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Proxmox VE VS VMware ESXi_

As of 4 November 2026, VMware ESXi is named by 972 companies and Proxmox VE by 743; Proxmox VE skews to companies under 200 people (53% vs 37%), VMware ESXi to companies over 1,000 (37% vs 21%).

As of 4 November 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: Proxmox VE'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.

Proxmox VE: 2–200 employees
53%
VMware ESXi: 2–200 employees
37%
Proxmox VE: 1,000+ employees
21%
VMware ESXi: 1,000+ employees
37%
Postings per company, 90 days
1.7 · 2.5
Website or DNS footprint
0 · 0
743companies name Proxmox VE
972companies name VMware ESXi
123name both
1,300 · 2,474postings in 90 days, Proxmox VE · VMware ESXi
02 — Side by side

Who chooses which

Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.

By company size
SegmentProxmox VEshareVMware ESXishareLeans
Self-employed172%101%even
2-10 employees7310%455%Proxmox VE
11-50 employees13919%11011%Proxmox VE
51-200 employees18525%20922%Proxmox VE
201-500 employees11515%15116%even
501-1000 employees588%909%even
1001-5000 employees8712%17118%VMware ESXi
5001-10000 employees142%576%VMware ESXi
10,001+ employees557%12913%VMware ESXi
By industry
SegmentProxmox VEshareVMware ESXishareLeans
Technology & software32644%40442%Proxmox VE
Manufacturing & industry12517%16417%even
Business & finance services8812%16717%VMware ESXi
Utilities & infrastructure456%445%even
Public, community & associations355%414%even
Consumer services & leisure304%192%Proxmox VE
Media & content284%172%Proxmox VE
Commerce & trade243%253%even
Property & construction152%192%even
Automotive91%182%even
Transport, logistics & rental91%182%even
Health care71%293%VMware ESXi
By country
SegmentProxmox VEshareVMware ESXishareLeans
United States24533%55857%VMware ESXi
Germany16823%778%Proxmox VE
France679%333%Proxmox VE
United Kingdom324%515%even
Austria203%111%even
Poland203%91%even
Spain172%131%even
Netherlands142%111%even
Italy132%101%even
Canada122%202%even
Switzerland122%––outside top 12
Brazil101%––outside top 12
India––182%outside top 12
Belgium––131%outside top 12
Postings by team (share of each tool's postings)
SegmentProxmox VEshareVMware ESXishareLeans
IT operations & business systems1,02262%2,11464%even
Software engineering30118%2929%Proxmox VE
Engineering (non-software)714%3029%VMware ESXi
Customer service & success201%491%even
Product, program & project management151%351%even
Sales101%281%even
Data & AI91%140%even
Business development & strategy40%10%even
General management & consulting40%30%even
Unclassified40%40%even
Administration & office30%20%even
arts media and entertainment20%30%even
Education & training20%40%even
Marketing & communications20%20%even
Quality, safety & environment20%50%even
skilled trades and field service20%50%even
Design & UX10%––outside top 12
research and science10%––outside top 12
construction and civil––30%outside top 12
hospitality and food service––30%outside top 12
public safety and protective services––20%outside top 12
social care and community––10%outside top 12
Travel, leisure & events––10%outside top 12
Go deeper

The companies behind each column

Companies using Proxmox VE →
Companies using VMware ESXi →
virtualization vdi ranked →

Cite this

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 972 companies in job postings and Proxmox VE by 743; 123 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/proxmox-ve-vs-vmware-esxi)
How we know

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.
FAQ

Proxmox VE vs VMware ESXi: questions

Which is more used, Proxmox VE or VMware ESXi?

By companies naming it in their own job postings, VMware ESXi (972) over Proxmox VE (743). By website-and-DNS footprint, VMware ESXi (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.

Who chooses Proxmox VE?

53% of Proxmox VE companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 37% for VMware ESXi. 21% of Proxmox VE companies have over 1,000 employees, against 37% for VMware ESXi.

Do companies run both?

123 companies name both in their postings, usually Proxmox VE 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.

Companies and people

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