Citrix XenServer vs RHEV comparison

Citrix and Red Hat are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. Citrix is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.6, while Red Hat is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.7. Citrix holds a 4.9% mindshare in SVS, compared to Red Hat’s 3.6% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Red Hat users who would recommend it.

Citrix XenServer

Read 52 Citrix XenServer reviews

6,511 Views
5,124 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

RHEV

Read 36 RHEV reviews

4,351 Views
3,509 Comparison Views

79% willing to recommend

Citrix XenServer

RHEV

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 13, 2025

RHEV and Citrix XenServer are competing in the virtualization platform category. Citrix XenServer seems to have the upper hand with its comprehensive feature set and advanced management tools.

Features: RHEV offers robust integration with Red Hat systems, efficient resource management, and scalable performance. Citrix XenServer provides advanced management tools, high-performance graphics, and extensive automation capabilities, making it suitable for complex environments.

Room for Improvement: RHEV could enhance its feature depth in non-Red Hat environments, improve its automation tools, and better support heterogeneous infrastructures. Citrix XenServer could improve its affordability for small to medium businesses, simplify licensing for broader accessibility, and offer enhanced support for open-source integrations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: RHEV is known for its straightforward deployment and effective support services, especially for Red Hat ecosystems. Citrix XenServer is equally easy to deploy but stands out with its detailed documentation and responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: RHEV presents a more cost-effective option with competitive pricing and strong ROI for businesses leveraging open-source solutions. Citrix XenServer, although potentially costlier, offers significant ROI through its advanced features and performance benefits, potentially offering greater long-term value.

To learn more, read our detailed Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV

June 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Citrix XenServer

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

RHEV

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of Citrix XenServer is 4.9%, up from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of RHEV is 3.6%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Virtualization Software

Featured Reviews

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

Cost efficiency enables significant savings but improvement in support and backup integration is needed for enhanced reliability

In the past, we utilized the live migration feature in Citrix XenServer, but not in this project. This is a new, fresh deployment, so there is no live migration. The support of heterogeneous resource pool in Citrix XenServer depends on the deployment and customer requirements. If a customer requires heterogeneous deployment, we accommodate that. Generally, Citrix XenServer goes in straightforward vanilla deployment because it is majorly used for Citrix farms. Very few customers use it for other products or applications. Intelligent performance optimization is available in this product, but very few customers use it, and those who do aren't using it extensively. I cannot comment extensively on this feature at present.

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Sujeet-Kumar

Project Manager Cloud Infrastructure at Path Infotech ltd

The solution is scalable and affordable, but it lacks features, and it is not easy to manage

Management of RHEV is not as easy as VMware. Some features do not work. The product does not provide features similar to VMware’s VMotion. After creating the cluster, the VM is moved to another node if we move down. However, the VM does not move the parent node automatically. It has to be moved manually. VMware moves it automatically. RHEV moves it to the parent node only if we restart. Everything can be handled in VMware through the GUI. However, in RHEV, some things can be managed through UI, and others cannot. We have to troubleshoot and use CLI. A few features of the product do not work as well as those in VMware.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable feature is transferring and sharing applications that allow users to move files between devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers without needing USB cables, internet connections, or data usage."

"The solution's security is its most valuable aspect."

"It is quite flexible and rugged. It is also easy to understand and user-friendly. It is not as complicated as some of the other solutions. It has its technicalities, but it is easy to understand. You can easily pick up in a short period of time and understand how to manage the infrastructure."

"I find Citrix XenServer valuable for its affordable server virtualization capabilities."

"The compatibility of the solution is its most valuable feature. It's compatible on almost every cloud these days."

"The core function enables multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. This maximizes hardware utilization and efficiency."

"I find it very easy to manage and at a cost that small customers would never refuse (free)."

"Citrix Hypervisor is simple to use."

More Citrix XenServer pros

"When you purchase RHEV, you are essentially buying a subscription license. This license can be integrated with various client types, including these integrations with the subscription."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the support portal."

"The solution is a great all-round product. The virtualization is especially good."

"What they provide is way beyond the essential requirements of customers."

"RHEV’s cost is much less compared to VMware."

"Technically, the main reason why I'm using Red Hat is because of its stability."

"I advise keeping an open mind. It's an excellent solution."

"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."

More RHEV pros

Cons

"Assigning the order of virtual server startup is not very easy and this can be improved."

"The solution needs better backup facilities that are available for virtual machines to create servers on."

"The graphics user interface is pretty bad."

"It needs improvement with the security features."

"The manageability of the solution needs improvement. It's an extremely bad product to handle."

"It needs to have a more robust backup solution."

"Citrix Hypervisor is expensive if you get it as a stand-alone product, so this is one area for improvement. Its price could be cheaper. We also found other areas for improvement in Citrix Hypervisor, for example, we can't use SCIM provisioning, and there are limitations to the size of the HDD. Another area for improvement is the pass-through storage, in particular the removable storage, because that also has limitations where you can't connect to the drive if it is more than one TB."

"I would like the possibility of updating the hypervisor by applying security patches."

More Citrix XenServer cons

"It lags behind in that you need to go to something like Fedora to get all the extra bells and whistles."

"The solution has a very small lifecycle."

"The availability of technical expertise with the solution may be limited in some areas."

"We should improve how we manage storage domains and make more comprehensive control available through the command line."

"Red Hat by itself is not scalable. But you can have third party add-ons like Ceph to make it massively scalable."

"I heard that there are big differences between Red Hat eight and seven, but it's still quite difficult for me to judge it. I found it a bit more difficult to manage than version seven, which was much easier. In term of features, though, it is still not yet clear which is better. I have no clear idea of which features need to be changed at the moment."

"Specifically, enhancements in managing virtual machine migrations, cloning, and the creation of different VMs could further optimize its functionality."

"With RHEV, the cyberattacks should be fewer. I want RHEV to be better protected."

More RHEV cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are three editions available and I believe they are perpetual licenses."

"I am fine with their license support. What we have right now is permanent, so I don't have a problem with their license."

"To subscribe to the paid version with support, it is approximately $6,000 per year."

"Citrix Hypervisor is a licensed product, and customers who buy the Citrix XenDesktop get Citrix Hypervisor for free. If they don't buy the license for Citrix XenDesktop, they'll need to pay for Citrix Hypervisor and its price is high. Pricing is even higher than VMware. The licensing policy for Citrix Hypervisor is good. It's straightforward. The only issue is the price because it's an expensive product."

"Citrix Hypervisor is expensive."

"The most valuable feature is the cost; it is a free product."

"The pricing and licensing is so important. Customers do consider the price seriously."

"We used it only for some desktop licenses, so the pricing is great. We used the free licenses for server virtualization."

More Citrix XenServer pricing and cost advice

"The solution does not require licencing but a subscription is necessary, which is very affordable."

"I believe we pay on a yearly basis."

"This is an open-source solution."

"We have to pay extra for vulnerability and fault tolerance."

"We buy a license for commercial use, and we also use the free editions."

"The price of RHEV is high. It is an open-source solution, the price should be less. The price should not be on par with a solution, such as VMware. It's not more or equal to VMware, it's less, but the difference should be more substantial."

"Its price depends on the use cases."

"It's a budget product as far as I'm concerned. It's way cheaper than any of its competitors. The only thing cheaper than Red Hat is that the people who take the Red Hat code clone it and then self-support it."

More RHEV pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

Thang Le Toan (Victory Lee)

CIO at Robusta Technology & Training

Jan 13, 2015

vSphere vs. RHEV vs. Hyper-V vs. XenServer

We have used the following functions: 1. Hypervisor: to ensure that the virtual server provide web and email services to the company, thus providing a stable operation a with single sign-on integration of an AD server and vCenter. 2. Network and Storage: centralized data server…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

22%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

18%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Hypervisor?

The core function enables multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. This maximizes hardware utilization and efficiency.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Hypervisor?

Licensing with Citrix XenServer is very cost-effective. Organizations save substantial money because competing solutions, such as VMware, cost double or triple. If you are using Citrix load only, t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Hypervisor?

In a DC, DR situation, if applications are self-dependent and self-DR replicated, then it works fine. However, if hypervisor-level backup or replication is required, very few backup software option...

See all answers

What do you like most about RHEV?

The initial setup is fairly straightforward and well-documented. The process is very similar to its competitors. The success of your setup depends on how well you plan.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for RHEV?

It's the open source. There's not much cost. It's very minimal comparably. Compared to what I am paying for VMware, it's negligible.

See all answers

What needs improvement with RHEV?

My teammates and I often complain that VMware is well-documented and has a large community since it is the de facto standard. I would love to see better documentation and ease of use. For newcomers...

See all answers

Comparisons

Proxmox VE vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 32% of the time

VMware vSphere vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 21% of the time

Hyper-V vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 17% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 9% of the time

KVM vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 6% of the time

More Citrix XenServer Competitors

VMware vSphere vs RHEV

Compared 43% of the time

Proxmox VE vs RHEV

Compared 25% of the time

Hyper-V vs RHEV

Compared 11% of the time

KVM vs RHEV

Compared 9% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs RHEV

Compared 7% of the time

More RHEV Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer

June 2025

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Buyer's Guide

RHEV

June 2025

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Also Known As

Hypervisor

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization

Overview

Citrix XenServer provides virtualization with high availability and robust security, offering seamless VM migration and centralized management through XenCenter. Its expansive compatibility and integration enhance its appeal, particularly for SMBs.

Citrix XenServer is recognized for its user-friendly virtualization capabilities, facilitating dynamic scalability and efficient resource management. It supports a wide range of operating systems and integrates with Citrix solutions for improved operations. Businesses benefit from its affordability and ease of deployment. Despite its strengths, users seek improvements in third-party tool integration, network and backup management, and storage flexibility. High costs, limited Linux support, system complexity, technical support, and hardware compatibility remain challenges. An updated and intuitive interface is in demand for more seamless operations across platforms.

What are the key features of Citrix XenServer?

User-Friendly Virtualization: Simplifies virtualization operations with efficient management tools.
High Availability: Ensures continuous access to virtualized resources.
Robust Security: Protects virtual environments with comprehensive security protocols.
Seamless VM Migration: Facilitates easy migration of virtual machines across environments.
Centralized Management: XenCenter provides centralized control for resource management.
Dynamic Scalability: Supports scaling of resources as per business requirements.
Real-Time Performance Monitoring: Enables monitoring and optimizing of system performance actively.
Unlimited Virtual Machines: Offers the capacity for deploying numerous virtual machines without limitations.

What benefits and ROI can users expect?

Cost Efficiency: Competitive pricing model reduces virtualization costs.
Comprehensive Virtualization: Complete solution for desktop and server virtualization needs.
Ease of Deployment: Quick and straightforward setup process minimizes downtime.
Integration with Citrix Solutions: Enhances functionality with existing Citrix technologies.

In diverse industries, Citrix XenServer is leveraged for server and desktop virtualization, cloud automation, and infrastructure management. Many deploy it for virtual desktop infrastructure, application delivery, on-premises data centers, and to support Citrix application delivery like XenApp and XenDesktop. Enterprises migrating from VMware often find Citrix XenServer cost-efficient for these applications, serving as a main computing platform for enterprise applications including ERP systems and SQL Servers.

Citrix

Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, or RHEV, is a leading open standard enterprise virtualization management solution. This solution supports virtualization of servers and desktops using the same infrastructure and a single easy-to-use interface.

Because RHEV is based on open standards, it is vendor-independent and a lot more cost effective and flexible than proprietary solutions.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

U.S. Army Shared Services Center, SoftLayer, Educational Services of America, Independent Bank, and SK Telecom.

Qualcomm and Bonham's Auction House.

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer vs. RHEV

June 2025

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