Apache CloudStack vs Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager

Apache CloudStack9.3Visit Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager8.7Visit

Higher score Apache CloudStack #1 in Virtualization Management Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

vs

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager #5 in Virtualization Management Software 8.7/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Microsoft

• Apache CloudStack fits best

  Open-source multi-hypervisor cloud management

• Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager fits best

  Windows and Hyper-V datacenters

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Apache CloudStack 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.7
Ranking	#1 in Virtualization Management Software	#5 in Virtualization Management Software
Best for	Open-source multi-hypervisor cloud management	Windows and Hyper-V datacenters
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Browser extension	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Linux	Windows
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache CloudStack 4/4 · Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 4/4
Live migration	✓	✓
High availability	✓	✓
Disaster recovery	✓	✓
API access	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Supported hypervisors	BareMetal, Hyper-V, KVM, LXC, vSphere via vCenter, XenServer, Xen Project	Microsoft Hyper-V; VMware vSphere/ESXi
Managed host limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports BareMetal, Hyper-V, KVM, LXC, vSphere, and Xen environments Combines HA, live migration, orchestration, and recovery workflows Offers REST-like, AWS-compatible, Terraform, and Ansible integrations	Manages Hyper-V and VMware hosts, clusters, networks, and storage Supports VM templates, placement, deployment, live migration, and HA Connects to Azure through Azure Arc, APIs, CLI, PowerShell, and IaC tools
Cons	Self-hosted deployment leaves infrastructure operations with the adopter Its broad infrastructure scope may exceed smaller virtualization needs Administration spans compute, network, storage, tenancy, and recovery	Runs on Windows only Requires a paid System Center license May be more than smaller or lightly virtualized environments need
Our verdict	Apache CloudStack is an open-source Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform for deploying and managing public, private, and hybrid clouds. It is designed for cloud providers, managed service providers, telecommunications companies, and… Read the review →	Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) is a self-hosted infrastructure management product for organizations operating enterprise datacenters. It centralizes management of virtualization hosts, clusters, networks, storage,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache CloudStack — where it wins

  • Supports BareMetal, Hyper-V, KVM, LXC, vSphere, and Xen environments
  • Combines HA, live migration, orchestration, and recovery workflows
  • Offers REST-like, AWS-compatible, Terraform, and Ansible integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment leaves infrastructure operations with the adopter
  • Its broad infrastructure scope may exceed smaller virtualization needs
  • Administration spans compute, network, storage, tenancy, and recovery

• Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager — where it wins

  • Manages Hyper-V and VMware hosts, clusters, networks, and storage
  • Supports VM templates, placement, deployment, live migration, and HA
  • Connects to Azure through Azure Arc, APIs, CLI, PowerShell, and IaC tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Runs on Windows only
  • Requires a paid System Center license
  • May be more than smaller or lightly virtualized environments need

• Apache CloudStack9.3/10 · Free plan

  A capable self-hosted choice for organizations managing varied virtualized environments.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager8.7/10 · Paid

  A Windows-only control plane for provisioning, migration, networking, storage, and HA.

  Visit MicrosoftFull verdict →