Proxmox VE

Open-source server virtualization platform combining KVM virtual machines and LXC containers.

Open sourceSelf-hostablePrivate cloud and server virtualization platforms

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Proxmox VE

Proxmox Virtual Environment is a Debian-based operating system for running virtual machines and containers on your own servers. It combines the KVM hypervisor for full VMs and LXC for lightweight Linux containers, and adds clustering, high availability, live migration, backups, ZFS and Ceph storage and software-defined networking, all managed from a built-in web interface. It is popular both in business as a VMware replacement and in home labs. The software is open source and free to use with every feature included. Proxmox Server Solutions sells optional subscriptions priced per CPU socket, which unlock the stable enterprise update repository and, on higher tiers, technical support tickets. Recent versions include an importer for VMware ESXi guests. It scales to clusters comfortably but lacks the multi-tenant self-service and public-cloud features of OpenStack or CloudStack.

Best for: Businesses leaving VMware and home-lab users who want VMs and containers with a web UI.

What works

Free to use with all features, no edition limits
VMs (KVM) and containers (LXC) on one platform
Built-in clustering, HA, backups, ZFS and Ceph
Simple per-socket subscriptions with no per-core licensing

Why people leave

Enterprise update repository and support need a paid subscription
Limited multi-tenant self-service compared with OpenStack
Support tickets are capped per year on lower tiers

Top Proxmox VE alternatives

See all 4

1
OpenStack
Full multi-tenant cloud with self-service APIs when you outgrow a single virtualization cluster.
66.5
2
Apache CloudStack
Adds multi-tenant IaaS, accounts and an EC2-compatible API across many hypervisors.
62.6
3
VirtualBox
Runs VMs on your existing Windows, Mac or Linux desktop without a dedicated server.
52.6
4
virt-manager
A free desktop GUI for KVM when you only manage VMs on one or two hosts.
51.2

Why people left Proxmox VE

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Proxmox VE: common questions

Is Proxmox VE free?

Yes. Proxmox VE is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is Proxmox VE open source?

Yes. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does Proxmox VE run on?

Proxmox VE is available for Self-hosted and Web.

What are the best alternatives to Proxmox VE?

The highest-ranked Proxmox VE alternatives right now are OpenStack, Apache CloudStack and VirtualBox. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Proxmox VE alternatives

Proxmox VE facts

4 of 4 verified

Open source: Yes; Checked Oct 29, 2026proxmox.com(opens source in a new tab); “complete, open-source server management platform for enterprise virtualization.”
Virtualization: KVM and LXC; Checked Oct 29, 2026proxmox.com(opens source in a new tab); “It tightly integrates the KVM hypervisor and Linux Containers (LXC), software-defined storage and networking functionality, on a single platform.”
Community subscription: €120/year per CPU socket; Checked Oct 29, 2026proxmox.com(opens source in a new tab); “COMMUNITY Stable updates for independent and non-enterprise environments €120 / year per CPU socket”
Pricing basis: Per socket, not per core; Checked Oct 29, 2026proxmox.com(opens source in a new tab); “The number of CPU cores does not affect the price.”