM provides strong support.
Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees
IBM offers excellent customer support.
IT Specialist at Saudi Business Machines - SBM
IBM's technical support is outstanding, with seamless global coordination and prompt resolutions.
Brand Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
There is nonstop support available around the world, which allows issues to be resolved continuously without interruption, regardless of whether the problem occurs in the USA, India, or another location.
Product Manager at MSiT Technology
Now, with Broadcom's management, I would rate it a three out of ten.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Most of the time, VMware operates smoothly without requiring support.
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
IBM PowerVM is praised for its scalability, seamless virtualization integration, workload compatibility, and ease of resource adjustments without performance loss.
Sentiment score
7.7
VMware vSphere Foundation is scalable, supports third-party integration, but users note potential limitations in specific configurations.
An IBM server can handle up to sixty-four terabytes of RAM.
IT Specialist at Saudi Business Machines - SBM
The product is scalable due to PowerVM's virtualization features, such as shared processor functionality and partition mobility.
Brand Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I think IBM PowerVM uses a 'pay as you grow' model, allowing customers to scale their resources as needed.
Solution Sales Specialist at TD SYNNEX
The return on investment is high because we can maximize the use of one server for multiple workloads.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
It's straightforward to procure additional licenses, install them on the host and add them to the same cluster.
Technology Solution Consultant at DWP Technologies
You can simply add more hosts to your VMware stack seamlessly, scaling up vertically or horizontally.
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.5
IBM PowerVM is renowned for unmatched reliability and security, outperforming competitors and receiving top ratings for high-performance workloads.
Sentiment score
7.5
VMware vSphere Foundation is reliable, minimally managed, requires updates, effectively monitors performance, and is highly praised for stability.
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.
IT Specialist at Saudi Business Machines - SBM
Our clients in India using Power Servers have been running their servers for the last four to five years without any reboot.
Solution Sales Specialist at TD SYNNEX
The product operates reliably, and following IBM’s best practices ensures robust stability.
Brand Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Stability is optimal.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Frequent updates are required due to constant security challenges and attacks.
Solutions Manager at ICSI
It is a standard tool and is considered very stable.
Quality Engineer at KML
 

Room For Improvement

IBM PowerVM users seek better management, performance, pricing, GUI enhancements, VMware-like integration, and improved cloud strategies and support.
VMware vSphere faces issues with access, pricing, language support, and multi-cloud management following Broadcom's merger, requiring better solutions.
We have a strong relationship with IBM, which aids decision-making in transitioning clients from mainframe to other platforms.
Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees
PowerVM should integrate some capabilities of VMware vCenter to improve its management features.
IT Specialist at Saudi Business Machines - SBM
From a product perspective, I would like to see faster certification of open-source products on IBM Power Systems.
Brand Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
I highly recommend that continuous support for perpetual licenses be provided.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc
VMware needs to improve cost efficiency, especially in Pakistan, as customers often seek more affordable solutions.
Technology Solution Consultant at DWP Technologies
Recently, VMware shifted its licensing models, and they should streamline it.
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group
 

Setup Cost

IBM PowerVM pricing is high but offers all-inclusive licensing and flexible terms, justifying costs with performance and reliability.
VMware vSphere costs, especially post-merger, are high, leading organizations to consider open-source alternatives for cost-effectiveness.
Pricing is a concern in Argentina due to the higher cost of mainframe solutions.
Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees
PowerVM itself is free with the purchase of an IBM server.
IT Specialist at Saudi Business Machines - SBM
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.
Solution Sales Specialist at TD SYNNEX
It's expensive, however, the stability it offers is optimal.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
In Brazil, we are increasingly using open-source alternatives like Proxmox due to their lower prices in comparison.
Product Manager at MSiT Technology
During one project, the price doubled or even tripled before implementation, causing issues with clients.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc
 

Valuable Features

IBM PowerVM provides resource flexibility, stability, security, and cost efficiency, supporting complex workloads and multiple operating systems seamlessly.
VMware vSphere Foundation provides scalable virtualization, efficient management, robust security, and facilitates seamless cloud integration with high availability.
Features like partition mobility enhance the machine's capabilities, making it an ideal tool for virtual environments with reliability, availability, and serviceability.
Brand Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
IBM PowerVM is performing very well in supporting complex workloads.
Service Delivery Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
PowerVM excels in efficiently managing all systems and environments, including development, UI, and production.
Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees
vSphere Foundation is valuable due to its scalability, reliability, and ease of management.
Technology Solution Consultant at DWP Technologies
VMware provides the tools needed to move environments between private and public clouds seamlessly.
Product Manager at MSiT Technology
The virtual stack of vCenter, its distributed resources system, high availability engines, and the ability to move VM workloads from one host to another are outstanding.
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM PowerVM
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware vSphere Foundation
Ranking in Server Virtualization Software
12th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of IBM PowerVM is 1.4%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware vSphere Foundation is 0.6%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Virtualization Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM PowerVM1.4%
VMware vSphere Foundation0.6%
Other98.0%
Server Virtualization Software
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2014950 - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Delivery Manager at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Virtualization has simplified partitioning and currently supports secure multi-tenant workloads
The ease of use of IBM PowerVM provides key benefits such as the installation being very easy, and the VIOS is really, really stable. IBM PowerVM is performing very well in supporting complex workloads. It's simple regarding the initial setup for IBM PowerVM. We always create two VIOS servers in IBM PowerVM to be compliant for security and to be compliant also for redundancy.
RB
CIO and Chief Digital Officer at Reliance Industries Ltd
Hybrid cloud integration provides seamless management while multiple cloud optimization is needed
I have concerns regarding VMware's strategy, particularly about how it manages multiple cloud environments since clients and my company need to navigate multiple clouds. The ability to manage all these environments through a single management interface has become increasingly important. Additionally, companies often arbitrage between different cloud environments, which means we need to optimize workloads based on varying computational abilities and cost points—something I haven't seen fully addressed in your product yet, but which I believe will be necessary. When discussing improvements for VMware vSphere Foundation, many people bring up cost as an issue, but I don't consider that to be the main concern. A key aspect to consider is that we often lack a comprehensive understanding of all the moving parts related to how the product evolves. The conversation we've had illustrates that we may not fully recognize or appreciate all the new features and updates being rolled out.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise21
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM PowerVM?
Managing other operating systems is also straightforward with IBM PowerVM.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM PowerVM?
IBM’s licensing model offers flexibility in subscription terms, now allowing one- to five-year options. They have introduced a subscription-based model for some systems, creating a more cost-effect...
What needs improvement with IBM PowerVM?
From a product perspective, I would like to see faster certification of open-source products on IBM Power Systems ( /products/ibm-power-systems-reviews ). While the product has robust features and ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware vSphere Foundation?
I don't know the exact pricing for the VMware vSphere Foundation, but I think the last license model to upgrade is three or four times more expensive.
What needs improvement with VMware vSphere Foundation?
It is not the best because something is bothering me and could be enhanced. I want to discuss disadvantages because I have covered some positive things. There are potential areas that could be better.
 

Also Known As

PowerVM
No data available
 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM PowerVM vs. VMware vSphere Foundation and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,036 professionals have used our research since 2012.