TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    VMware ESXi

    Score7.4 out of 10
    N/AA bare-metal hypervisor that installs directly onto a physical server. With direct access to and control of underlying resources, VMware ESXi partitions hardware to consolidate applications and cut costs.N/A

    HPE Zerto Software

    Score9.5 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    HPE Zerto Software aims to enable customers to run an always-on business by simplifying the protection, recovery, and mobility of on-premises and cloud applications.N/A
    Pricing
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Considered Both Products
    VMware by Broadcom
    No answer on this topic
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    Chose HPE Zerto Software
    Zerto was far and away from a much better product than RecoverPoint. EMC was unable to perform near as fast and as good as Zerto and required a lot more setup and infrastructure to run.
    Incentivized
    Chose HPE Zerto Software
    We use VMware vSphere Replication as our disaster recovery tool for our Tier 2/3 systems. This was chosen as it saves us costs for our less critical, but still needed systems that keep our company running. Putting everything on Zerto would be great, but with this combination, …
    Incentivized
    Chose HPE Zerto Software
    Zerto replication is a lot cheaper than any of the completion, it’s simple to set up and use, requires minimal training for users, and its simple interface and groups using VPG enables a granular setup. It just does what it says and is simple, reliable, and relatively cheap
    Incentivized
    Chose HPE Zerto Software
    Zerto is easy to install and maintain. Most importantly, the replication feature with a journal that provides recovery point every few seconds cannot be found in any other software we evaluated.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    98%
    Would buy again
    93 Answers
    97%
    Would buy again
    34 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    86 Answers
    91%
    Delivers good value for the price
    30 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    94 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    35 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    99%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    82 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    32 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    91 Answers
    97%
    Implementation went as expected
    34 Answers
    Features
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Server Virtualization
    Comparison of Server Virtualization features of VMware ESXi and HPE Zerto Software
    Feature
    VMware ESXi
    8.2
    128 Ratings
    2% above category average
    HPE Zerto Software
    -
    Ratings
    Virtual machine automated provisioning8.0116 Ratings00 Ratings
    Management console9.0128 Ratings00 Ratings
    Live virtual machine backup8.0112 Ratings00 Ratings
    Live virtual machine migration8.0116 Ratings00 Ratings
    Hypervisor-level security8.0117 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Center Backup
    Comparison of Data Center Backup features of VMware ESXi and HPE Zerto Software
    Feature
    VMware ESXi
    -
    Ratings
    HPE Zerto Software
    8.3
    3 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Universal recovery00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Instant recovery00 Ratings8.33 Ratings
    Recovery verification00 Ratings9.33 Ratings
    Business application protection00 Ratings8.73 Ratings
    Multiple backup destinations00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Incremental backup identification00 Ratings8.12 Ratings
    Backup to the cloud00 Ratings7.43 Ratings
    Deduplication and file compression00 Ratings7.73 Ratings
    Snapshots00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Flexible deployment00 Ratings8.73 Ratings
    Management dashboard00 Ratings9.13 Ratings
    Platform support00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Retention options00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Encryption00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Enterprise Backup
    Comparison of Enterprise Backup features of VMware ESXi and HPE Zerto Software
    Feature
    VMware ESXi
    -
    Ratings
    HPE Zerto Software
    8.3
    2 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Continuous data protection00 Ratings9.52 Ratings
    Replication00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Operational reporting and analytics00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
    Malware protection00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Multi-location capabilities00 Ratings9.52 Ratings
    Ransomware Recovery00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Disaster Recovery
    Comparison of Disaster Recovery features of VMware ESXi and HPE Zerto Software
    Feature
    VMware ESXi
    -
    Ratings
    HPE Zerto Software
    8.3
    3 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Disaster Recovery Planning00 Ratings8.73 Ratings
    Hot Sites00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Disaster Recovery Testing00 Ratings9.33 Ratings
    Automated Disaster Recovery00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Small Businesses
    Proxmox VE
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Arcserve ShadowProtect
    Score6.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    VMware vSOM (discontinued)
    Score10 out of 10
    Datto SIRIS
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    IBM PowerVM
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Zerto on IBM Cloud
    Score8.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (129 ratings)
    8.3
    (54 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    8.0
    (29 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (55 ratings)
    4.0
    (34 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (3 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    5.1
    (2 ratings)
    6.7
    (16 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.7
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    VMware ESXiHPE Zerto Software
    Likelihood to Recommend
    VMware by Broadcom
    If you're looking for the industry standard in server virtualization, I would recommend ESXi. After decades of expertise in the field, VMware continues to provide a strong product, production-ready, with an easy-to-learn interface that allows for quick management along with less costly upfront onboarding and training. Grab the free personal-use license and install in your homelab to start!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    Zerto is well suited for disaster recovery and virtual machine replication between multiple data centers. DR testing for audit or regulations is much easier with Zerto, great reporting, dashboard etc. It is not well suited for physical server replication for disaster recovery or as a primary backup solution.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    VMware by Broadcom
    • Resource management. The automatic load balancing works very well to ensure no host is taxed disproportionately compared to the others.
    • Templates and cloning. It is very easy to set up a template and spin up new servers based on a specific setup. This makes server management very streamlined.
    • VM management. The vSphere interface is very easy to use and navigate. Everything is responsive and it works when you need it to. The options are also robust while also being arranged in a straightforward manner.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    • Anyone with a large disk (VMDK) knows the issues of VMware snapshots. Most backup software is a "point in time backup" that uses snapshots. While the backup can be run multiple times per day the stress of the snapshot on the host and storage is eliminated by the continuous protection of Zerto log replication.
    • A client had a the disks on a VM go missing for some reason. We had them "flip the switch" for a real fail over and press the fail over button. The VM on our DR site started to come alive as the VM at the customer site was brought down. When the DR VM was fully up, automatic reverse replication started. The DR machine was available in a few minutes (to take into account different host hardware) for access. One the vm at both sites were in sync, we had the customer again repeat the fail over process and the DR site VM was turned off and the Production site VM was brought back on line. This was a 200 GB VM and the whole process was finished in about 3 hours.
    • Zerto also allows for "Test" fail overs that can be configured on many different functions, such as host, datastore, network and IP usage. Configuring the IPs is crucial to avoid inadvertent site cross contamination of the same VM.
    • Zerto can also retrieve files from any VM disk on the DR site without starting a VM. Very handy for retrieving files or directories.
    • Since Zerto is running continuous log replication, changes on the production VM are nearly instantaneously copied to the DR site. As with any data process, having sufficient bandwidth for "churn" peaks minimizes the delay in updating the DR site.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    VMware by Broadcom
    • VMware ESXi can improve on the UI that is installed on the bare metal machine. The menus can be hard to navigate when looking for simple configuration items.
    • VMware ESXi can improve on the stability of their overall hypervisor. There have been a few times we had to reinstall due to corruption of VMware ESXi.
    • I would like to see VMware ESXi do better at adding more standard free features in their consumer version of VMware ESXi. For example, having the ability to back up virtual machines is good practice and something that would be very nice if offered in their free version.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    • Moving a VM from one protection group to another could be simplified.
    • I would like to see an executive-style report of recovery and testing for upper management.
    • The ability to deploy Zerto as a virtual appliance, without the need for a windows server.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    VMware by Broadcom
    It is critical to our business, what started out as a way to do certain functions, it has now become core to ensuring our product is available to our customers and reducing our costs to operate and reduce our recovery time and provisioning servers. Their support is great and the costs to renew is reasonable.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    We really like the easy setup of this replication solution, as well as the ease of management. Not to mention, our internal IT Economist determined that the Zerto solution would provide the best ROI out of the competing solutions we analyzed. So far, his calculations have been spot on, and we have saved substantially
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    VMware by Broadcom
    The interface is fairly intuitive for most things, and the areas that are a little less obvious usually have fantastic documentation in the online knowledgebase. In 3-4 years of managing our ESXi hosts, I think that I have only opened 4-5 support cases for things that I could not figure out myself or find answers to on the website.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    Zerto is very easy to implement and support. Uses are broad, only issues are once something doesn't sync it is difficult to get assistance until your reach tier 2 or tier 3 support. Basic file and folder recovery is great. Live and test fail overs are also easy to implement without issue.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    VMware by Broadcom
    Without the need to patch the servers with bug fixes and enhancements we whave not experienced any downtime with VMware issues. Even the bug fixes and updates do not cause of downtime as we just migrate the servers to the opposite node and update the one and then move servers back. Very simple and painless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    VMware by Broadcom
    We do not notice any difference between a physical and virtual server running the same workload. In fact we can scale quicker with the virtual server than we can with the physical.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    VMware by Broadcom
    I can't say enough good about VMware's support team. To an individual they take ownership of the case, provide thorough answers, and follow up regularly. On one occasion, a problem we experienced with NSX Endpoint was escalated to development for a permanent resolution after a workaround was found. In my experience, most companies would have tried to find a way to close a case like that instead of taking it all the way. Most importantly, when production is down and every second counts, they VMware teams understand that urgency and treat your issue as if it were the only one they had to deal with. You can't ask for better.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    Overall support is very good. We sometimes get pushback when asking Level 1 support to escalate to Level 2. This causes undue frustrations when you need a more knowledgeable support person to get involved. We've had to escalate to account reps a few times for this scenario. Zerto is very responsive and normally handles our requests very quickly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    VMware by Broadcom
    Jsut read and follow anything your storage provider may require to allow the integration of VMware with storage operations, outside of that VMware jsut works.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    Make sure the end goal is in mind before implementing. That way results meet expectations.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    VMware by Broadcom
    As long as you're using Nutanix AOS on Nutanix hardware and are paying their software support fees, AOS is a valid competitor to VMware and can save money due to not needing a license and having their server management system built into the base host management system. If you aren't using Nutanix hardware, however, VMWare is in most cases the best way to go. I cannot comment on HyperV, but most IT people I know either use it because they have to (most) or they like it better (not many).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    We started out using Backup Exec which was in service until we virtualized our environment where it didn't perform as well at the time. Then we switched to Veeam which worked well, but then as we started needing to do migrations and off-site DR, we found ourselves relying on Zerto more often.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    VMware by Broadcom
    it has been fair and easy to understand. I know VMware is looking at wanting to change from CPU to core pricing so we will see what that looks like when it happens.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    For my organization, the pricing model was an upfront investment for the Zerto licenses. My organization prefers to pay upfront and not deal with month-to-month or year-to-year pricing models that most companies are moving to. But for some, the investment may be more than they can afford, and would prefer the year-to-year pricing model.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    VMware by Broadcom
    We started out with a two-server cluster and adding a third or fourth is very straightforward and simple with no issues. You just need to be aware of the size of your Vcenter Server to handle the workload, but still the resources needed is very minimal
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    VMware by Broadcom
    No answers on this topic
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    I mean, it was 6 years ago, but we were up and going with all applications synchronizing in short order. The longest tasks was getting the 30 TB of application data synchronized between the datacenters.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    VMware by Broadcom
    • VMWare ESXi licensing is affordable for our business - and the licensing model is simplistic. Not like that of Microsoft with having to keep track of server licenses and CAL licenses for users.
    • VMWare ESXi also has hardware-monitoring built-in, so that further saves us money from having to be spent with another vendor.
    • As much as I hate the saying "a single pane of glass" does fit for this product. You can manage your servers, monitor hardware status, create and export backup snapshots, manage virtual NICs, connect to various storage devices. We're very happy with this product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
    • Zerto is like having the best possible insurance ... it just works, and often provides the backups taken overnight that are key in recovering data/work between overnight backups.
    • Zerto easily enabled the move of primary datacenters by allowing easy failover to a secondary site, and failback to the primary site.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    HPE Zerto Software Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotScreenshot of AnalyticsScreenshot of DashboardScreenshot of Failover TestScreenshot of vSphere