KVM VS VMware ESXi
As of 30 October 2026, VMware ESXi is named by 705 companies and KVM by 544; KVM skews to companies under 200 people (50% vs 36%), VMware ESXi to companies over 1,000 (38% vs 29%).
As of 30 October 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: KVM's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, VMware ESXi rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- KVM: 2–200 employees
- 50%
- VMware ESXi: 2–200 employees
- 36%
- KVM: 1,000+ employees
- 29%
- VMware ESXi: 1,000+ employees
- 38%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.9 · 3.0
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | KVM | share | VMware ESXi | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 4 | 1% | 3 | 0% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 38 | 7% | 23 | 3% | KVM |
| 11-50 employees | 108 | 20% | 84 | 12% | KVM |
| 51-200 employees | 124 | 23% | 150 | 21% | even |
| 201-500 employees | 78 | 14% | 107 | 15% | even |
| 501-1000 employees | 34 | 6% | 71 | 10% | VMware ESXi |
| 1001-5000 employees | 85 | 16% | 129 | 18% | VMware ESXi |
| 5001-10000 employees | 12 | 2% | 46 | 7% | VMware ESXi |
| 10,001+ employees | 61 | 11% | 92 | 13% | even |
| Segment | KVM | share | VMware ESXi | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 327 | 60% | 302 | 43% | KVM |
| Manufacturing & industry | 67 | 12% | 129 | 18% | VMware ESXi |
| Business & finance services | 51 | 9% | 116 | 16% | VMware ESXi |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 29 | 5% | 30 | 4% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 20 | 4% | 24 | 3% | even |
| Media & content | 18 | 3% | 11 | 2% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 13 | 2% | 9 | 1% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 8 | 1% | 17 | 2% | even |
| Automotive | 4 | 1% | 10 | 1% | even |
| Property & construction | 3 | 1% | 13 | 2% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 3 | 1% | 16 | 2% | even |
| Health care | 1 | 0% | 23 | 3% | VMware ESXi |
| Segment | KVM | share | VMware ESXi | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 300 | 55% | 416 | 59% | VMware ESXi |
| Germany | 51 | 9% | 68 | 10% | even |
| United Kingdom | 27 | 5% | 45 | 6% | even |
| Netherlands | 15 | 3% | 9 | 1% | even |
| Canada | 13 | 2% | 15 | 2% | even |
| France | 12 | 2% | 22 | 3% | even |
| India | 11 | 2% | 14 | 2% | even |
| Sweden | 11 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Poland | 10 | 2% | 8 | 1% | even |
| Singapore | 10 | 2% | 8 | 1% | even |
| Austria | 7 | 1% | 8 | 1% | even |
| Finland | 7 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Belgium | – | – | 10 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Italy | – | – | 8 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | KVM | share | VMware ESXi | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 849 | 39% | 1,855 | 64% | VMware ESXi |
| Software engineering | 718 | 33% | 242 | 8% | KVM |
| Engineering (non-software) | 119 | 6% | 251 | 9% | VMware ESXi |
| Sales | 82 | 4% | 27 | 1% | KVM |
| Customer service & success | 53 | 2% | 47 | 2% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 25 | 1% | 38 | 1% | even |
| Data & AI | 18 | 1% | 15 | 1% | even |
| Arts media and entertainment | 9 | 0% | 3 | 0% | even |
| Quality, safety & environment | 5 | 0% | 5 | 0% | even |
| Administration & office | 4 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Marketing & communications | 4 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | 3 | 0% | 4 | 0% | even |
| Skilled trades and field service | – | – | 6 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| General management & consulting | – | – | 3 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using KVM →
Companies using VMware ESXi →
virtualization vdi ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
VMware ESXi is named by 705 companies in job postings and KVM by 544; 119 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/kvm-vs-vmware-esxi)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
KVM vs VMware ESXi: questions
Which is more used, KVM or VMware ESXi?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, VMware ESXi (705) over KVM (544). By website-and-DNS footprint, VMware ESXi (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses KVM?
50% of KVM companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 36% for VMware ESXi. 29% of KVM companies have over 1,000 employees, against 38% for VMware ESXi.
Do companies run both?
119 companies name both in their postings, usually KVM in marketing and VMware ESXi in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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