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 8.4. Red Hat holds a 2.4% mindshare in SVS, compared to Broadcom’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Red Hat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

RHEV

Read 37 RHEV reviews

3,659 Views
3,622 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

VMware vSphere Foundation

Read 15 VMware vSphere Foundation reviews

512 Views
512 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: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

December 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

6.3

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 January 2026, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of RHEV is 2.4%, down from 3.6% 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
Product	Market Share (%)
VMware vSphere Foundation	0.6%
RHEV	2.4%
Other	97.0%

Server Virtualization Software

Featured Reviews

Mike Neuliep

Linux Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

Has supported virtualization projects in side jobs but has required workarounds due to lack of maintenance

In my opinion, the best features of RHEV are that it is a real hypervisor and it is free, so it performs better than VMware. I have used the live migration feature in the past with RHEV. There is a free clone of it that is based on the open source. Live migration is a nifty feature if your app is not highly available and you need to do maintenance on a machine. You can migrate the VM off of it, do your maintenance, and move it back when you are done. RHEV has a high availability architecture with a built-in monitoring feature where you could see machines other than the one you are operating on. I tend to implement high availability not so much in RHEV, but by using standard application high availability strategies. Red Hat has another product specifically for high availability.

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Rui J Bastos

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.

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 platform is scalable, allowing for the installation of multiple nodes."

"What they provide is way beyond the essential requirements of customers."

"There aren't any bugs on the solution."

"I can control and manage everything. I know everything that's cooking inside. This is the best part for me."

"This solution is very stable. Much more so than similar products."

"It is very stable."

"The solution has a good licensing module."

"It is a scalable solution."

More RHEV pros

"The features are easy to manage, and the user experience is excellent."

"I find the manageability and interface of vSphere Foundation to be very good, more understandable, and futuristic compared to open-source alternatives."

"VMware vSphere Foundation is positioned in the top right quadrant in a Gartner chart and offers the best virtualization solution to help manage enterprise components."

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

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

"One valuable feature of vSphere is the possibility to distribute file systems in a hyperconvergent foundation."

"It helps us see whether our configuration is adequate and prompts us with questions if there are potential issues, asking whether we want to proceed."

"I find the manageability and interface of vSphere Foundation to be very good, more understandable, and futuristic compared to open-source alternatives."

More VMware vSphere Foundation pros

Cons

"Configuring the network interfaces is much better in Ubuntu and should be improved."

"In comparison to VMware, this solution isn't as stable. We're testing it right now, and we're not trusting the stability of the product."

"The solution could use network virtualization."

"My teammates and I often complain that VMware is well-documented and has a large community since it is the de facto standard. I would love to see better documentation and ease of use."

"The solution has a very small lifecycle."

"The support is tricky in a few places. We're facing some challenges within Malaysia where we don't really have the system integrators available who can provide extended support. When we need personnel on-site, we can't get them."

"Specifically, enhancements in managing virtual machine migrations, cloning, and the creation of different VMs could further optimize its functionality."

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

More RHEV cons

"In the past, we faced challenges with VMware's transition to Broadcom, which caused a lot of frustration."

"The licensing model is an area for improvement."

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

"Management of support cases is not as efficient as it used to be."

"You can have the best product in the world, but if it’s not accessible to customers, it doesn’t matter. That’s my main concern."

"One area of concern is Oracle's lack of support for VMware in terms of core licensing."

"The licensing model is an area for improvement. Recently, VMware shifted its licensing models, and they should streamline it."

"One area of concern is Oracle's lack of support for VMware in terms of core licensing. It is not legally compliant to use an Oracle database on VMware, which does not support Oracle core-based licensing. Therefore, I decided to decommission VMware due to these licensing issues."

More VMware vSphere Foundation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price depends on the use cases."

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

"I would say the price is acceptable."

"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."

"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."

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

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

"I believe we pay on a yearly basis."

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

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	12

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?

RHEV is not improving because it has been discontinued. It has been discontinued for years. I would love to get back into RHEV, but the job market is difficult and no one is hiring. RHEV is designe...

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

Proxmox VE vs RHEV

Compared 28% of the time

VMware vSphere vs RHEV

Compared 28% of the time

Hyper-V vs RHEV

Compared 15% of the time

KVM vs RHEV

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle VM vs RHEV

Compared 6% of the time

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VMware vSphere vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 23% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 22% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 16% of the time

Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 12% of the time

VMware ESXi vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 10% of the time

More VMware vSphere Foundation Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

RHEV

January 2026

Download RHEV product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware vSphere Foundation

January 2026

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

December 2025

Free Report: RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

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