VMware vCenter vs WhatsUp Gold comparison

Broadcom and Progress Software are both solutions in the Server Monitoring category. Broadcom is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6, while Progress Software is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.7. Broadcom holds a 1.0% mindshare in SM, compared to Progress Software’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Progress Software users who would recommend it.

VMware vCenter

Read 37 VMware vCenter reviews

442 Views
442 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

WhatsUp Gold

Read 25 WhatsUp Gold reviews

2,726 Views
436 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

VMware vCenter

WhatsUp Gold

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

WhatsUp Gold and VMware vCenter are established tools for network monitoring and virtualization management respectively. Users are generally happier with WhatsUp Gold's pricing and customer support, but VMware vCenter often stands out due to its comprehensive feature set, which users find worth the investment.

Features: WhatsUp Gold is valued for its simplicity, ease of configuration, and accessibility for small to medium enterprises. VMware vCenter is praised for advanced functionalities such as extensive monitoring capabilities, deep integrations, and a robust, feature-rich environment.

Room for Improvement: WhatsUp Gold users suggest enhancing reporting capabilities, adding more third-party integration options, and improving scalability. VMware vCenter users desire improvements in scalability, interface enhancements, and more intuitive configuration options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WhatsUp Gold has a straightforward deployment process, allowing quick setup and ease of use. Customer service is frequently responsive and helpful. VMware vCenter's deployment is more complex, reflecting its advanced feature set but requires extensive planning. Users appreciate VMware’s depth of support resources available, although immediate customer service satisfaction can vary.

Pricing and ROI: WhatsUp Gold tends to have a lower initial setup cost, making it attractive for smaller budgets and offering rapid ROI. VMware vCenter, while more costly upfront, is deemed a worthwhile investment due to its extensive features and strong long-term ROI track record, particularly in larger, more complex environments.

To learn more, read our detailed VMware vCenter vs. WhatsUp Gold Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

VMware vCenter vs. WhatsUp Gold

September 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 867,676 peers since 2012

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

VMware vCenter

Ranking in Server Monitoring

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

WhatsUp Gold

Ranking in Server Monitoring

16th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability (30th), Network Monitoring Software (31st), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (30th), Configuration Management (17th), Log Management (28th), Cloud Monitoring Software (24th), Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Server Monitoring category, the mindshare of VMware vCenter is 1.0%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WhatsUp Gold is 1.6%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Monitoring Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
VMware vCenter	1.0%
WhatsUp Gold	1.6%
Other	97.4%

Server Monitoring

Featured Reviews

Hoang Long Nguyen

IT Infrastructure and Architect Specialist at a transportation company with 201-500 employees

Automation and technical support impress with seamless migration and high availability management

We are in the process of implementing Zerto, which is currently in the purchase order phase. While we haven't fully implemented it yet, we have completed the POC. We use VMware vCenter and ESXi. The solution manages high availability effectively, with excellent automation for migration and patch management. The support is good, though the recent license change after the Broadcom acquisition has significantly increased costs. Patch management is controllable and can be managed individually, with automatic downloads available. We use it primarily for managing hosts and updates, without any integration. The performance is excellent, running very smoothly. I rate VMware vCenter a 9 out of 10.

Read full review

Tom Condo

Supervisor Information Services Operations at Seminole County Public Schools

If CPU, memory, or disk space is over-utilized, it alerts us immediately via text or email if there is an issue

When it comes to the intuitiveness of the topology mapping feature, our network architect created a vision diagram of our entire network and then created the links tied into the WhatsUp active monitoring to different spots on our topology map. It's one of the more critical functions we do here. We have the map displayed in different places in our room and help desk. We get alerted via emails but we can also see it visually. It does what it says it's going to do. We find this feature very helpful. The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one link. You can go into a particular part of the topology map, scroll in, and see exactly which module it is. All the information is provided. This feature really helps. You can see the correlation between that link and what failed. This feature is very helpful. The interface is fairly intuitive. Some of our users used SolarWinds and Nagios, and WhatsUp is easy in comparison. Once you get set up, the look, feel, and configuration are good. Our network architect had never used it before but he was able to create the Visio and map. It was very simple. He has no problems with it.

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

"We use VMware vCenter for centralization and to manage all the VMs."

"The most valuable features of the solution are virtualization and ease of backing up the virtual and on-premises servers."

"VMware vCenter has significantly improved our infrastructure management by enabling virtualization. We can virtualize our infrastructure, eliminating the need to access servers physically. Everything can be managed remotely."

"We must create a VIN on each node. You want to make the VIN ten times if you have a thin host. We mostly create VMs, and the vCenter publishes the template on all hosts."

"I integrated with VMware products, which makes integration easy."

"The most valuable feature of VMware vCenter is the centralized management that allows us to see resources from different data centers and VMware clusters in a single dashboard."

"One feature I really like about VMware vCenter is its ability to change hosts easily. It is highly available and very useful for our operations."

"The product has improved our system's proactive support for in-built AI tools."

More VMware vCenter pros

"The most valuable feature is the auto-discovery function."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one link. You can go into a particular part of the topology map, scroll in, and see exactly which module it is."

"Our local support team provides excellent service."

"The installation and configuration process are easy."

"It handles the basics of monitoring."

"This is a good, stable network monitoring solution for devices."

"It is easy to access and discover devices, as well as monitor them automatically. The topology discover is also a useful feature."

More WhatsUp Gold pros

Cons

"There is a feature called Fault Tolerance (FT), which has been part of vCenter servers since the product's inception. However, it has a lot of complexity, and when my team tested it, we found it difficult to manage. It also has some bugs. Consequently, we decided not to offer any fault tolerance features to our customers."

"The monitoring features are limited."

"The protocol interface or web page is not easy to use, and the personal portal is difficult to navigate."

"The process of creating VLANs or any similar tasks requires following a specific procedure, which must be executed accurately to ensure successful deployment. That's the main concern."

"The solution’s pricing could be improved."

"They could provide flexibility and cost-effectiveness for product licensing."

"The technical support team could respond faster."

"If VMware integrates some features of their other solution into VMware vCenter, operational managers might find it beneficial. Many organizations prefer to maintain separate solution sets based on specific needs and data requirements."

More VMware vCenter cons

"I think there are a few bugs now. Although they give some resolution for this, we cannot share the network remotely because of our company policy."

"WhatsUp Gold should work on real-time monitoring and configuration management. If they succeed in doing this, the solution will cover all the network troubleshooting aspects and will be a benefit."

"Improvements are needed in integration, especially for WhatsApp call and messages. Our region heavily uses WhatsApp Messenger for communication, and integration with this platform would be beneficial."

"The point system is not clear and clarity around this would improve our understanding of the system."

"The interface needs some work."

"I might like to see a better interface in the future."

"The pricing for this solution has gone up quite recently, which has led some of our customers to buy an alternative product."

"Importing the maps and being able to customize them could be easier."

More WhatsUp Gold cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have purchased monthly licenses for the platform. There are additional costs involved."

"The product is affordable for now."

"We utilize the basic licenses of the product."

"The platform is highly-priced."

"The licensing model was a bit complex, but thanks to the vCenter product usage program, which VMware introduced, it's kind of easy for us to use a pay-as-you-go model."

"The solution is expensive."

"For the healthcare industry, the price is considerably higher than the education industry."

"The tool used to be worth the money, but after Broadcom acquired it and changed the pricing structure to subscription-only, it became too expensive for us to continue using. Unfortunately, we haven't found any alternative solutions that meet our needs, so this is a significant drawback for us as we explore other options."

More VMware vCenter pricing and cost advice

"The price of WhatsUp Gold is good."

"There is a license needed to use WhatsUp Gold."

"There are some subscription charges that are quite heavy. I need to pay for support every year and these charges can be quite expensive. Aside from the initial cost for the tool, you need to pay additionally for support."

"The most valuable feature is the cost compared to other solutions."

"This is a well priced solution."

"The tool's price is reasonable. WhatsUp Gold is cheaper than SolarWinds."

"Pricing is reasonable compared to other products."

"The choice of version depends on the number of points, or devices, that you want to monitor, and this makes the product expensive."

More WhatsUp Gold pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Server Monitoring solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	18

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about VMware vCenter?

The filtering capabilities also enhance scalability by optimizing resource allocation.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware vCenter?

The initial package for VMware vCenter is not less than $10,000, which can be prohibitive for smaller organizations. The licensing model now requires purchasing 96-core solutions, even if fewer cor...

See all answers

What needs improvement with VMware vCenter?

The main concern is the license change following the sale to Broadcom. The license cost has increased significantly, which is the primary negative aspect of VMware vCenter. While technical support ...

See all answers

What do you like most about WhatsUp Gold?

The interactive mapping interface for scrolling, zooming, and drilling down on an element to learn about a network issue is good. When we see a network there will sometimes be a spot that has one l...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WhatsUp Gold?

Clients find the licensing calculator confusing, but we simplify this for them by collecting relevant information first. The licensing is based on devices, providing better cost-effectiveness than ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with WhatsUp Gold?

It would be great if WhatsUp Gold could add features that simplify management with AI, as it is currently too complicated to manage.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs VMware vCenter

Compared 34% of the time

Zabbix vs VMware vCenter

Compared 20% of the time

Lenovo XClarity Controller vs VMware vCenter

Compared 16% of the time

NinjaOne vs VMware vCenter

Compared 15% of the time

HPE Integrated Lights Out (iLO) vs VMware vCenter

Compared 15% of the time

More VMware vCenter Competitors

Grafana vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 11% of the time

PRTG Network Monitor vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 10% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 8% of the time

Zabbix vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 6% of the time

ManageEngine OpManager vs WhatsUp Gold

Compared 6% of the time

More WhatsUp Gold Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

VMware vCenter

August 2025

Download VMware vCenter product report

Buyer's Guide

WhatsUp Gold

August 2025

Download WhatsUp Gold product report

Overview

VMware vCenter provides centralized management for virtual machines, offering enhanced resource control, high availability, and data protection. Its integration with NSX and vSAN simplifies infrastructure management, although improvements in pricing, licensing, and technical support are needed.

VMware vCenter streamlines the management of virtual infrastructures, facilitating scalability and elasticity through features like DRS, vMotion, and snapshot capabilities. While users appreciate its centralized control and extensive integration options, complexities in interface and upgrades are seen as challenges. Issues like fragmented licensing, difficult Fault Tolerance management, and high resource demands have been highlighted, alongside the need for enhanced security, monitoring, and seamless cloud integration. vCenter is widely used in data centers for overseeing large virtual environments, integrating cloud services, and providing infrastructure as a service.

What are the main features of VMware vCenter?

Centralized Management: Enables efficient control of virtual infrastructures.
High Availability: Ensures minimal downtime for critical applications.
DRS and vMotion: Enhances resource scheduling and migration capabilities.
Data Protection: Offers robust backup and recovery tools.
Integration: Seamlessly works with NSX and vSAN for simplified management.
Snapshot Capabilities: Facilitates quick recovery and testing scenarios.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Resource Efficiency: Optimizes CPU and memory usage within the infrastructure.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlines management tasks, reducing manual efforts.
Scalability: Supports growing enterprise needs through flexible infrastructure management.
Cost Management: While improvements are needed, centralized control can lead to reduced operational costs.

Industries such as IT, finance, healthcare, and government deploy VMware vCenter to manage their extensive virtual environments. Users rely on its automation and centralized management capabilities to ensure high performance and uptime in data center operations, often leveraging it to integrate with cloud services.

Broadcom

Explore and manage your entire network infrastructure effortlessly with WhatsUp Gold's robust layer 2/3 discovery, creating a detailed interactive map from the edge to the cloud. Monitor devices, wireless controllers, servers, virtual machines, applications, and traffic flows across various environments. Real-time alerts ensure optimal performance, allowing you to meet or exceed SLAs. The platform offers customizable maps, dashboards, and alerts for easy network management. Quickly resolve issues with intuitive workflows, reducing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR). WhatsUp Gold's integrated log management provides easy visibility and control of device log data, allowing monitoring, filtering, searching, and alerting on syslogs or Windows logs. Archive logs to comply with regulatory requirements and preserve historical data, all through a user-friendly interface. Streamline network monitoring and issue resolution with WhatsUp Gold, making network management efficient and hassle-free.

Progress Software

Sample Customers

1. Amazon 2. Apple 3. ATT 4. Bank of America 5. Cisco Systems 6. CocaCola 7. Dell 8. ebay 9. Facebook 10. Google 11. HP 12. IBM 13. Intel 14. JPMorgan Chase 15. LinkedIn 16. Microsoft 17. Netflix 18. Oracle 19. PayPal 20. SAP 21. Siemens 22. Tesla 23. Toyota 24. Twitter 25. Visa 26. Walmart 27. WeWork 28. World Bank

Artoni Trasporti, Austin Independent School District, Banca Marche, Burke County North Carolina, Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine, Clayco, Community Integrated Care, Desca, Deutsche Bergbau, Flexi-Van, Gropper, Hamleys, Hammonds Furniture, Knowledge IT, Idras S.P.A., Sibeg, Swann Engineering, Trivium Lindenhof

Buyer's Guide

VMware vCenter vs. WhatsUp Gold

September 2025

Free Report: VMware vCenter vs. WhatsUp Gold

Find out what your peers are saying about VMware vCenter vs. WhatsUp Gold and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our VMware vCenter vs. WhatsUp Gold report.

See our list of best Server Monitoring vendors.

We monitor all Server Monitoring reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.