Side by side

Proxmox VE vs virt-manager

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.

Proxmox VE

Free plan AndroidAPILinux+3

Proxmox VE combines VM and container management with cluster, backup, and automation capabilities. Plan for per-socket subscription costs and the installer’s data-removal behavior before deployment.

Visit Proxmox VE

virt-manager provides a desktop interface for virtual machine and host resource management through libvirt. Its listed host support is Linux and OpenBSD, and the project routes package issues to operating system vendors.

Visit virt-manager

The facts

	Proxmox VE	virt-manager
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Android, API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web, Windows	Linux, Self-hosted
Lowest paid plan	Community: €120 a year	Free or on request
Plans published	5	1
Maker	Proxmox VE	Not published
Website	proxmox.com	virt-manager.org
On virtual machine software	#4 of 24	#10 of 24

Proxmox VE: what it does well

Free software under GNU AGPLv3
Web, CLI, and REST API management
Cluster management needs no dedicated manager node
Supports encrypted backups and live restore
Supports high-availability monitoring

What to know first

Bare-metal installer removes data on selected disks
Subscriptions are per occupied physical CPU socket
All cluster nodes need the same subscription level

virt-manager: what it does well

Supports KVM, Xen, and LXC through libvirt
Connects to local and remote hosts
Includes VNC and SPICE guest consoles
Can manage host networks and storage pools
Free and distributed under the GNU General Public License

What to know first

Host platforms listed are Linux and OpenBSD
Distribution package issues should go to the OS vendor first
Discussion and support questions are directed to GitHub Discussions

Alternatives to Proxmox VE Alternatives to virt-manager The whole list