RHEV vs VMware vSphere Foundation comparison

Red Hat and VMware are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. Red Hat is ranked #13 with an average rating of 7.8, while VMware is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.2. Red Hat holds a 3.4% mindshare in SVS, compared to VMware’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 79% of Red Hat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of VMware users who would recommend it.

RHEV

Read 36 RHEV reviews

4,043 Views
4,043 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

VMware vSphere Foundation

Read 14 VMware vSphere Foundation reviews

242 Views
242 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: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

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

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

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of RHEV is 3.4%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware vSphere Foundation is 0.3%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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

System and Cloud Deployment 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

"It is a scalable solution."

"The solution is stable."

"Technically, the main reason why I'm using Red Hat is because of its stability."

"The solution has a good licensing module."

"We find the ease of use of this solution to be invaluable. It is user-friendly and integrates well with other software."

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

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

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

More RHEV pros

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

"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."

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

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

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

"Setting up the VMware vSphere Foundation is easy."

"Overall, it is an excellent solution, and I rate it a ten out of ten."

More VMware vSphere Foundation pros

Cons

"I heard that there are big differences between Red Hat eight and seven, but it's still quite difficult for me to judge it. I found it a bit more difficult to manage than version seven, which was much easier. In term of features, though, it is still not yet clear which is better. I have no clear idea of which features need to be changed at the moment."

"This solution could be more secure."

"It would be better to have more patches, especially kernel-level updates, live and online so that we can keep the business up and running during this period."

"The availability of technical expertise with the solution may be limited in some areas."

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

"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."

"RHEV can improve by keeping pace with new features and new enhancements. They should not be halted or delayed innovation because over the past quarter the enhancements have not been as fast as they have been previously."

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

More RHEV cons

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

"The VMware vSphere Foundation is very good, and the support is also good, but the price now is very expensive. I would rate the support for the VMware vSphere Foundation a six because currently, we have access to engineers, but I have to wait more time to resolve my case due to basic questions."

"With the Broadcom acquisition of VMware, there were delays and confusion in Brazil and some LATAM countries involving quoting and purchasing."

"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."

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

"Some customers in Latin America and Mexico, including myself, face challenges due to the lack of language support from engineers."

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

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

More VMware vSphere Foundation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the free version of Red Hat."

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

"It's a budget product as far as I'm concerned. It's way cheaper than any of its competitors. The only thing cheaper than Red Hat is that the people who take the Red Hat code clone it and then self-support it."

"This is an open-source solution."

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

"RHEV offers pricing based on a per-physical-machine licensing model."

"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."

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

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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?

The impact of VMware vSphere Foundation performance monitoring capabilities is somewhat limited; therefore, you have to look at the additional components built around it. They can always use some i...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for VMware vSphere Foundation?

My team runs VMware Aria Operations, but I have limited experience. I'm most familiar with the VMware vSphere Foundation solutions, specifically the virtual, the enterprise, and the vCenter compone...

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware vSphere vs RHEV

Compared 39% of the time

Proxmox VE vs RHEV

Compared 27% of the time

Hyper-V vs RHEV

Compared 11% 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 43% of the time

VMware vSphere vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 34% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 22% of the time

More VMware vSphere Foundation Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

RHEV

August 2025

Download RHEV product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware vSphere Foundation

July 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.

VMware

Sample Customers

Qualcomm and Bonham's Auction House.

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

July 2025

Free Report: RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

Find out what your peers are saying about RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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