Alternatives to Proxmox VE

A bare-metal server platform that runs KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from one web interface. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Proxmox VE.

  • XCP-ng

    Open-source bare-metal hypervisor built on Xen, managed through Xen Orchestra.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    XCP-ng is a free open-source bare-metal hypervisor built on Xen with no licence-locked features, but Xen Orchestra's prebuilt appliance is paid and hardware support is narrower.

  • VMware ESXi Free

    Industry-standard bare-metal hypervisor with a free tier for small setups.

    FreemiumProprietarySelf-hosted

    VMware ESXi Free is a closed-source bare-metal hypervisor widely used in enterprise, but its free edition lacks centralized management and it does not run LXC containers.

  • Incus

    Manage Linux system containers and virtual machines through one interface.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    Incus manages Linux system containers and virtual machines through one interface on an ordinary Linux host, rather than installing as a complete operating system.

  • Harvester

    Hyper-converged infrastructure that runs virtual machines on top of Kubernetes.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    Harvester runs virtual machines and containers on Kubernetes, but installs on bare metal only and expects at least three nodes for a production cluster.

  • oVirt

    Centralised management platform for KVM virtual machines across a cluster.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    oVirt manages KVM virtual machines across a cluster with live migration and high availability, but expects enterprise shared storage and development has slowed.

  • Unraid

    A paid home server operating system combining NAS storage, Docker containers and virtual machines.

    PaidProprietarySelf-hosted

    Unraid is a paid closed-source home server system combining mixed-drive NAS storage, Docker apps and virtual machines with graphics card passthrough.

  • TrueNAS Community Edition

    A free Linux-based storage operating system built on OpenZFS, with Docker apps and virtualization.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    TrueNAS Community Edition centres on OpenZFS storage and adds Docker apps and virtual machines, so virtualization is secondary to its NAS role.

  • LXD

    Canonical's open-source manager for system containers and KVM virtual machines on Linux.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxWebSelf-hostedCommand line

    LXD runs system containers and KVM virtual machines side by side on Linux hosts, installed on an existing system rather than as a dedicated operating system.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Proxmox VE as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Ganeti

    An open-source cluster manager for running virtual machines on Xen or KVM across several servers.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line

    Proxmox VE installs as a full operating system with a web interface for KVM VMs and LXC containers, including backup and high-availability clustering, with an optional subscription.

  • Hyper-V

    Microsoft's type-1 hypervisor built into Windows and Windows Server for running Windows and Linux virtual machines.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    Proxmox VE is an open-source AGPL server platform that runs KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from a web interface, installed as its own operating system on dedicated hardware.

  • libvirt

    A toolkit, daemon and API for managing KVM, QEMU, Xen, LXC and other virtualization platforms.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    Proxmox VE replaces the management layer with a full bare-metal operating system and web interface for KVM virtual machines and LXC containers, including backup and clustering.

  • Microsoft Hyper-V

    A type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Server and Windows for creating and running virtual machines.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    Proxmox VE is an open-source bare-metal platform for KVM virtual machines and LXC containers, managed from a web interface, with backup and clustering included.

  • OpenNebula

    An open-source platform for building private and hybrid clouds that manage virtual machines and Kubernetes.

    FreemiumOpen sourceLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE runs KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from one web interface on a smaller scale, suited to home labs and small businesses rather than multi-site clouds.

  • OpenStack

    A set of open-source components for running cloud infrastructure with virtual machines, bare metal and containers.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE is a single-ISO bare-metal platform for KVM virtual machines and LXC containers, suited to home labs and small businesses rather than large clouds.

  • SmartOS

    An open-source illumos-based hypervisor operating system that runs zones and KVM or bhyve virtual machines.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE switches to a Linux base, running KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from one web interface with backup and clustering included.

  • Virtual Machine Manager

    The standard desktop front end for KVM on Linux, plus the command line tools that go with it.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Proxmox VE manages KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from a web interface, but it installs as a full operating system on dedicated hardware.

  • WebVirtCloud

    A self-hosted web interface for managing KVM virtual machines through libvirt, for admins and users.

    FreeProprietaryLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE replaces separate KVM hosts with a full server OS whose web interface manages KVM VMs and LXC containers, including backups and clustering.

  • Windows (dockur)

    A Docker container that downloads, installs and runs Windows inside a KVM-accelerated virtual machine.

    FreeProprietaryLinuxSelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE runs Windows as a KVM virtual machine on dedicated server hardware through a web interface, replacing the host operating system rather than running as a container.

  • Xen Project

    An open source type-1 hypervisor that runs several isolated operating systems on the same hardware.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE is a bare-metal platform using KVM and LXC with a web interface, backups and clustering, installed from a single ISO.

  • XenServer

    A Xen-based server virtualization platform for running and managing virtual machines on your own hardware.

    PaidProprietarySelf-hosted

    Proxmox VE runs KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from one web interface, is open source under AGPL-3.0, and includes backup and clustering.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.