Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs. VMware Workstation Pro

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a Linux distribution mainly used in commercial data centers.N/A
VMware Workstation Pro
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
VMware Workstation Pro is virtualization software which allows running multiple x86-based operating systems on one PC. Users can run Windows, Linux and BSD virtual machines on a Windows or Linux desktop.N/A
Pricing
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Features
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Operating System
Comparison of Operating System features of Product A and Product B
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
8.2
2 Ratings
3% below category average
VMware Workstation Pro
-
Ratings
File Management6.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Software Application Management9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
System Update Frequency8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Operating System Security9.52 Ratings00 Ratings
Server Virtualization
Comparison of Server Virtualization features of Product A and Product B
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
-
Ratings
VMware Workstation Pro
7.6
29 Ratings
5% below category average
Virtual machine automated provisioning00 Ratings8.722 Ratings
Management console00 Ratings6.924 Ratings
Live virtual machine backup00 Ratings7.522 Ratings
Live virtual machine migration00 Ratings6.021 Ratings
Hypervisor-level security00 Ratings9.121 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Small Businesses
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
9.2
(187 ratings)
7.6
(30 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(3 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(79 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(9 ratings)
7.7
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)VMware Workstation Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
Red Hat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is best suited for its stability, fast reboot time, and minimal resource requirements which reduce overall cost. The patch time for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is also extremely fast which benefits application up time. For environments or applications that require many changes, for a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) support person that is not well trained and experienced in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), this can be challenging.
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VMware by Broadcom
I would not recommend using a VM as a complete replacement for your everyday driver, but I would recommend
it for testing. One way that I use Workstation Pro is with testing GPO's. I can
make a change to a user or computer GPO, take a snapshot, reboot the computer
to pull the GPO, see if it worked. If it didn't, I revert to the last snapshot before the GPO was pulled, make some changes to the GPO again, and test on the test VM. The same style
of testing can be used with creating and changing scripts for computer changes.
We have a whole computer setup script that installs software and changes a ton
of settings. On a VM you can test over and over to make sure the script runs
how you want it to and revert if you didn't like the script outcome. Especially
handy with software installs, so you don't have to wait for a program to
uninstall and then edit the script and run the script again. Using snapshots save me so much time in testing!
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Pros
Red Hat
  • Virtualization, like the operating system level task. I see this product is very good and it blends very well with the middleware components like all the JBoss and other things. And other than that, either you install it or a virtual machine or physical servers, it works seamlessly anywhere. And if you want to go further, like Red Hat OpenShift or those things also work very nice with it.
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VMware by Broadcom
  • It provides a great remote access tool for accessing and managing servers in virtual environment. With the security risks surround remote desktop this provides a good alternative to do the same functions.
  • The app itself is very lightweight and easy to install/maintain.
  • Sandbox testing can be a time consuming thing to setup and do. Workstation makes this easy to create, use, and put away. This make you more willing to put new things in the sandbox and test them before production usage.
  • The cost of workstation is very affordable for the functionality that you get and you can try it for free before you buy it.
  • We use it to run apps that can be difficult to setup or conflict with other apps. We just spin this app VM up run it, and then shut it back down. The startup and shutdown is very quick.
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Cons
Red Hat
  • In the LEAP process. The upgrading process, which I'm hearing, like I said it before, prior that I was on rail seven, eight, and nine. Trying to get all of that to rail nine and stay current. The LEAP process from seven to eight is a little bit less than desired. I've talked to some people that from once you get on eight from eight to nine to nine to 10 is a breeze. So I'm looking forward to that.
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VMware by Broadcom
  • At the moment, it's incompatible with Microsoft's HyperVM, which is used in Docker and the Linux Subsystem on Windows 2 (WSL 2).
  • VMware shared files sometimes stop working and need to be reset.
  • 3D support is limited to Windows and only certain scenarios.
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Likelihood to Renew
Red Hat
We find RHEL to be a superior OS with stable operations and long life. It is also easier to use and fix then most other OS's.
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VMware by Broadcom
It's a solid product, and if they make it compatible with HyperVM (WSL, Docker, etc.) it would be great
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Usability
Red Hat
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) distro is the simplest enterprise version of Red Hat that is enterprise supported and when you deploy as many VMs as we do, it is vital to have that enterprise support. On top of the enterprise support, having access to a commercially supported backbone for updates and upgrades is a huge plus.
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VMware by Broadcom
It is well documented since it is a long actor in the virtualization scene. Easy to use for most user cases. Pretty much not maintenance on the software besides the occasional software updates and/or compatibility issues from time to time.
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Reliability and Availability
Red Hat
Product support and regular patches.
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VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Performance
Red Hat
As with any OS enhanced testing will need to be done prior to application integration.
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VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Red Hat
Red Hat support has really come a long way in the last 10 years, The general support is great, and the specialized product support teams are extremely knowledgeable about their specific products. Response time is good and you never need to escalate.
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VMware by Broadcom
I haven't had to call VMware Workstation support. The majority of the time, whenever I have a problem, I can perform an online search and find the answers I need. Online forums and users with similar situations are generally sufficient to answer any questions I have had, though, from previous experience at another company, their support is outstanding and responsive to circumstances. However, that is generally for a paid support contract and should be expected when you are paying for that support.
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Implementation Rating
Red Hat
Don't be afraid of it, its easy to install and configure for the tasks needed.
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VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Red Hat
So we in our company have used Ubuntu as well. Sometimes we have to use that because a certain application installer requires that we use that operating system, but we really don't prefer it just because it doesn't come with the same Add-on features that make Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) really great, like Red Hat Insights or Red Hat satellite, things like that. They come package with it. So that would be the main one. I've also used things like FreeBSD, but I think that's just too old at this point to care.
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VMware by Broadcom
VMware ESXi is more enterprise based whereas VMware Workstation offers capabilities at a lower cost and smaller scale. VMware Workstation Pro is also user friendly and easy to install. It can be utilized on a regular desktop system as the name implies. It helps with also demonstrations when needed to clients without having bulky hardware every time.
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Scalability
Red Hat
Operational ease of use backed by support
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VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Red Hat
  • RHEL provides a good base OS and additional tool sets for various deployments.
  • We are able to use Satellite to manage hundreds of OS's behind our corporate firewall. No other OS provides the level that RHEL does.
  • It is a known good quantity. Their support for the OS is amazing.
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VMware by Broadcom
  • When updating multiple VM's, this is a much quicker option vs trying to either RDP to them or console using Vcenter
  • We are required to run a VM locally for certain tasks, and this has been the most effective way to use it
  • The ability to manage a VM without having to worry about the console freezing up helps with management
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ScreenShots