My primary use case of this solution is to combine old storage into logical volumes. You can create a VMS partition and deploy it among the host, which provides the best performance.
Scalable and secure with easy setup
Pros and Cons
- "Storage is expandable with no extra cost."
- "Pricing is something of a concern."
What is our primary use case?
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using vSAN for almost three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good - storage is expandable with no extra cost.
How was the initial setup?
Setup is simple because the product is automatically installed once the license is activated.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSAN
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about VMware vSAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is something of a concern.
What other advice do I have?
I would say that if you need more storage-level performance, scalability, or security, you can definitely consider using this solution. I would rate this solution as nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
System support engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Stable, easy to set up and quick to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability has been quite good."
- "We would like to see even more storage capacity."
What is our primary use case?
We have a backup server using this technology. We move data in real-time.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable.
The scalability has been quite good.
The initial setup is pretty quick and easy.
What needs improvement?
We would like to see even more storage capacity.
Technical support could be more knowledgeable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for two to three years. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. The solution doesn't have bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable and the performance has been great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We have already upgraded to extend it. We do plan to extend it again and we are going to expand.
How are customer service and support?
We've dealt with technical support previously. It would be helpful if they were more knowledgeable. We had a bottleneck with the technical support team. We required a part and we just couldn't get it and it was delayed. It caused an issue around storage for us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did previously use internal storage solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. It's so simple you don't need any technical assistance or anything like that.
The deployment is pretty fast and only takes one to three hours or so. It's not a long process at all.
What about the implementation team?
We do have an integrator that can assist with the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do have to pay a yearly licensing fee. It's a subscription for the hardware.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten. We are very satisfied with its capabilities.
I would recommend the solution to others.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSAN
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about VMware vSAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Director at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees
Provides interoperability between VMware products but needs more support for applications
Pros and Cons
- "VMware comes with different stacks like VMware Cloud Foundation, which is integrated with different VMware modules. There's interoperability between VMware products."
- "I would like to see more support for applications. I think currently it only supports applications between two vSAN clusters."
What is most valuable?
VMware comes with different stacks like VMware Cloud Foundation, which is integrated with different VMware modules. There's interoperability between VMware products.
Another good feature is that you can create profiles for each VM. You can mirror one set of VMs according to another set of VMs. You can also define the quality of service for that profile.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more support for applications. I think currently it only supports applications between two vSAN clusters. I heard that VMware is planning to have applications using vSAN at the hypervisor layer. I'm not sure whether it's available or it's being planned for the next release. I would prefer it to be on the storage layer than on the hypervisor layer.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with VMware vSAN for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't had any issues with the stability of VMware vSAN.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't had any issues with scalability, but I think historically it supports only 64 nodes. It's a VMware limitation, but in our deployment in Sri Lanka, hardly any customers use that many nodes. If you consider that aspect, then scalability is okay. The largest customer we have here uses two nodes.
For Nutanix, there is no such limit as far as I know.
How are customer service and support?
I'm not happy with the VMware support. There are so many delays attributed to different reasons, like when you transfer the case from one engineer to the other, the second engineer is not aware of what the first engineer has done, so we need to update the second engineer from the beginning.
Their response is also not that fast. We have seen that sometimes the competency of the backend engineers is not that high, and because of that VMware support is a bit of a concern for us. Apart from that, I don't have many issues with the product.
How was the initial setup?
Setup is not that difficult. We have had a few issues with the implementation. Initial setup is not as straightforward as Nutanix.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Compared to Nutanix, the design of VMware vSAN is probably the highest in the marketplace in terms of market penetration. I think it's number one, and Nutanix is not that far behind.
From an upgrade perspective, it's not as straightforward compared to a Nutanix. You need to do a lot of checks and balances before you do the upgrade. With Nutanix, you don't need to worry about it at all, probably because those nodes are coming from Nutanix itself. Because of that, they kind of keep everything to a single file where all these checks will be done initially when you run it. With vSAN, the server could be coming from different vendors like HP or Huawei. So it won't be that easy to come up with a single package to check all of these formula licenses because the upgrade is not that smooth compared to Nutanix.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.
My advice is to plan well which workload you're going to use for VMware vSAN. Not all workloads are suitable for VMware vSAN. Before using VMware vSAN, you should consider implementation planning, network sites, and group layout.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Account Executiveager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
It offers us some flexibility, but it could be integrated better with the cloud
Pros and Cons
- "If we decide to expand, vSAN could offer us some flexibility. We are researching ways to set this up from a new data center, which is located somewhere different from the current location right now."
- "I would like to see better integration between the cloud and our VMware virtual environment. We only have one virtual environment, which is VMware vSAN. Right now, there is little interoperability with the cloud solution at the moment."
What is our primary use case?
I work at a small company, and we have VxRail. Like Rubrik, VxRail can be upgraded brick by brick. Now we are studying considering deploying another traditional setup comprising a host and SAN Storage. VMware vSAN is a virtual SAN Storage.
We are planning to expand the resources of our system, including CPU, RAM, and storage. Currently, we are utilizing the basic VxRail setup, which consists of only three nodes, and we're in the process of acquiring another. I'm upgrading because it's at capacity, so we have no choice but to add another node so we can expand the loads for some new applications that we need to employ under the virtual servers. Our expansion to a new data center will add some more capacity to the current setup.
In the end, we could wind up with around six nodes, SAN storage, or flash array storage. But we don't have a definite plan yet. Everything is being drafted at the moment, and we're researching some details on backup solutions and VR solutions. We also have some cloud-based and server-hosted applications from Azure and AWS. So maybe the on-premises solution could involve some VMs or a hybrid backup solution that goes back and forth between the cloud and on-premises.
What is most valuable?
If we decide to expand, vSAN could offer us some flexibility. We are researching ways to set this up from a new data center, which is located somewhere different from the current location right now.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see better integration between the cloud and our VMware virtual environment. We only have one virtual environment, which is VMware vSAN. Right now, there is little interoperability with the cloud solution at the moment. We are currently researching to figure out if we can achieve that.
It's possible that we'll need to acquire new infrastructure for the new data center. And for that, we need to consult some architects, whether it's a VMware architect or some AWS and Azure architects. And we could come up with a workable blueprint that to use as a guideline so we can manage our infrastructure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am new to this company, but I worked with different solutions at my previous company, including vSAN and the traditional VMware vSphere setup. So I've been using vSAN for two years or three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSAN is stable, although there's is some room for improvement.
How are customer service and support?
I've been working with VMware technical support since I had my own company. It's pretty dependable because I used to work primarily with level three infrastructure support. We are the last escalation. I am one of the contact people between the company and the VMware vendor. The final escalations would be working with the vendor itself or some VMware engineer, whether it's vSAN, vSphere, Center, or anything else within the scope of our license.
In my environment right now, we only handle a limited set of VMware products. These solutions are not perfect because we must apply patches and updates to deal with glitches and minor bugs. Byt I think vSAN will be reliable, especially if the after-sales support and engineers are excellent and could help us work seamlessly and comfortably.
How was the initial setup?
Our initial vSAN setup is a backup from Rubrik being thrown up to AWS for Glacier. But in the near term, maybe we could migrate that kind of solution in a more seamless and resilient way. That's what we're considering right now.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
VMware is quite expensive compared to Microsoft's Hyper-V. However, when you factor in flexibility and comparability of use, it's reasonable enough. For the high price of VMware, you get seamless operation and manageability. At the same time, I think VMware is lowering the price for its cloud-based solutions. And it's stable enough that some organizations might want to put part of their setup on the cloud and the other part on-premises. VMware's advantage is that they were already preparing for cloud solutions many years ago.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There are several virtual solutions that I have hands-on experience with, including VMware, Hyper-V, and some open source software. I could only compare Microsoft and VMware. VMware is significantly more expensive than Microsoft, but I still prefer VMware because it's manageable and easy to set up.
As a VMware customer, it's hard to judge the value I'm getting for the price in terms of operability and manageability. Then there are other factors, such as the amount of resources used. So when we're evaluating, we're not just looking at the price. We don't want to settle for something cheaper that might cost us some headaches.
What other advice do I have?
I rate VMware vSAN seven out of 10. I prefer a traditional SAN storage solution. Right now, we're only using vSAN for small solutions. At the basic level, it's good enough because it operates the same way as the traditional setup. It's suitable for companies that are starting and might expand in the near future. For those use cases, vSAN is a great choice compared to Hyper-V. It's much easier to maintain. However, I haven't deployed vSAN for a larger configuration.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Managing Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Easy to manage, with a convenient dashboard and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "The solution fits well with my requirements."
- "It would be ideal if the solution offered some intelligent monitoring."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for virtualization for our organization.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to manage due to the fact that it uses the same dashboard as Center.
vSAN is okay for HCI.
The solution fits well with my requirements.
The stability is good.
The product can scale.
I have always found the technical support to be helpful and responsive.
What needs improvement?
So far, the solution is okay with me.
It would be ideal if the solution offered some intelligent monitoring. Right now, most of these features are in another subscription such as Log Insight.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been very good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We currently have ten people that directly use the solution in our organization.
The scalability is simple. It's very easy to scale the HCI node.
How are customer service and support?
We rarely use technical support. We might use them for consulting purposes sometimes if, for example, we have a new system and then we are concerned that it might or might not be running on vSAN. We might need them to probe it first. So far, we have been satisfied with the level of support we get.
How was the initial setup?
I was not a part of the implementation process and therefore cannot speak to how easy or difficult it may be.
The solution has very few maintenance requirements. Occasionally, they may recommend a fix or patch by updating it, and we do so. However, other than that, it's pretty simple to maintain.
What about the implementation team?
Normally we use a local system integrator or distributor to do the setup for us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is competitive with other vendors. It's mid-range in terms of pricing. It's not cheap and it's not overly expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We are a customer and an end-user.
We are using the latest version of the solution at this time.
I'd recommend the solution to other users. It's easy to deploy and great for virtualization.
I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Admin at a university with 501-1,000 employees
Helpful support, stable, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The technical support is good. We are always thankful for the technical support from VMware. They are very supportive when we have a technical problem."
- "The interface is a little complicated, it could be simplified with more graphical gadgets. We have many servers, and the built-in functions, such as rate configuration, are a bit complex."
What is our primary use case?
We use VMware vSAN to manage our resources. It has secured our resources, such as power and server management. We needed one console that can manage all the servers.
What needs improvement?
The interface is a little complicated, it could be simplified with more graphical gadgets. We have many servers, and the built-in functions, such as rate configuration, are a bit complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSAN for approximately 11 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSAN is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found VMware vSAN to be scalable.
We have approximately 50 people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good. We are always thankful for the technical support from VMware. They are very supportive when we have a technical problem.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy because our architecture is simple.
Our architecture is very simple to understand a new version. We only need to document all the configurations of the servers with all the maps that are designed. Any new person can understand fully within a day. However, we need more simplified versions of VMware vSAN in the future.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
VMware vSAN is a little bit expensive and we pay annually. We have an educational institute where we receive discount prices from VMware. We do receive a reasonable discount but it's still expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I advise those people that have a large amount of data and they need very fast retrievals, they must use the scalable feature of VMware vSAN.
I am fully satisfied with VMware vSAN.
I rate VMware vSAN a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Buyer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Reliable, scales well, and has good documentation
Pros and Cons
- "I like the tolerance of VMware vSAN."
- "The integration could be improved. I would like to see integration with other platforms."
What is our primary use case?
We use VMware vSAN to build storage for our virtual machines.
What is most valuable?
I like the tolerance of VMware vSAN.
What needs improvement?
The integration could be improved. I would like to see integration with other platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using VMware vSAN in our environment. I have used this solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSAN is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to scale VMware vSAN.
In our organization, we have 100 members.
We may increase our usage in the future. With the company's growth, there are plans to expand in the future. We may require additional members. It's possible that we'll be able to scale this solution more in the future.
How are customer service and support?
We read the manual, which provided us with a thorough explanation. It was sufficient. We use technical support only on rare occasions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Nutanix is a product that I am familiar with. We were able to use the Nutanix supported trial version.
In Microsoft's system center, both Nutanix and VMware can be easily maintained.
We will not be using the Nutanx system at this time.
Nutanix's integration with other platforms could be improved.
How was the initial setup?
This solution was easily installed by our team.
We have a team of four people to deploy and maintain this solution, including one administrator and one manager.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution requires the purchase of a license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Because of COVID-19's impacts, we looked for a different IT system that would match our budget.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate VMware vSAN an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solution Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
High performance, scalable, and great technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has high performance."
- "VMware vSAN could improve by adding NAS and object storage."
What is our primary use case?
VMware vSAN is a software-defined storage solution and there are no hardware dependencies. We use it for general-purpose workloads or Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
What is most valuable?
The solution has high performance.
What needs improvement?
VMware vSAN could improve by adding NAS and object storage.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSAN for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vSAN is scalable.
We have approximately 5,000 people using this solution in my organization.
Our last customer in India had over 180 servers running.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support has been great from VMware vSAN.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward. We did not find it difficult.
What about the implementation team?
We have a team of 50 that does the maintenance and support of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for a license to use the solution through our company CapEx and then we continue to pay annually.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate VMware vSAN a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware vSAN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2026
Product Categories
HCIPopular Comparisons
VxRail
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)
StarWind Virtual SAN
Dell PowerFlex
HPE SimpliVity
Sangfor HCI - Hyper Converged Infrastructure
DataCore SANsymphony
HPE Alletra dHCI
HPE Hyper Converged
StorMagic SvSAN
Azure Local
Scale Computing Platform
Dell vSAN Ready Nodes
Huawei FusionCube Hyper-Converged Infrastructure
StarWind HyperConverged Appliance
Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware vSAN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- I am looking to compare Nutanix and VMware vSAN. Which one is better in terms of functionality and management?
- Nutanix and vSAN: Which is best for cloud services?
- What Is The Biggest Difference Between vSAN And VxRail?
- Do you think VMware’s HCI solution is a good alternative to AWS?
- What Is The Biggest Difference Between Nutanix And VMware vSAN?
- Which is your recommended HCI solution in 2022: Nutanix Acropolis AOS, VMware vSAN or anything else?
- What is the biggest difference between HPE SimpliVity and VMware vSAN?
- Which would you choose - Nutanix Acropolis AOS or VMware vSAN?
- Which solution performs better: Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure or VMware vSAN?
- How does HPE Simplivity compare with VMware vSAN?











