VMware Aria Automation vs Zesty comparison

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VMware Aria Automation

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

VMware Aria Automation and Zesty compete in the automation and optimization domain. Zesty holds a stronger position with advanced optimization features, while VMware Aria Automation excels in terms of comprehensive support and pricing strategies.

Features: VMware Aria Automation offers robust integration capabilities, custom workflow configurations, and flexibility for diverse enterprise environments. Zesty provides advanced automated cloud optimization features, efficient resource utilization, and significant cost-saving capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Aria Automation provides a structured deployment process, extensive documentation, and robust customer service for a seamless setup experience. Zesty features rapid deployment with an intuitive setup; however, it offers less comprehensive customer service support, making implementation quicker but service less extensive.

Pricing and ROI: VMware Aria Automation is cost-effective, balancing initial setup costs with significant long-term ROI due to its comprehensive feature set. Zesty, requiring a higher initial investment, offers substantial ROI through reduced cloud expenses and enhanced operational efficiency, highlighting VMware's affordability against Zesty's focus on optimization-driven ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed VMware Aria Automation vs. Zesty Report (Updated: September 2026).

VMware Aria Automation vs. Zesty

September 2026

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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

VMware Aria Automation

Ranking in Cloud Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

172

Ranking in other categories

Configuration Management (10th), Network Automation (7th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (28th), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) (7th)

Zesty

Ranking in Cloud Management

18th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Cost Management (15th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Cloud Management category, the mindshare of VMware Aria Automation is 5.3%, down from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zesty is 1.0%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
VMware Aria Automation	5.3%
Zesty	1.0%
Other	93.7%

Cloud Management

Featured Reviews

VasilisGiannitsiotis

Senior IT at ITSolutions

Automation has streamlined complex financial workflows but still needs more intuitive orchestration

Something to improve in VMware Aria Automation would be related to VCF 9, as I do not know what it is trying to bring because they exposed it as the solution of everything. So VCF 9 will bring VCF Automation and VCF Operations, the new product line of VMware. I have not seen what this brings or what else it includes. Maybe in the area of vRealize Orchestrator, this would be beneficial because VRO can do everything. Perhaps a more user-friendly way to use that tool would be helpful because the possibilities there are endless. I am looking for more user-friendly navigation in VMware Aria Automation.

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Srinivas Rayudu

Director at Zensa Technologies

Managing complex onboarding has been challenging but automated cost optimization delivers strong savings

Zesty is a good solution; however, the learning curve can be complex for new users without a solid tech background, posing a challenge in training and the initial setup process. I would deduct one point for this aspect since everything else is fine. A specific example of where the learning curve caused issues is when we introduced Zesty to our new development team, which struggled to understand the platform while working on a project related to AI and ML. Our system architects explained how Zesty works, but I believe a more proactive approach to training and foundational data could help teams be more self-sufficient and less reliant on internal support.

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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

"In terms of recovery, it takes only a tenth of the time that's required compared to a human element."

"The most valuable feature is the consistency it delivers, at the end of the day. We know that we have consistent images based off consistent Blueprints, check-pointed or QA'ed in a consistent manner."

"Overall, it has performed phenomenally and the support behind it has made it absolutely useful."

"Instead of only deploying templates, we can deploy blueprints which are easier on day-to-day operations."

"value; It does a lot of things automatically that would take our group, when we're already strapped for time, a lot of time to go through and clean stuff out of databases and the like."

"With the advent of the automation, we've been able to give DevOps the ability to spin up environments, give them lease times, and then have it automatically reclaim the environment."

"He liked the way SaltStack (on the entire cluster) was up and running in a few minutes, and also gave him flexibility to generate traffic, make config changes, etc. on the fly."

"The customer can set up multiple machine blueprints. Therefore, we are able to customize the template of three machines, then the customer can deploy without knowing anything about the IT business."

More VMware Aria Automation pros

"I think Zesty is a really useful tool, it is really quick, it is really powerful, they are always improving it, and the customer service is flawless."

"One of the reasons we decided to onboard Zesty was that it started supporting Windows instances."

"The turnkey aspect of Zesty is very valuable."

"From a metrics perspective, Zesty reduced our Kubernetes infrastructure spend by about 24% in the first six months, we also cut wasted storage costs by roughly 18% and improved saving plan utilization by around 12%, and on the operational side, we saved roughly 40 to 50 hours a month in manual cloud cost tuning."

"Zesty has positively impacted our organization by providing a good return on investment, with a total reported percentage of savings around 40 to 50%."

Cons

"7.5 is not user-friendly, in fact, it's a nightmare. They changed everything on the graphic user interface, the mode where the user interacts with the product."

"Automation: We want to be able to have a lot more preconfigured solutions."

"Most of the time the upgrade experience has been good but sometimes things break after upgrading. For example, some API codes stopped working."

"They can improve on the dashboard representations and the options for non-technical people."

"There are a lot of usability issues which I have. Overall, the product feels bloated and cumbersome."

"It needs to be more dynamic with variable customization to make new workloads more reliable. It also needs to be faster. We are exploring vRA version 8 right now and maybe what I'm requesting is available in the new version, but we haven't yet explored it fully."

"Because we're running on the older version, we've actually had a lot of stability issues."

"With distributed, installation is a pain. I have always gotten into errors when employing a distributed environment, which provides High Availability."

More VMware Aria Automation cons

"I would like to get RDS-reserved instances that I could buy and sell, but that's a limitation on AWS."

"There are different resource types that we would like to leverage and get reserved instances for, such as RDS instances."

"Zesty is a good solution; however, the learning curve can be complex for new users without a solid tech background, posing a challenge in training and the initial setup process."

"It would be really useful if Zesty had more code snippets that were easy to use, an easier library instead of their documentation, and something that provided an automated finish to insert code so it could give you code hints."

"The biggest area for improvement is still reporting depth."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"SaltStack is an open-source product."

"From a budget point of view, the pricing is a bit on the higher side."

"The solution is free of cost."

"We do plan to see ROI with any new implementation of new technologies being implemented within our environment."

"It made the provisioning of the virtual machines easier and faster. We can react more quickly to customers' demands."

"Customers say this solution is costlier compared to its competitors."

"They should provide one license for all the sub-products."

"I would rate it high because, compared to other solutions, VMware’s pricing is quite expensive. VMware products have become significantly more costly in recent years, leading to higher costs."

More VMware Aria Automation pricing and cost advice

"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Media Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	33
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	131

No data available

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between VMware vRA (automation) and vROps (operations)?

vROP is a virtualization management solution from VMWare. It is efficient and easy to manage. You can find anything you need from the software interface. It provides complete visibility over applic...

Is there any way to try VMware Aria Automation for free?

When it comes to VMware Aria Automation, you have three choices for free runs: Hands-on Lab (HOL) Advanced lab A free trial I cannot describe in detail the second and third options as my company ...

Which sectors can benefit the most from VMware Aria Automation?

I was looking at VMware Aria Automation case studies recently and I got the impression that three main kinds of companies were using it most often: Social organizations Financial institutions and ...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zesty?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was great, as we had a great account manager that we did not have to query too much about it. The free one was nearly good enough to start with...

What needs improvement with Zesty?

I find myself using the online editor the most often, and what would be better is if you could have multiple windows open to work in, something like an actual program rather than having to shift be...

What is your primary use case for Zesty?

My main use case for Zesty is the CMS. For our corporate website, my team uses Zesty's CMS to allow users from any point in the company to upload content, add posts, add pages, and promote the comp...

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Compared 8% of the time

AWS Savings Plans vs Zesty

Compared 7% of the time

Apptio Cloudability vs Zesty

Compared 6% of the time

Azure Cost Management vs Zesty

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Download VMware Aria Automation product report

VMware Aria Automation

August 2026

Download Zesty product report

August 2026

Also Known As

VMware vRealize Automation, vRA, VMware DynamicOps Cloud Suite, SaltStack

No data available

Overview

VMware Aria Automation is known for its automation capabilities, integrating with VMware and third-party tools to enhance workflow efficiency, save time, and manage resources effectively.

VMware Aria Automation offers a diverse set of features including a self-service portal and a streamlined user-friendly interface, which make it ideal for organizations aiming to automate virtual machine provisioning. The platform supports extensive automation capabilities across multi-cloud environments, featuring flexible blueprint designs and comprehensive integration with platforms like AWS, Azure, and ServiceNow. Though improvements are desired in areas like logging, template management, and vCenter integration, its robust framework facilitates IT infrastructure services, disaster recovery, and development operations. It is specifically beneficial for orchestrating workflows, automating routine tasks, and managing workloads efficiently in private and hybrid cloud environments.

What are the most important features of VMware Aria Automation?

Self-Service Portal: Empowers users with easy access to resources and tools needed for automation.
User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies navigation and usage for both technical and non-technical users.
Extensive Automation Capabilities: Streamlines VM deployment and processes across various platforms.
Integration with VMware and Third-Party Tools: Enhances workflow automation and extends functionality.
Flexible Blueprint Designs: Allows for customized and scalable deployment solutions.

What are the benefits and ROI users should consider?

Efficiency: Reduces manual workload, leading to time and cost savings.
Scalability: Supports dynamic growth and resource management.
Enhanced Workflow Automation: Improves process efficiency with comprehensive integrations.
Customizable Orchestration: Enables tailored solutions that meet specific requirements.
Resource Management: Efficiently utilizes resources, reducing waste and optimizing operations.

VMware Aria Automation is implemented across industries for automating the provisioning of virtual machines and managing cloud environments. It is used in sectors requiring efficient server deployment, network configurations, and seamless integration with tools such as AWS and Azure. It aids in reducing manual efforts, supporting IT infrastructure services, and enhancing disaster recovery protocols.

Broadcom

Zesty offers scalable solutions that empower businesses to optimize their digital presence efficiently. Designed for dynamic online environments, Zesty integrates seamlessly, enhancing digital content management with versatile tools.

Zesty focuses on providing an adaptive content management experience for professionals seeking optimization in web content publishing. Known for its intuitive interfaces and robust architecture, Zesty allows effortless website management, content personalization, and SEO enhancements. With Zesty, businesses can efficiently curate digital content, ensuring swift loading times and superior user engagement. Its extensible features enable integration across different platforms, ensuring streamlined workflow management and enhanced data-driven decision-making.

What are the key features of Zesty?

Content Management: Easy-to-navigate CMS for efficient content updates.
SEO Tools: Built-in SEO analytics to boost online visibility.
Personalization: Customizable options for tailored content delivery.
Integration Capabilities: Links seamlessly with third-party applications.

What benefits should users consider?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlined processes reduce time spent managing content.
Enhanced Visibility: Advanced SEO ensures greater reach.
Increased Engagement: Personalized content fosters user interaction.
Cost-Effectiveness: Optimizes resources resulting in reduced operational costs.

Industries such as eCommerce, healthcare, and media have successfully implemented Zesty to streamline digital operations. For eCommerce, Zesty facilitates rapid product content updates, while healthcare sectors utilize it for managing patient information and media outlets employ it for real-time news publishing.

Sample Customers

Rent-a-Center, Amway, Vistra Energy, Liberty Mutual

Walkme, Wiz, Gong, Grubhub, Singular