RHEV vs VMware vSphere Foundation comparison

Red Hat and Broadcom are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. Red Hat is ranked #13 with an average rating of 8.0, while Broadcom is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.2. Red Hat holds a 2.9% mindshare in SVS, compared to Broadcom’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 79% of Red Hat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

RHEV

Read 36 RHEV reviews

3,774 Views
3,774 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

VMware vSphere Foundation

Read 15 VMware vSphere Foundation reviews

348 Views
348 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

RHEV

VMware vSphere Foundation

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 6, 2024

RHEV and VMware vSphere Foundation compete in the virtualization market. Data comparisons indicate VMware vSphere Foundation has the upper hand with its advanced features, outweighing its cost compared to RHEV, which is perceived favorably in pricing and support.

Features: RHEV offers open-source flexibility, integration capabilities, and customization, appealing to smaller or open-source-focused operations. VMware vSphere Foundation provides scalability, advanced virtualization capabilities, and a robust feature set suitable for complex IT infrastructures and enterprise-level deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware vSphere Foundation is recognized for its structured deployment model and comprehensive support network, which aids smoother installations in larger organizations. RHEV features a more straightforward deployment process that suits teams with specific open-source expertise, though its support framework often relies on community resources compared to VMware's vendor-driven assistance.

Pricing and ROI: RHEV is known for its cost-effective setup and potential for higher ROI, especially when leveraging its open-source nature to reduce expenses. VMware vSphere Foundation's initial setup costs are higher, but its powerful toolset is viewed as a valuable investment for fully integrated and scalable virtualization solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

September 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

RHEV

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

13th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of RHEV is 2.9%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware vSphere Foundation is 0.3%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Virtualization Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
VMware vSphere Foundation	0.3%
RHEV	2.9%
Other	96.8%

Server Virtualization Software

Featured Reviews

Sujeet-Kumar

Project Manager Cloud Infrastructure at Path Infotech ltd

The solution is scalable and affordable, but it lacks features, and it is not easy to manage

Management of RHEV is not as easy as VMware. Some features do not work. The product does not provide features similar to VMware’s VMotion. After creating the cluster, the VM is moved to another node if we move down. However, the VM does not move the parent node automatically. It has to be moved manually. VMware moves it automatically. RHEV moves it to the parent node only if we restart. Everything can be handled in VMware through the GUI. However, in RHEV, some things can be managed through UI, and others cannot. We have to troubleshoot and use CLI. A few features of the product do not work as well as those in VMware.

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ErmiasGirma

Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc

Virtualization enhances management and utilization in enterprise environments

In the past, we faced challenges with VMware's transition to Broadcom, which caused a lot of frustration. Issues like not being able to upgrade to version eight without support and the end-of-life of perpetual licenses were concerning. Pricing fluctuation and increased licensing costs were also significant challenges. I highly recommend that continuous support for perpetual licenses be provided.

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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

"The solution is stable."

"The biggest aspect for me is the disk usage, the virtual manager, and the deployment of machines."

"The solution is a great all-round product. The virtualization is especially good."

"The solution makes migration easy."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the support portal."

"I advise keeping an open mind. It's an excellent solution."

"The most valuable features of RHEV are all the tools, such as virtualization, management of cloud platforms, and integration of container environments. The solution has good compatibility between virtualization, content management, and cloud management. Having the full set of these tools is the advantage of it."

"Customers are moving to open source and Red Hat is the leader in this particular space. I think customers feel more confident running Red Hat Virtualization than VMware."

More RHEV pros

"What is most valuable about VMware vSphere Foundation is the reliability of the platform."

"The support from VMware has been excellent."

"Overall, I am generally happy with VMware's customer support; they are responsive and I have no reason to complain."

"VMware vSphere ensures high resilience in the data center."

"I would rate VMware vSphere Foundation ten out of ten for its ease of use and functionality."

"vSphere Foundation is valuable due to its scalability, reliability, and ease of management."

"The product includes disaster recovery features; the disaster recovery capability is quite good and the security features help to protect critical applications in general."

"We save substantial money from using VMware vSphere Foundation because previously, we needed to provision all new applications with new physical servers, such as app servers, DB servers, and license servers."

More VMware vSphere Foundation pros

Cons

"The solution should be made more user-friendly."

"We should improve how we manage storage domains and make more comprehensive control available through the command line."

"The solution could use network virtualization."

"The Administration of the Oracle database and the SAP ERP needs improvement."

"It lags behind in that you need to go to something like Fedora to get all the extra bells and whistles."

"While everything needs improvement in some way, I have no specifics."

"When we do a direct comparison, then obviously VMware does better in terms of having Fault Tolerance and doing active disaster recovery and these kind of things. This is something that can be improved within Red Hat."

"The solution has a very small lifecycle."

More RHEV cons

"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."

"VMware needs to improve cost efficiency, especially in Pakistan, as customers often seek more affordable solutions."

"Before Broadcom, VMware's support was an eight or ten out of ten. Now, with Broadcom's management, I would rate it a three out of ten."

"The area where VMware vSphere Foundation has room for improvement is in its licensing."

"VMware needs to improve cost efficiency, especially in Pakistan, as customers often seek more affordable solutions."

"Recently, the pricing has gone up a lot for different organizations depending on what licensing they have had since the acquisition by Broadcom, so there is room for improvement on the pricing."

"The biggest issue is pricing due to the Broadcom acquisition."

"Regarding the scalability of VMware vSphere Foundation, there are questions about whether it is completely scalable or if there are limitations."

More VMware vSphere Foundation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price-wise, RHEV is okay, in my opinion."

"We buy a license for commercial use, and we also use the free editions."

"This product has a variety of licensing options available. However, the level of licensing, and therefore the cost of licensing, is dependent on the number of servers being utilized."

"I believe we pay on a yearly basis."

"Its price depends on the use cases."

"The solution does not require licencing but a subscription is necessary, which is very affordable."

"We have to pay extra for vulnerability and fault tolerance."

"The price of RHEV is high. It is an open-source solution, the price should be less. The price should not be on par with a solution, such as VMware. It's not more or equal to VMware, it's less, but the difference should be more substantial."

More RHEV pricing and cost advice

"It is expensive."

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Comparison Review

Thang Le Toan (Victory Lee)

CIO at Robusta Technology & Training

Jan 13, 2015

vSphere vs. RHEV vs. Hyper-V vs. XenServer

We have used the following functions: 1. Hypervisor: to ensure that the virtual server provide web and email services to the company, thus providing a stable operation a with single sign-on integration of an AD server and vCenter. 2. Network and Storage: centralized data server…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	10

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

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about RHEV?

The initial setup is fairly straightforward and well-documented. The process is very similar to its competitors. The success of your setup depends on how well you plan.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for RHEV?

It's the open source. There's not much cost. It's very minimal comparably. Compared to what I am paying for VMware, it's negligible.

See all answers

What needs improvement with RHEV?

The RHEV management plane could be improved, particularly the management interface. Something more similar to a Google, Amazon, or Azure interface might attract people to use its management interfa...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for VMware vSphere Foundation?

I can describe the use cases for the product.

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware vSphere vs RHEV

Compared 32% of the time

Proxmox VE vs RHEV

Compared 32% of the time

Hyper-V vs RHEV

Compared 12% of the time

KVM vs RHEV

Compared 10% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs RHEV

Compared 7% of the time

More RHEV Competitors

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 37% of the time

VMware vSphere vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 28% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 20% of the time

Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 15% of the time

More VMware vSphere Foundation Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

RHEV

September 2025

Download RHEV product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware vSphere Foundation

September 2025

Download VMware vSphere Foundation product report

Also Known As

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization

No data available

Overview

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, or RHEV, is a leading open standard enterprise virtualization management solution. This solution supports virtualization of servers and desktops using the same infrastructure and a single easy-to-use interface.

Because RHEV is based on open standards, it is vendor-independent and a lot more cost effective and flexible than proprietary solutions.

Red Hat

VMware vSphere Foundation is designed for businesses seeking virtualization management capabilities. It offers essential features to optimize IT operations and improve server utilization, providing a solid infrastructure for managing virtual environments.

VMware vSphere Foundation supports efficient resource management in virtual environments, delivering a robust platform for businesses to streamline their IT processes. It enhances system reliability and offers scalable options for growing business needs. By leveraging virtualization, it reduces hardware dependency while ensuring consistent system performance.

What are the key features of VMware vSphere Foundation?

VMware vCenter Server: Centralized platform for managing VMs and hosts.
High Availability: Ensures minimal downtime for critical applications.
Data Recovery: Provides backup and restore options for enhanced data protection.
Resource Manager: Allocates resources efficiently between VMs to maximize performance.

What benefits or ROI should users consider?

Cost Reduction: Decreases hardware expenses by maximizing server usage.
Improved Scalability: Facilitates easy expansion of IT infrastructure.
Enhanced Reliability: Offers consistent uptime and minimized outages.
Efficiency Gains: Streamlines operations, reducing manual IT management tasks.

VMware vSphere Foundation is implemented effectively across industries like healthcare, finance, and retail. It supports crucial workloads, allowing these sectors to maintain operational efficiency while handling sensitive data. Its flexibility and robust capabilities make it suitable for diverse operational demands.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Qualcomm and Bonham's Auction House.

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

September 2025

Free Report: RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

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