We are not resellers of Proxmox or VMware. We have been deploying both platforms in production environments since 2015. This comparison is based on real data from our clients, not lab benchmarks or marketing brochures. If you are looking for marketing, close this tab. If you are looking for numbers, keep reading.
Why this comparison is different
The internet is full of Proxmox vs VMware comparisons written by companies that sell one of the two solutions. We do not sell licenses for either. Our business is designing, deploying and maintaining infrastructure, and for us the tool is a means, not an end. This gives us a perspective that few companies can offer: objectivity based on real experience.
We have managed VMware clusters since vSphere 5.5 and Proxmox since version 3.x. We have migrated companies from VMware to Proxmox and also recommended staying on VMware when it made sense. The data we present comes from real environments with production workloads.
Licensing cost: the truth with numbers
Since Broadcom's acquisition of VMware in late 2023, the licensing model has changed radically. vSphere Standard and Essentials Plus no longer exist as standalone products. Everything is VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) with a per-core subscription model. Let us see what that means in euros:
Note: VMware VCF prices are estimates based on Broadcom published 2026 rates (per-core subscription model). Proxmox Community Edition is free; Standard (350 EUR/year/socket) and Premium (750 EUR/year/socket) prices include enterprise repository access and support. All amounts exclude VAT.
Features head to head
Beyond cost, what matters is whether the platform can do what you need. Here is the feature-by-feature comparison:
The key point here: Proxmox includes Ceph (distributed storage) and Proxmox Backup Server at no additional cost. With VMware, you need vSAN (included in VCF but at a much higher overall price) and a third-party backup solution like Veeam (which also costs thousands of euros per year). You can learn more about Ceph capabilities on our Ceph storage page.
Performance: real data on identical hardware
We ran the same workloads on identical hardware to measure real differences. Reference server: Dell PowerEdge R750, 2x Intel Xeon Gold 6338 (64 total cores), 512 GB DDR4, NVMe PCIe Gen4.
The performance verdict: Differences are minimal. Proxmox KVM has slightly lower CPU and memory overhead, and marginally better disk performance with virtio. On networking, both platforms saturate the 10 Gbps link with their respective paravirtualized drivers. For the vast majority of enterprise workloads, performance is not a differentiating factor.
Ecosystem and support
This is where VMware has historically had its strength: a huge ecosystem of partners, certifications, integrations and trained professionals. But the landscape has changed drastically:
VMware / Broadcom
- -Partner programs eliminated or reduced
- -Perpetual licenses eliminated
- -Technical support with longer response times
- -Uncertainty about the product future
Proxmox
- +Community growing exponentially
- +Excellent official forum and complete documentation
- +Network of professional partners (including us)
- +Open source: full control, no vendor lock-in
When NOT to migrate to Proxmox
Being objective means knowing when to say something is not the best option. There are scenarios where we recommend evaluating very carefully before migrating:
- ! You are using NSX-T extensively for network microsegmentation. Proxmox SDN is powerful but does not cover all NSX-T use cases.
- ! You depend on HCX for multi-site DR with complex automated failover between geographically distributed datacenters.
- ! All your automation is in PowerCLI and there is no budget or time to rewrite it. In that case, the migration cost may exceed short-term licensing savings.
In any of these cases, our recommendation is: evaluate on a case-by-case basis. Do not migrate because it is trendy, migrate because it makes economic and technical sense for your specific environment.
When you SHOULD migrate to Proxmox
And now the bigger part of the equation. For most companies, migrating to Proxmox makes complete sense if:
- ✓ Your VMware bill has multiplied with the Broadcom change and the new per-core subscription model.
- ✓ You do not use advanced enterprise features of NSX-T or HCX (most companies do not use them).
- ✓ You want control over your infrastructure without depending on a single vendor that can change prices and conditions unilaterally.
- ✓ You want open source with professional support, not a closed product with restrictive licensing.
- ✓ You need LXC containers and VMs on the same platform, reducing operational complexity.
If you identify with any of these points, the migration not only makes sense: it is probably the best technical and financial decision you can make in 2026. On our VMware to Proxmox migration page we detail how we execute the process with zero downtime.
Verdict: for 80% of companies, Proxmox wins
Most Spanish and European companies were using vSphere Standard or Essentials Plus. Those licenses no longer exist. Broadcom has forced them into VCF with a 3x to 10x price increase. For these companies, Proxmox is superior in cost (an order of magnitude cheaper), equivalent in functionality (HA, live migration, distributed storage, integrated backup), and the migration is straightforward with tools like qm importdisk or conversion via qemu-img.
The remaining 20% (large corporations with massive investments in NSX-T, HCX, or extensive PowerCLI automation) should evaluate on a case-by-case basis. But even for them, the clock is ticking: every year they stay on VMware/Broadcom is a year paying inflated prices that could be invested in modernizing their infrastructure.
Want to know exactly how much you would save?
We offer a free evaluation of your current VMware environment: we analyze your infrastructure, calculate the real migration cost and present a detailed plan with expected 5-year savings. No commitment.
Microsoft 365
ES 
CAT 
EN