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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Infrastructure as a Service
  4. Virtualization Platform
  5. VMware vSphere vs VirtualBox

VMware vSphere vs VirtualBox

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

VirtualBox
VirtualBox
Stacks31.1K
Followers25.6K
Votes1.1K
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
Stacks608
Followers550
Votes30

VMware vSphere vs VirtualBox: What are the differences?

Differences Between VMware vSphere and VirtualBox

Introduction:

When it comes to virtualization software, two popular choices are VMware vSphere and VirtualBox. While both allow users to run multiple virtual machines on a single physical server, there are key differences between them that make them suitable for different use cases.

  1. Performance and Scalability: VMware vSphere is known for its superior performance and scalability compared to VirtualBox. vSphere is designed for enterprise-level deployments and can handle thousands of virtual machines with ease. VirtualBox, on the other hand, is better suited for small-scale deployments or personal use.

  2. Management and Administration: vSphere provides advanced management and administration features, such as vCenter Server, that enable centralized control and monitoring of virtual machines. It offers features like live migration and high availability, making it easier to manage large virtualized environments. VirtualBox, while it does have some management capabilities, lacks the robustness and scalability of vSphere in this aspect.

  3. Integration with Ecosystem and Third-Party Tools: VMware vSphere has extensive integration with a wide range of ecosystem partners and third-party tools. It offers compatibility with various storage systems, backup solutions, and automation tools, allowing seamless integration into existing IT infrastructures. VirtualBox, while it does have a reasonably good ecosystem, cannot compete with vSphere in terms of the breadth of integrations available.

  4. Cost and Licensing: VMware vSphere is a commercial product that comes with a licensing cost. It offers various editions with different feature sets to cater to different budgets and requirements. VirtualBox, on the other hand, is an open-source software that is free to use, making it an attractive choice for individuals and small businesses with budget constraints.

  5. Hardware Support: VMware vSphere has better hardware support compared to VirtualBox. vSphere supports a wide range of hardware devices and offers better compatibility with enterprise-grade server hardware, making it suitable for running mission-critical workloads. VirtualBox, while it does support a decent range of hardware, may face limitations or compatibility issues when dealing with newer or specialized hardware.

In summary, VMware vSphere is a powerful and scalable virtualization platform designed for enterprise-level deployments, offering advanced management features and extensive ecosystem integrations. VirtualBox, on the other hand, is more suitable for small-scale or personal use, with its open-source nature and cost-effective licensing.

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Detailed Comparison

VirtualBox
VirtualBox
VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.

vSphere is the world’s leading server virtualization platform. Run fewer servers and reduce capital and operating costs using VMware vSphere to build a cloud computing infrastructure.

Portability;No hardware virtualization required;Guest Additions: shared folders, seamless windows, 3D virtualization;Great hardware support;Multigeneration branched snapshots;VM groups;Clean architecture; unprecedented modularity;Remote machine display
Powerful Server Virtualization;Network Services;Efficient Storage;Consistent Automation;High Availability;Robust Security
Statistics
Stacks
31.1K
Stacks
608
Followers
25.6K
Followers
550
Votes
1.1K
Votes
30
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 358
    Free
  • 231
    Easy
  • 169
    Default for vagrant
  • 110
    Fast
  • 73
    Starts quickly
Pros
  • 8
    Strong host isolation
  • 6
    Industry leader
  • 5
    Great VM management (HA,FT,...)
  • 4
    Easy to use
  • 2
    Great Networking
Cons
  • 9
    Price

What are some alternatives to VirtualBox, VMware vSphere?

Proxmox VE

Proxmox VE

It is a complete open-source platform for all-inclusive enterprise virtualization that tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers, software-defined storage and networking functionality on a single platform, and easily manages high availability clusters and disaster recovery tools with the built-in web management interface.

KVM

KVM

KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V).

Qemu

Qemu

When used as a machine emulator, it can run OSes and programs made for one machine (e.g. an ARM board) on a different machine (e.g. your own PC). By using dynamic translation, it achieves very good performance. When used as a virtualizer, it achieves near native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host CPU. it supports virtualization when executing under the Xen hypervisor or using the KVM kernel module in Linux. When using KVM, it can virtualize x86, server and embedded PowerPC, 64-bit POWER, S390, 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, and MIPS guests.

Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop for Mac allows you to seamlessly run both Windows and MacOS applications side-by-side with speed, control and confidence.

Parallels

Parallels

It is an application and desktop virtualization software vendor that offers management and delivery platforms for Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows desktop deployments.

VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion

It gives Mac users the power to run Windows on Mac along with hundreds of other operating systems side by side with Mac applications, without rebooting. It is simple enough for home users and powerful enough for IT professionals, developers and businesses.

Xen

Xen

It is a hypervisor using a microkernel design, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently. It was developed by the Linux Foundation and is supported by Intel.

VMware vSAN

VMware vSAN

It is enterprise-class, storage virtualization software that, when combined with vSphere, allows you to manage compute and storage with a single platform. You can reduce the cost and complexity of traditional storage and take the easiest path to hyperconverged infrastructure and hybrid cloud. Evolve to an integrated hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution with vSAN to improve business agility, all while speeding operations and lowering costs.

Oracle VM Server

Oracle VM Server

It is a zero license cost server virtualization and management solution that makes enterprise applications easier to deploy, manage, and support. Backed worldwide by affordable enterprise-quality support for both Oracle and non-Oracle environments, it reduces operations and support costs while increasing IT efficiency and agility.

Virtuozzo

Virtuozzo

It is an operating system-level server virtualization solution designed to centralize server management and consolidate workloads, which reduces overhead by reducing the number of physical servers required. Organizations use it for server consolidation, disaster recovery, and server workload agility.

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