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Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs vCenter Orchestrator comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

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

Microsoft System Center Orc...
Ranking in Process Automation
31st
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
vCenter Orchestrator
Ranking in Process Automation
13th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of Microsoft System Center Orchestrator is 1.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of vCenter Orchestrator is 0.9%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
vCenter Orchestrator0.9%
Microsoft System Center Orchestrator1.3%
Other97.8%
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

Dan Campeanu - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at ProVision
Automates tasks and manages multiple servers from a central location
The initial setup was quite complex. It required careful preparation of installation steps, as many tasks were not automated as expected. Special attention was needed to prepare groups, users, and permissions at each step to ensure a smooth setup process. Please do so accurately to avoid having to start over. Challenges encountered during deployment included issues with installation and configuration and difficulties detecting machines and executing tasks as expected. Some solutions were found through trial and error during installation, while others were discovered through recommendations from other users. Despite these challenges, the deployment and rollout of Orchestrator took approximately one and a half months to ensure proper functionality.
NB
Hybrid Cloud Engineer at RealPage
Boosts operational efficiency with flexible workflows and reliable cluster management
We currently use vCenter Orchestrator's pre-built workflow templates for our IT processes. The templates are flexible, allowing us to create and convert processes simply and manage patches. Regarding integration capabilities, we do not integrate any third-party tools. We exclusively use VMware products. The integration within the VMware infrastructure is limited to Single Sign-On (SSO). I have not created any workflows in vCenter Orchestrator as workflows are only used for change management. I have not encountered any drag and drop interface. The version control and logging features of vCenter Orchestrator have significantly improved the reliability of our automated processes, particularly during upgrades or patching to the cluster-wise. Previously, it would be done on a one-to-one cluster or one-to-one host basis, but now we only need to monitor it for upgrading or patching the entire cluster. I cannot comment on the pricing and licensing of vCenter Orchestrator as these aspects are managed by our onsite counterpart. Overall, I rate vCenter Orchestrator 8 out of 10. The rating reflects occasional delays in support response times and portal stability issues.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It can manage multiple servers and workstations from a single location."
"Automation is the most valuable feature of the solution."
"The solution allows us to manage multiple VMware in a single, vCenter, console and it is very useful."
"The hardware abstraction layer, being able to make the VMs portable when moving to a different platform or over a WAN."
"It is the most cost-effective method for moving data between machines."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the workflow creation."
"vCenter Orchestrator's best features are the workflows, integration with third-party applications, and the workflow library."
"The most valuable feature is that it's simple and very ergonomic to use the product compared to other virtualizing product, and out of Microsoft, Red Hat, and IBM, we found VMware to be the best one."
"We can scale the solution."
"We can manage and relocate resources easily."
 

Cons

"The product's management aspect needs enhancement."
"I find the Orchestrator UI to be problematic."
"The product’s cost needs improvement."
"The scalability option provided by the solution is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"As we work towards more stability on the solution, sometimes we'll try something and it breaks and it's easier to restart the service."
"The pricing could be a bit less between the pandemic and the war."
"The only point for improvement is the price, which has increased by 135%, making it very expensive."
"The scalability of the vCenter Orchestrator is not easy to do because it is depending on the hardware that is used."
"I would like to see a greater ability to do mobile administration."
"I think that vSAN can be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We obtained a license that bundled Windows Server with System Center at no additional cost."
"I give the cost of the solution a five out of ten."
"The licensing cost is manageable because they have different versions available, standard, essential, and advanced."
"vCenter Orchestrator could be more affordable."
"The concept of hyper-convergence is smart. I don't know if it can be applied with less cost to be more affordable for small or medium-sized companies. The cost is a very important factor for it. We are currently depending on SAN storage. However, the hyper-converged solutions are depending on the storage within the hosts, such as vSAN in the VMware. It is a smart solution."
"vCenter Orchestrator is an expensive solution."
"I rate the product price a seven to eight out of ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"My organization didn't have to pay extra for vCenter Orchestrator. It was already included, so it's basically free. Even VMware regular support is included."
"My company needs to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"We provide the VMware solution to our clients, for which they pay a perpetual license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
13%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

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Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vCenter Orchestrator?
We're running a low-profile budget. This is not our main focus on investment technology, so we're trying to reduce costs due to the change from perpetual to subscription licenses.
What needs improvement with vCenter Orchestrator?
For our environment, I do not see any areas of vCenter Orchestrator that could be improved or enhanced. We are currently satisfied with the orchestrator. If any improvements are needed, I will prov...
What is your primary use case for vCenter Orchestrator?
My usual use cases for vCenter Orchestrator involve managing all the ESXi hosts from the US, as we have almost 1200 to 1500 ESXi hosts.
 

Also Known As

MS System Center Orchestrator
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Beiersdorf Shared Services
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs. vCenter Orchestrator and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
896,467 professionals have used our research since 2012.