Side by side
Citrix XenServer vs XenServer
Both stand on virtual machine software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose XenServer if your organization needs virtualization on dedicated x86 servers, with live migration, high availability, and GPU pass-through. Its stated focus on Citrix alignment, operational simplicity, lifecycle management, and security may also suit those priorities. Look elsewhere if your host hardware does not meet its requirements or you need a free plan.
Visit Citrix XenServerXenServer covers core virtualization features with Windows and Linux guest support. The infrastructure requirement, request-based pricing and three-host trial limit should shape an evaluation.
Visit XenServerThe facts
| Citrix XenServer | XenServer | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | A free trial | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted, Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | XenServer |
| Website | citrix.com | xenserver.com |
| On virtual machine software | #16 of 24 | #20 of 24 |
Citrix XenServer: what it does well
- High availability can restart VMs on another host after a host failure.
- Live migration supports host maintenance with minimal or no downtime.
- Resource pools can contain up to 32 hosts.
- GPU pass-through supports NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs.
- New installations require TLS for management-interface connections.
What to know first
- Hosts require dedicated 64-bit x86 servers with x86-64-v3 CPU support.
- There is no free plan; pricing is available on request.
- The 90-day trial does not include official support.
- NVIDIA vGPU support for XenServer 9 is preview-only and not fully supported.
XenServer: what it does well
- Supports Windows and Linux guests
- Includes VM snapshots
- Provides live migration
- Offers nested virtualization and GPU acceleration
- 90-day trial supports three hosts
What to know first
- Requires bare-metal x86-64 servers
- No free plan
- Premium pricing is available on request
- Trial limited to three hosts
Alternatives to Citrix XenServer Alternatives to XenServer The whole list