Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs VMware Tanzu Platform comparison

Red Hat and VMware are both solutions in the Container Management category. Red Hat is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while VMware is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5. Red Hat holds a 19.7% mindshare in CM, compared to VMware’s 12.1% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Red Hat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of VMware users who would recommend it.

Red Hat OpenShift Container...

Read 51 Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform reviews

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6,489 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

VMware Tanzu Platform

Read 22 VMware Tanzu Platform reviews

7,257 Views
4,935 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Red Hat OpenShift Container...

VMware Tanzu Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Red Hat OpenShift and VMware Tanzu compete in the container platform market. OpenShift has a slight edge due to its robust security features and strong integration capabilities.

Features: OpenShift Container Platform provides robust auto-scalability, advanced cluster management, and intricate user access controls, making it secure and developer-friendly. It offers ease of integration with existing systems and supports flexible resource scaling. VMware Tanzu is notable for its seamless integration with VMware's infrastructure, including vSphere, and efficient management of Kubernetes clusters across multi-cloud environments. Users appreciate its comprehensive suite for container management.

Room for Improvement: OpenShift needs better integration, improved routing capabilities, and more effective networking functions like IP whitelisting. Simplifying installation and reducing pricing may boost user adoption. VMware Tanzu should enhance integration with non-VMware products and improve networking controls. Its pricing structure could benefit from more granular control and improved disaster recovery options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: OpenShift supports multi-cloud deployments, offering substantial flexibility with well-regarded customer service, though responsiveness can vary. VMware Tanzu excels in integration with VMware ecosystems, providing ease of deployment in hybrid and public clouds. Yet, customer support can be inconsistent and sometimes lacking in-depth knowledge.

Pricing and ROI: OpenShift is recognized for its high cost, justified by its extensive feature set and enterprise support, offering significant ROI through infrastructure cost reduction and improved scalability. VMware Tanzu is seen as more affordable compared to some competitors, yet initial costs remain high. Its value lies in integration capabilities, though some users critique complexity in licensing compared to other solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs. VMware Tanzu Platform Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

July 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:

Categories and Ranking

Red Hat OpenShift Container...

Ranking in Container Management

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

VMware Tanzu Platform

Ranking in Container Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Build Automation (13th), PaaS Clouds (13th), Cloud Management (24th), Development Platforms (3rd), Service Mesh (8th), Agile and DevOps Services (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is 19.7%, down from 21.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Tanzu Platform is 12.1%, down from 17.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform	19.7%
VMware Tanzu Platform	12.1%
Other	68.2%

Container Management

Featured Reviews

Rifat Rahman

Infrastructure Architect & CEO at Tirzok Private Limited

Integration and automation have transformed deployment and maintenance

Regarding the learning curve, the customers actually do not need the technical nitty-gritty details; they need to know about the containerization journey because they are not familiar with it. They know it as a theory, but they don't understand anything about its practical implications. That's the main challenge. The solution itself doesn't require a high learning curve; it is actually quite good to manage. However, application developers and managers have to understand the beauty of it, and that is the challenge. If Red Hat can execute some programs regarding that, it will help. Regarding Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, it is expensive according to market feedback. Notably, the platform plus is perceived as quite expensive and some features from an infrastructure perspective are lacking.

Read full review

DarshanChaudhari

Solutions Architect Hybrid Cloud Practice US/Europe at Tech Mahindra Limited

Empowers seamless connectivity and integration through APIs while offering robust auto-scaling

I am involved in IT services and we provide a solution to customers. We work with VMware, Nutanix, OpenShift, and Microsoft Hyper-V The Tanzu platform is highly available, scalable, and flexible. It offers native services for autoscaling and integrations through APIs, allowing seamless…

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

"The software is user-friendly and straightforward to use, which is favorable to a developer."

"It has been a good solution to deploy all containerized applications."

"The solution is stable. However, it depends on the integrations of the solution on how stable it will be, such as what tools you integrate with."

"Some of the primary features we leverage in the platform have to do with how we manage the cluster configurations, the properties, and the auto-scalability. These are the features that definitely provide value in terms of reducing overhead for the developers."

"The stack in the software supply chain is one of the main reasons that we use OpenShift. When I came to this company, we bought hardware from IBM named Bluemix, and they used ICP, which stands for IBM Cloud Private."

"I think it's a pretty scalable tool...The solution's technical support has been pretty good."

"Centralized control of container resources is most valuable."

"Technical support is good; they are fast and reliable."

More Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform pros

"Tanzu Mission Control has quite a set of rich features when compared to OpenShift."

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

"The most important feature of Tanzu Mission Control is its integration with the other products, especially with ESX and vSAN. This is a strong part of Tanzu Mission Control. In other solutions, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes, you can find similar features, but they don't have similar integration. With Tanzu Mission Control, you get a total solution with only one provider. You have the integration with the infrastructure, virtualization of networking, and virtualization of storage. You have a natural integration, and you don't have the problem of integrating it with different products or providers. Sometimes, different companies have good integration, but it is not always guaranteed. For example, many years ago, Cisco and VMware were good partners in networking, but when VMware started to sell ESX, the relationship was broken. This is the problem that you can face when you are using solutions from two different companies."

"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."

"I have multiple Kubernetes environments within my environment. TMC gives me a single pane view, which is good for managing everything."

"There are a lot of services available in VMware Tanzu Application Service, such as databases and application servers. You have everything you need in one application and you do not need to search outside of the solution."

"The Tanzu platform is highly available, scalable, and flexible."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pros

Cons

"There are some occasions when support from Red Hat is not what we expect; in instances of outages, it sometimes takes a substantial amount of time to resolve issues."

"My impression is that this solution is pretty expensive so I think the pricing plan could improve."

"Getting the solution quickly and troubleshooting quickly are both areas where I think it needs some work."

"We've encountered challenges when transitioning applications between these environments."

"It is difficult to deploy the OpenShift cluster in a bare-metal environment."

"There should be a simplification of the overall cluster environment. It should require fewer resources. Just to run a simple Hello World app, it requires about seven servers, and that's just crazy. I understand that it is fully redundant, but it's prohibitively expensive to get something simple going."

"Whenever we onboard or deploy services that talk to Oracle Database, they take a lot of time to become active and serve the incoming request, so it would be good to see some improvement here. This could be an OpenShift issue or an internal network problem within our organization."

"One area for improvement is that we can't currently run Docker inside a container, as it clashes with security consents. It would be good if we could change that."

More Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform cons

"The product should support integration with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)"

"One potential area for expansion would be leveraging AI capabilities, which my customer might be interested in exploring as they grow."

"It is not easy to build a solution with containers. It has a graphical user interface, but you need to have a lot of knowledge of Linux and how to work in the command mode. Its support can also be improved. Currently, its biggest disadvantage is that it is a new product, and the clients prefer to go for a solution that has been in the market for a long time. There are not that many people who know this product."

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

"This product doesn't have a GUI. In order to use it properly, I need to connect it to a new GUI or build a GUI to manage it — it's pretty difficult."

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

"Cost is always a concern. Smaller companies might find the price a bigger issue."

"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."

More VMware Tanzu Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is a bit high because it's a premium product, but as long as the business is ready to pay for that, it's okay."

"If you buy the product for a year or three, you get a lot of discounts...I feel that the product is worth its cost, especially since setting it up can be done with just a few clicks."

"The price is slightly on the higher side. It is something that can be worked on because most of the businesses now have margins."

"I'm not familiar with pricing or financial aspects. In terms of effort versus benefit, it's worth it."

"I'm an architect, so I have no involvement in the pricing and licensing of the platform."

"OpenShift Container Platform is highly-priced."

"We currently have an annual license renewal."

"Its licensing is completely incomprehensible. We have special people within our company. They discuss with Red Hat subscription managers. It is too complex, and I do not understand it. We are from the government, and we are trying to be as cheap as possible. Sometimes, I am just amazed at the amount of money that we have to pay. It is crazy."

More Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform pricing and cost advice

"Its pricing is very competitive. We get around 70% or 75%, sometimes even 80%, discount on the product. I would rate it a four out of five in terms of pricing."

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

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

"It is not the most expensive option, and I believe the capabilities align well with the value it provides."

"The solution is only for large or medium size enterprises because it is expensive."

"There are different licenses available. You have to upgrade your license if you want to scale the solution more."

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

"One of our Spanish customers told us that VMware Tanzu Service Mesh is a very expensive product for their data center."

More VMware Tanzu Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	39

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

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 OpenShift Container Platform?

The tool's most valuable features include high availability, scalability, and security. Other features like advanced cluster management, advanced cluster security, and Red Hat Quay make it powerful...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenShift Container Platform?

Regarding whether Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is expensive or if the price is reasonable for my customers, to me, the services it provides should incur some costs, but based on market feed...

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

What needs improvement with VMware Tanzu Mission Control?

The product should support integration with Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The tool's flexibility in onboarding different clusters needs to improve, it's presently limited to a few clusters on the li...

See all answers

Comparisons

Amazon EKS vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Compared 56% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Compared 11% of the time

HashiCorp Nomad vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Amazon Elastic Container Service vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Compared 4% of the time

Google Kubernetes Engine vs Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Compared 3% of the time

More Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform Competitors

Rancher Labs vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 17% of the time

Kubernetes vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 13% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 10% of the time

Docker vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Azure vs VMware Tanzu Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More VMware Tanzu Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

August 2025

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform report

Download Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware Tanzu Platform

August 2025

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

Red Hat® OpenShift® offers a consistent hybrid cloud foundation for building and scaling containerized applications. Benefit from streamlined platform installation and upgrades from one of the enterprise Kubernetes leaders.

Red Hat

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.

VMware

Sample Customers

Edenor, BMW, Ford, Argentine Ministry of Health

Verizon, Cerner, Zipcar, Avarteq

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

July 2025

Free Report: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs. VMware Tanzu Platform

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