SolarWinds Virtualization Manager vs VMware vSphere comparison

The compared SolarWinds and VMware solutions aren't in the same category. SolarWinds is ranked #7 in VM , with an average rating of 6.0, and holds a 10.1% mindshare in the category. VMware is ranked #2 in SVS , with an average rating of 8.4, and holds a 16.1% mindshare. Additionally, 71% of SolarWinds users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of VMware users who would recommend it.

SolarWinds Virtualization M...

Read 7 SolarWinds Virtualization Manager reviews

617 Views
586 Comparison Views

71% willing to recommend

VMware vSphere

Read 456 VMware vSphere reviews

27,930 Views
24,020 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

SolarWinds Virtualization M...

VMware vSphere

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between SolarWinds Virtualization Manager and VMware vSphere based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about VMware, IBM, Veeam Software and others in Virtualization Management Tools.

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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

SolarWinds Virtualization M...

Average Rating

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Virtualization Management Tools (7th)

VMware vSphere

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

456

Ranking in other categories

Server Virtualization Software (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Virtualization solutions, they serve different purposes. SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is designed for Virtualization Management Tools and holds a mindshare of 10.1%, up 7.8% compared to last year.
VMware vSphere, on the other hand, focuses on Server Virtualization Software, holds 16.1% mindshare, down 20.0% since last year.

Virtualization Management Tools

Server Virtualization Software

Featured Reviews

Ravi Khanchandani

Founder Director at Techsa Services

Optimizing virtual environments by reclaiming and allocating resources efficiently

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager optimizes VM performance and virtualization. It provides me with recommendations for resource allocation, indicating if a virtual machine is under-provisioned or over-provisioned. This allows me to reclaim resources, such as reducing the number of CPU cores or RAM, which is beneficial. Its capacity planning feature is also very useful for me. The GUI is highly simplified, cutting across various virtualization platforms, including VMware, Hyper-V, and Nutanix environments.

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Neeraj Mehra

Manager of Solutions and Support at Esconet Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Streamlines virtualization and has features like high availability and vMotion

The primary use case is for virtualization, including the implementation of vSphere, vCloud Foundation, vCloud Director, and cloud automation with vSphere My customers, particularly SMBs, mainly utilize High Availability (HA), DRS, and vMotion features. The vMotion feature is beneficial for…

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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

"SolarWinds Virtualization Manager optimizes VM performance and virtualization."

"The most valuable features of SolarWinds Virtualization Manager are the non-Windows servers' monitoring and capacity planning."

"SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is a great tool that is easy to use...It is a stable solution."

"We are able to create virtual machines and move them from one host to another, controlling the resources."

"Visibility: We can easily pull reports and give access to other people to look at specs or performance metrics."

"The built-in encryption of vSphere really helps us to secure our customers, especially customers in the medical field who need to be HIPAA compliant. Being able to encrypt the VM itself helps out a ton."

"I use the ESXi a lot for my users to create their own templates and control their own VMs without my interaction."

"I think that the solution is perfect. It's the best on the market."

"It is a very mature solution that is easy to use and flexible."

"Also, the automated builds are being done through it, and we don't have to manually do it anymore. All of my AIS platforms are completely automated now with the VM suite."

"We use it to virtualize our server infrastructure. Virtualization has made it easier for us to manage our environment. We can manage it from location, the vSphere web client."

More VMware vSphere pros

Cons

"SolarWinds needs to support integration with other virtualization platforms like KVM or Linux-based systems."

"The problem or issue with the product is related to its pricing."

"SolarWinds needs to support integration with other virtualization platforms like KVM or Linux-based systems."

"The SolarWinds Virtualization Manager platform in general can have a better response time in the performance."

"There is room for improvement in Google Cloud. The reason thing there was, like, when I type something in the terminal and then immediately, I need to go to edit the certain like file for Node.js, for the server, or for Kubernetes. So I have to do it from the terminal to the editor."

"The cost can be better."

"It needs to integrate better between multiple modules."

"I feel that the scalability of the solution should be improved."

"It could use a smaller learning curve."

"It lacks a snapshot feature."

"On the older version of VMware vSphere, possibly version four, we had a feature that allowed us to backup Ziploc machines. It has not been available in the newer version such as six or seven. I have been looking for another solution to accomplish the backups but they should bring back this plugin-type tool to allow older backup capabilities."

"In the past, little changes have broken things in vSphere. Going from 6.0, which worked perfectly fine on the Mac Pro, there were certain changes in hardware drivers, when 6.5 came out. Some were no longer present or had been deprecated. As a result, it didn't work on the Mac Pro anymore, which was business critical."

More VMware vSphere cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The is an annual subscription needed to use this solution."

"The maintenance and support are a part of the package, meaning it is included in the product's price."

"It's a common trend as many progressive IT firms are transitioning towards cloud or virtual environments due to factors like pricing, SMAX, and VMatter. In this regard, I would rate VMware as moderately satisfactory. I would rate it seven out of ten."

"Its licensing is typically yearly. From a value standpoint, it's worth it."

"Its price could be lower. There is the cost of one license, and then there is the subscription cost for support."

"It's a pricey solution."

"I rate the solution's pricing a ten out of ten due to the recent price changes."

"It is a perpetual licensing but there is also an annual maintenance cost."

"A customer can buy a license and support on a yearly basis."

"VMware is consistently expensive and their pricing arrogance is what will drive us and other customers away."

More VMware vSphere pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user234735

Technology Consultant, ASEAN at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

May 10, 2015

Hyper-V 2012 R2 vs. VMware vSphere 5.5

I was won with Hyper-V 2012R2 recently and the table below based on customer RFP (edited). This articles all about technical, there is not related with TCO/ROI, licensing cost, “political”, etc. Another to noted is the Windows Server 2012 licenses is based on 2 socket CPU, meanwhile…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SolarWinds Virtualization Manager?

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is a great tool that is easy to use...It is a stable solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SolarWinds Virtualization Manager?

This solution delivers significant cost savings, especially from a capacity perspective. Consistent monitoring is essential in a virtualization environment, and Virtualization Manager, or VMAN as i...

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What needs improvement with SolarWinds Virtualization Manager?

SolarWinds needs to support integration with other virtualization platforms like KVM or Linux-based systems.

See all answers

What is IOMMU?

DEEPEN DHULLA did explain well IOMMU. IOMMU has to be activated at the bios level. It exists on Intel and AMD platforms. It is used a lot inside virtualization platforms like VMware VSphere. It pr...

See all answers

Why KVM??? Help please!

We use VMware and KVM. We find that KVM is a lot simpler to use and it provides the virtualization we need for Linux and Windows. For us, VMware does not offer any advantage. Moreover, KVM is free.

See all answers

What is the biggest difference between Nutanix Acropolis and VMware vSphere?

We found the reduced power consumption with Nutanix Acropolis AOS a very attractive feature. We also like the interface that allows you to talk directly to your VM from the present software. We fou...

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Comparisons

VMware Aria Operations vs SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

Compared 63% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

Compared 22% of the time

IBM Turbonomic vs SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

Compared 15% of the time

More SolarWinds Virtualization Manager Competitors

Hyper-V vs VMware vSphere

Compared 26% of the time

Oracle VM vs VMware vSphere

Compared 14% of the time

Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere

Compared 14% of the time

KVM vs VMware vSphere

Compared 7% of the time

RHEV vs VMware vSphere

Compared 7% of the time

More VMware vSphere Competitors

Product Reports

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Virtualization Management Tools

July 2025

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager report

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VMware vSphere

June 2025

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Also Known As

SolarWinds VMAN

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Overview

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager reduces downtime by 53% and time spent troubleshooting by 59%. Analyze and remediate VM performance problems by viewing active, critical, and warning issues in your environment.

SolarWinds

VMware vSphere is a versatile virtualization platform known for its ease of use, flexibility, and high availability. It supports seamless migration, optimal resource allocation, and centralized management, making it highly suitable for diverse infrastructure needs.

VMware vSphere is widely adopted for its virtualization capabilities that enhance hardware efficiency and ensure minimal downtime through features like High Availability and Distributed Resource Scheduler. Despite criticisms about high licensing costs and limited fault tolerance, it remains a preferred choice due to its stability, scalability, and robust integration options. Users appreciate its efficiency in managing virtual machines and hosting enterprise applications, although challenges with web client performance and hardware compatibility are noted. Organizations often look for better integration with cloud services and enhanced automation and scalability.

What are the core features of VMware vSphere?

vMotion: Enables seamless migration of virtual machines without downtime.
Distributed Resource Scheduler: Optimizes resource allocation across hosts.
High Availability: Minimizes downtime by automatically restarting virtual machines.
Centralized Management: Facilitates easy management of virtualized environments.
Advanced Security: Provides robust security measures and compliance features.

What benefits and ROI can businesses look for?

Reduced Operational Costs: Efficiently utilizes hardware, saving on expenses.
Scalability: Easily scales to meet growing business demands.
Business Continuity: Ensures high availability and disaster recovery.
Integration Flexibility: Supports integration with various technologies.

VMware vSphere is implemented across sectors like healthcare, finance, and education for server virtualization, data center management, and private cloud creation. Its use in facilitating business-critical operations ensures high availability and efficient resource use, supporting both development and production environments.

VMware

Sample Customers

Elliot Health System

Abu Dhabi Ports Company, ACS, AIA New Zealand, Consona, Corporate Express, CS Energy, and Digiweb.

Buyer's Guide

Virtualization Management Tools

July 2025

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