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Last checked October 29, 2026

Free alternatives to VMware

This page is about VMware vSphere and ESXi, the hypervisor people mean when they search for a VMware alternative. A Rimini Street survey reported by heise and CIO in October 2026 said 90 percent of the VMware customers surveyed are looking at other options. The same reporting says general support for vSphere 8 ends on October 11, 2027, and a move to vSphere 9 is a subscription. These tools run on your own servers. They are not apps you rent by the hour.

Small teamsEnterprisesPrice checked

What you pay for VMware

heise, citing a Rimini Street survey published in October 2026, says vSphere 8 general support ends on October 11, 2027.

A heise article on October 7, 2026, and a CIO article on October 16, 2026, both describe a Rimini Street survey. heise says 90 percent of the IT decision-makers surveyed are considering leaving because of license cost, and that 269 people were surveyed. Both articles say the end of general support for vSphere 8 on October 11, 2027 is a reason people are looking. heise says a move to vSphere 9 means a subscription to VMware vSphere Foundation or VMware Cloud Foundation. heise also says another survey found that only a small share had fully left, and that many had only reduced their use. This page does not repeat a per-core minimum. That figure is not in these two articles.

VMware website·Price page

For small teams and enterprises. Its price on file: heise, citing a Rimini Street survey published in October 2026, says vSphere 8 general support ends on October 11, 2027. It is in the Virtual machines group.

How to switch

The closest free app on the checklist is Proxmox VE. Cost and details. Move from VMware to Proxmox.

A small shop and a larger cluster

These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.

Proxmox VE is #1 (96). XCP-ng is #2 (84). Incus is #3 (45).

Proxmox VE

#1 · Closest

8 of 8 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: a paid support option.

XCP-ng

#2

8 of 8 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: backup jobs, import from ESXi, and a paid support option.

Incus

#3

8 of 8 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: import from ESXi and a paid support option. You only get part of: virtual machines on hardware you own, a web console for the hosts, and move a running machine to another host, and 2 more.

Where they differ

  • Virtual machines on hardware you own

    Worth 10 points. Proxmox VE does all of it. KVM virtual machines and LXC containers. XCP-ng does all of it. Xen virtual machines on hardware you own. Incus does part of it. Virtual machines and system containers. Not the same management model as vSphere.

  • A web console for the hosts

    Worth 8 points. Proxmox VE does all of it. A web console for the cluster. XCP-ng does all of it. Xen Orchestra is the web console. Incus does part of it. There is a web interface. Most day-to-day work is the command line or the API.

  • Move a running machine to another host

    Worth 8 points. Proxmox VE does all of it. A running machine can move to another host in the cluster. XCP-ng does all of it. Live migration is part of a pool of hosts. Incus does part of it. Machines can move between servers. Plan that move. It is not a vMotion button in a large cluster UI.

  • Backup jobs

    Worth 6 points. Proxmox VE does all of it. Built-in backup jobs. Proxmox Backup Server is a separate product if you want more. XCP-ng does part of it. Backup features depend on the Xen Orchestra edition you run. Incus does part of it. You can export and copy instances. There is no vCenter-style backup product in the box.

  • Shared storage

    Worth 6 points. Proxmox VE does all of it. Local disks, ZFS, Ceph, NFS, and other shared storage. XCP-ng does all of it. Shared storage is a normal pool setup. Incus does part of it. Local storage pools are the usual start. Shared storage is extra design work.

  • Import from ESXi

    Worth 8 points. Proxmox VE does all of it. The wiki documents an ESXi import that was tested from ESXi 6.5 through 8.0. XCP-ng does part of it. You can bring disk images over. There is no ESXi import wizard in the product the way Proxmox documents one. Incus does none of it. No ESXi import wizard.

  • A paid support option

    Worth 4 points. Proxmox VE does part of it. A paid support plan exists. It is optional. XCP-ng does part of it. Vates sells support. The free path is the software without that contract. Incus does none of it. No vendor support plan on the project site.

Proxmox VE, XCP-ng, and Incus do all of these: a small group of hosts, not only a large cluster.

Harvester

No score

A virtualization project built on Kubernetes. Not scored on this checklist yet.

OpenNebula

No score

A cloud manager for many hosts. Not scored on this checklist yet.

How close is it?

How this works

A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.

  1. #1 · ClosestOpen source

    Proxmox VE

    A web console for virtual machines on your own servers.

    8 of 8 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: a paid support option.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: AGPL-3.0

    LinuxRun it yourselfWeb
    Cost and detailsHow to switchWebsite
  2. #2Open sourceNotes on the review

    XCP-ng

    A Xen hypervisor with a separate management app.

    8 of 8 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: backup jobs, import from ESXi, and a paid support option.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0 (XCP-ng); AGPL-3.0 (Xen Orchestra source)

    LinuxRun it yourselfWeb
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  3. #3Open sourceNotes on the review

    Incus

    Containers and virtual machines on Linux, with a simple API.

    8 of 8 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: import from ESXi and a paid support option. You only get part of: virtual machines on hardware you own, a web console for the hosts, and move a running machine to another host, and 2 more.

    Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: Apache-2.0

    LinuxRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsite

Feature by feature

Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.

Scroll sideways to see every app.

Feature comparison. Full, partial, missing, or not checked.
FeatureProxmox VE#1 · 968 of 8 checked featuresXCP-ng#2 · 848 of 8 checked featuresIncus#3 · 458 of 8 checked features
Virtual machines on hardware you ownCounts for 10FullKVM virtual machines and LXC containers.FullXen virtual machines on hardware you own.PartialVirtual machines and system containers. Not the same management model as vSphere.
A web console for the hostsCounts for 8FullA web console for the cluster.FullXen Orchestra is the web console.PartialThere is a web interface. Most day-to-day work is the command line or the API.
Move a running machine to another hostCounts for 8FullA running machine can move to another host in the cluster.FullLive migration is part of a pool of hosts.PartialMachines can move between servers. Plan that move. It is not a vMotion button in a large cluster UI.
Backup jobsCounts for 6FullBuilt-in backup jobs. Proxmox Backup Server is a separate product if you want more.PartialBackup features depend on the Xen Orchestra edition you run.PartialYou can export and copy instances. There is no vCenter-style backup product in the box.
Shared storageCounts for 6FullLocal disks, ZFS, Ceph, NFS, and other shared storage.FullShared storage is a normal pool setup.PartialLocal storage pools are the usual start. Shared storage is extra design work.
Import from ESXiCounts for 8FullThe wiki documents an ESXi import that was tested from ESXi 6.5 through 8.0.PartialYou can bring disk images over. There is no ESXi import wizard in the product the way Proxmox documents one.MissingNo ESXi import wizard.
A small group of hosts, not only a large clusterCounts for 6FullA few hosts are a normal install. You do not need a large cluster to start.FullA small pool is a normal start.FullOne or a few Linux hosts is the intended size.
A paid support optionCounts for 4PartialA paid support plan exists. It is optional.PartialVates sells support. The free path is the software without that contract.MissingNo vendor support plan on the project site.

What it costs

Proxmox VE

Free plan
The software is free to install. Proxmox also sells a support subscription.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Hard. You install it on the physical servers that will run the virtual machines. A rented app server is the wrong shape for this.

XCP-ng

Free plan
XCP-ng is free to install. Xen Orchestra from source is free. The packaged appliance has a paid tier.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Hard. Install the hypervisor on the physical servers. Run Xen Orchestra beside them. This is not a one-click VPS app.

Incus

Free plan
The software is free. You run it on Linux you already have.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. Install it on a Linux host. It is lighter than a full cluster suite, and it is not a drop-in for vCenter.

Did you switch?

If you left VMware, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.

How did it go?

Closest pair

Move from VMware to Proxmox

Proxmox can import from ESXi 6.5 through 8.0. Move one test VM first. vSAN, encrypted disks, and a Windows boot disk need extra care.

Read how to switch

Related alternatives

Virtual machines alternatives

Switch guides

Free apps in this group

Questions

What is a free alternative to VMware for a few servers?
Proxmox VE is the usual start. It has a web console, backups, and an ESXi import that the project tested from ESXi 6.5 through 8.0. XCP-ng is the other full hypervisor on this list. Incus fits one or a few Linux hosts when you do not need a vCenter-style console.
When does vSphere 8 support end?
heise and CIO, both citing a Rimini Street survey in October 2026, say general support for vSphere 8 ends on October 11, 2027. heise says staying on the next version means a subscription.
Will my VMs move without downtime?
No. Proxmox can import from a running ESXi host, and the wiki says the ESXi copy is still switched off, so there is some downtime. Move one test machine first. vSAN disks, encrypted disks, and a datastore name that contains a plus sign are documented problems.