RHEV vs VMware vSphere Foundation comparison

Why PeerSpot?

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 #5 with an average rating of 8.7. Red Hat holds a 2.5% mindshare in SVS, compared to Broadcom’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Red Hat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

RHEV

Read 37 RHEV reviews

4,198 Views
4,156 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

VMware vSphere Foundation

Read 16 VMware vSphere Foundation reviews

1,778 Views
1,778 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

RHEV

VMware vSphere Foundation

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

RHEV and VMware vSphere Foundation are competing products in the virtualization space. VMware vSphere Foundation has the upper hand due to its superior features and comprehensive capabilities, providing greater value despite higher costs.

Features: RHEV offers an open-source model for flexibility and integration with Linux environments. It includes features such as high availability, live VM migration, and extensive resource allocation options. VMware vSphere Foundation provides advanced resource management, virtualization management, and performance optimization, along with high availability and sophisticated management tools like vCenter and vRealize Operations Manager.

Room for Improvement: RHEV could enhance its enterprise functionalities and documentation to match proprietary competitors. There is room for advancing high availability features and supporting proprietary environments. VMware vSphere Foundation could improve user-friendliness to ease the learning curve and deliver more cost-effective solutions for budget-conscious customers. More flexible pricing options and streamlined deployment processes would also benefit users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: RHEV offers straightforward deployment suitable for Linux-focused organizations, with robust support for open-source systems. VMware vSphere Foundation provides a more sophisticated deployment process, supported by extensive documentation and premium customer service, ideal for enterprises requiring high-level assistance and thorough guidance.

Pricing and ROI: RHEV's pricing appeals to those prioritizing cost-efficiency, especially in open-source ecosystems, delivering a strong ROI. VMware vSphere Foundation's higher initial setup costs are offset by long-term ROI through extensive functionality and system efficiency, providing significant value for enterprises investing in robust infrastructure.

To learn more, read our detailed RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

September 2026

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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

5th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of RHEV is 2.5%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware vSphere Foundation is 1.3%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Virtualization Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
VMware vSphere Foundation	1.3%
RHEV	2.5%
Other	96.2%

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.

Read full review

Youssef-Hmani

IT Infrastruture Consultant at Devoteam Management Consulting

Proactive monitoring has improved infrastructure visibility and simplifies long term management

I remember when I was working as a consultant and implemented Site Recovery Manager from VMware. It was working fine and is a very good solution. Although I used it five or six years in the past, it is very beneficial for customers as a function to build disaster recovery.

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

"If you have a heterogenous data centre that is specially focused on Linux platforms, this is safe money, and good if you are looking for automation."

"The solution is easy for us to deal with when comes to application migration and has good compatibility with multiple components."

"When you purchase RHEV, you are essentially buying a subscription license. This license can be integrated with various client types, including these integrations with the subscription."

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

"The most valuable feature of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization is its pricing."

"When any organization needs end-to-end infrastructure deployment, configuration management, and automation, then RHEV is the best fit."

"It is a scalable solution."

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

More RHEV pros

"VMware provides the best features."

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

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

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

"The support from VMware has been excellent."

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

"vSphere Foundation is valuable due to its scalability, reliability, and ease of management, allowing multiple VMs in one server, making it cost-effective, with high availability and convenient management that provide significant benefits for my customers."

"Setting up the VMware vSphere Foundation is easy."

More VMware vSphere Foundation pros

Cons

"I would love to see better documentation and ease of use."

"With RHEV, the cyberattacks should be fewer. I want RHEV to be better protected."

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

"The solution could use network virtualization."

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

"If you wanted to go to the desktop computer side of things, it lags behind in that you need to go to something like Fedora to get all the extra bells and whistles."

"Scalability depends on the applications. Red Hat by itself is not scalable."

"They don't know how to sell their great products and don’t really seem to be interested in taking care of their partners who trust and really know their products."

More RHEV cons

"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."

"In the last year, the main issue was pricing. With the Broadcom acquisition of VMware, there were delays and confusion in Brazil and some LATAM countries involving quoting and purchasing."

"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 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."

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

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

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

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

More VMware vSphere Foundation cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe we pay on a yearly basis."

"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."

"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."

"Its price depends on the use cases."

"I would say the price is acceptable."

"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."

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

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Construction Company

Outsourcing Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Marketing Services Firm

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	10

Questions from the Community

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 primary use case for RHEV?

I have done some consulting where I used RHEV, taking on side jobs to run virtual machines in the financial industry for a startup. The last time I used RHEV was in my home lab, but that has been d...

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?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for VMware vSphere Foundation?

I am not specifically in a partnership with VMware, but I am using many tools from VMware. For example, vRealize Operations is a very good tool to manage and monitor infrastructure. I believe it is...

See all answers

Comparisons

Hyper-V vs RHEV

Compared 19% of the time

VMware vSphere vs RHEV

Compared 16% of the time

Proxmox VE vs RHEV

Compared 13% of the time

Oracle VM vs RHEV

Compared 9% of the time

KVM vs RHEV

Compared 7% of the time

More RHEV Competitors

VMware vSphere vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 24% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 15% of the time

NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU) vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 15% of the time

Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 9% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs VMware vSphere Foundation

Compared 9% of the time

More VMware vSphere Foundation Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

RHEV

September 2026

Download RHEV product report

Buyer's Guide

VMware vSphere Foundation

September 2026

Download VMware vSphere Foundation product report

Also Known As

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization

No data available

Overview

RHEV offers a cost-effective virtualization platform with support for up to 160 cores and 2 TB of RAM per host, emphasizing open-source accessibility and integration with applications like OpenStack.

RHEV stands out with features such as high performance, stability, ease of migration, and robust security. Its integration capabilities with diverse applications and the self-service Power user portal enhance its appeal for IT environments. While the platform's affordability compared to VMware is noted, areas for improvement include the GUI, user-friendliness, network virtualization, and the need for enhanced pricing and support in regions lacking system integrators. RHEV's ability to facilitate seamless migration from legacy systems to virtual environments is widely adopted in sectors such as government, banking, and IT services.

What are the key features of RHEV?

Open-Source Accessibility: Offers flexibility and customization options.
High Performance: Supports up to 160 cores and 2 TB of RAM per host.
Seamless Integration: Integrates well with applications like OpenStack.
Live VM Migration: Enables continuous operations without downtime.
Power User Portal: Provides self-service capabilities for users.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Cost Optimization: Provides a cost-effective alternative to VMware.
Scalable Computing: Allows flexible resource allocation and scaling.
Migration Efficiency: Facilitates moving from legacy systems smoothly.
Robust Security: Enhances data protection and privacy management.

RHEV is widely used in high-computing tasks like AI and big data analytics within data centers, supporting cloud solutions, AI, and ERP systems. It's implemented in privacy clouds for industries such as government, banking, and IT services to migrate workloads from physical to virtual environments and optimize operational costs.

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 2026

Free Report: RHEV vs. VMware vSphere Foundation

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