HPE VM Essentials
HPE VM Essentials: A paid, self-hosted platform for managing HPE and VMware virtual machine clusters together. Ranked #14 of 19 in Server Virtualization Software by our editors (6.9/10); pricing: Paid; best for HPE customers consolidating VMware and HPE clusters.
At a glance
- Editor score6.9 / 10
- PricingPaid
- Best forHPE customers consolidating VMware and HPE clusters
- Free planNo
- DeploymentHybrid
- Founded2015 · Spring, Texas, United States
- Facts checked24 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Manages HPE VM Essentials and VMware vSphere clusters centrally
- Includes live migration, high availability and workload scheduling
- Supports VMware VM conversion, backups, restore and snapshots
Where it doesn't
- No free plan; listed starting price is 741.99
- Self-hosted deployment may not suit teams seeking a hosted service
- Designed for IT teams managing enterprise or mid-market infrastructure
Our verdict on HPE VM Essentials
For IT teams consolidating HPE and VMware environments, HPE VM Essentials combines a KVM-based hypervisor with centralized management for HPE VM Essentials and VMware vSphere clusters. The self-hosted platform covers virtual-machine provisioning and cluster management, with an HTML5 console for VM access. Its scope is infrastructure operations rather than general-purpose cloud hosting, making it a fit for organizations managing their own virtualization environment.
Operationally, the feature set addresses migration and continuity alongside routine administration. Host-to-host live migration is described as having zero downtime, and high availability can automatically restart VMs after a host failure. Dynamic workload scheduling and storage migration support placement changes, while VMware VM conversion offers a path for moving VMware workloads. Native backup, restore and snapshots add data-protection functions. Provisioning can connect with IPAM, DNS and scripting automation, and centralized identity and SSO integration are also included.
The ecosystem is a notable consideration for teams with existing tools: integrations include VMware vSphere, Infoblox, phpIPAM, BlueCat, SolarWinds, Microsoft DNS, Okta, OneLogin, Azure AD, Cohesity, Commvault and Veeam. Pricing is paid, with 1-year E-LTU and 3-year E-LTU plans, each listing the HPE VM Essentials software license; the listed starting price is 741.99. HPE Store pricing may vary by country and reseller. Choose it when unified HPE and VMware management and migration capabilities matter; teams seeking a free plan or a hosted deployment should look elsewhere.
Your product? Our editors can test HPE VM Essentials in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
HPE VM Essentials pricing
All 2 HPE VM Essentials plans and prices →
HPE VM Essentials fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Deployment | Hybrid |
| Hypervisor type | Type 1 |
| VMs per host | Not verified |
| Live migration | Yes |
| Central management | Yes |
| Guest OS support | Windows; Linux |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Linux |
| Compliance & security | SSO/SAML |
| Support | Email, Live chat, Docs |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 12 integrations: VMware vSphere, Infoblox, phpIPAM, BlueCat, SolarWinds, Microsoft DNS … |
| Pricing | Paid (source) |
| Website | hpe.com |
| Facts checked | 24 Sep 2026 |
HPE VM Essentials integrations
HPE VM Essentials lists 12 integrations on its own site.
- VMware vSphere
- Infoblox
- phpIPAM
- BlueCat
- SolarWinds
- Microsoft DNS
- Okta
- OneLogin
- Azure AD
- Cohesity
- Commvault
- Veeam
Alternatives to HPE VM Essentials
- KVMA flexible Linux hypervisor foundation for teams managing VMs with tools such as QEMU.9.2
- Citrix XenServerMature Xen VM operations with live migration, high availability and GPU support.9.0
- VMware Cloud Foundation OperationsA centralized operations layer for teams managing VMware private-cloud estates.8.8
See all HPE VM Essentials alternatives →
Used HPE VM Essentials? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used HPE VM Essentials for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
Write a reviewTwo minutes · verified accounts only · read by an editor before it appears
Featured on iTechGuides
HPE VM Essentials is listed in our Server Virtualization Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
<a href="https://www.itechguides.com/products/hpe-vm-essentials/"><img src="https://www.itechguides.com/best/badge/hpe-vm-essentials.svg" alt="Featured on iTechGuides" width="230" height="46"></a>
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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.
Last updated · How we research and update