One platform. Three editions.
Compare the tools that run your infrastructure, from your first container to a multi-site cloud.
Compare platformsFree Edition
4 running workloads
Free edition
StandAlone
Independent hosts + Aurora
per 32 cores / year
HCI Cloud Cluster
Cloud Clusters + SYNVirt vSAN + S3
per 32 cores / year
HCI includes 20 TB of raw storage per cluster. Each additional raw TB costs US$25/year, in addition to compute licenses.
Compare every capability
Virtual machines
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running VMs + containers | 4 combined | No edition limit | No edition limit |
| Create and clone VMs | Included | Included | Included |
| Import VMs and appliances | Included | Included | Included |
| Web console | Included | Included | Included |
| User snapshots per VM | 1 per VM | No edition limit | No edition limit |
Containers & applications
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native containers | Included | Included | Included |
| Import a container command | Included | Included | Included |
| Guided application creation | Included | Included | Included |
| Persistent volumes and published ports | Included | Included | Included |
| Container console, logs and metrics | Included | Included | Included |
Storage & NFS
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local ZFS storage | Included | Included | Included |
| External iSCSI datastores | Included | Included | Included |
| Mount external NFS datastores | Not included | Included | Included |
| NFS file services on local storage | Not included | Included | Included |
| SYNVirt vSAN | Not included | Not included | 3+ hosts |
| NFS on SYNVirt vSAN · multiple gateways | Not included | Not included | With SYNVirt vSAN |
S3 Object Storage
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3-compatible object storage service | Not included | Not included | With SYNVirt vSAN |
| Buckets, users and access keys | Not included | Not included | With SYNVirt vSAN |
| Versioning and Object Lock | Not included | Not included | With SYNVirt vSAN |
| External S3 as a backup destination | Not included | Included | Included |
Backup & recovery
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full backups to local storage | Included | Included | Included |
| Incremental backups | Not included | Included | Included |
| External backup repositories | Not included | Included | Included |
| Replication, failover and failback | Not included | Included | Included |
| Restore existing backups | Included | Included | Included |
Clusters & Cloud Clusters
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create and join clusters | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Cloud Clusters | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Shared network and iSCSI configuration | Not included | Not included | Cloud Cluster |
| Guardian · workload high availability | Not included | Not included | Shared storage |
| Live Motion · live VM migration | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Smart Balance · workload balancing | Not included | Not included | Included |
Aurora Central & Insights
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create and join Aurora Ops | Not included | Included | Included |
| Aurora Central · multi-site management | Not included | Included | Included |
| Aurora Insights · metrics and health | Not included | Included | Included |
| Capacity trends and forecasts | Not included | With Aurora | With Aurora |
| Rightsizing recommendations | Not included | With Aurora | With Aurora |
Day-to-day operations
| Capability | Free Edition | StandAlone | HCI Cloud Cluster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local host monitoring | Included | Included | Included |
| Automatic workload startup | Not included | Included | Included |
| Software updates | Not included | Included | Included |
No capabilities match your search.
Commercial prices: USD per year, per 32 cores. “No edition limit” is subject to hardware capacity. SYNVirt vSAN requires at least three hosts; cluster HA requires compatible shared storage.
S3 storage and S3 backup are different capabilities: StandAlone can back up to an external S3 repository; hosting an S3 service requires HCI Cloud Cluster with SYNVirt vSAN.
Before you choose
How does the Free Edition limit work?
You can run four workloads per host, in any combination: four VMs, three VMs and one container, or four containers. Paused VMs count; powered-off workloads do not. Each container in a stack counts separately.
Can StandAlone use Aurora Ops?
Yes. StandAlone hosts can create and join Aurora Ops for centralized management. Clustering, SYNVirt vSAN and live migration require HCI Cloud Cluster.
What does “no edition limit” mean?
The edition does not impose a workload or snapshot cap. Available CPU, memory and storage still determine your actual capacity.
What happens after a host returns to Free Edition?
Running workloads are not stopped by licensing. New starts follow the four-workload limit. Free Edition does not automatically start workloads after a reboot.