Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
Proxmox VE vs AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Proxmox VE
Cloud & Infrastructure
Open-source hypervisor combining KVM and LXC virtualisation
- From
- €120/year
- Rated
- -
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Cloud & Infrastructure
The leading cloud computing platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Proxmox VE per-socket licensing model: cost scales with CPU socket count, not vCore count, resulting in high costs for multi-socket servers; AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Proxmox VE and AWS (Amazon Web Services) actually diverge.
| Attribute | Proxmox VE | AWS (Amazon Web Services) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | €120/year | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Linux, Web, API, Self-hosted | Web, Api, Cli, Mobile |
| Founded | Unknown | 2006 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Proxmox VE
Nothing recorded that AWS (Amazon Web Services) does not also cover.
Only in AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- EC2 - Virtual Servers
- S3 - Object Storage
- RDS - Managed Database
- Lambda - Serverless Computing
- CloudFront - CDN
- VPC - Virtual Network
- IAM - Access Management
- CloudWatch - Monitoring
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Proxmox VE
- Open-source datacenter virtualisation for hosting providers and cloud platformsnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Cost-sensitive enterprise virtualisation replacing commercial hypervisorsnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- High-availability clustering for disaster recovery and business continuitynot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Container deployments using LXC as lighter-weight alternative to Dockernot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Hybrid VM and container workloads in a single management interfacenot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Backup and archival infrastructure alongside primary virtualisationnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Web hostingnot Proxmox VE
- Data storagenot Proxmox VE
- Machine learningnot Proxmox VE
- Big data analyticsnot Proxmox VE
- Application developmentnot Proxmox VE
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Proxmox VE
- Per-socket licensing model: cost scales with CPU socket count, not vCore count, resulting in high costs for multi-socket servers
- Linux-based host only; Windows hypervisors not supported, limiting adoption in Windows-focused organisations
- Clustering and high-availability setup requires operational expertise and careful network configuration
- Commercial support tiers limit advanced features (just-in-time access, network flow logs) to paid subscriptions
- Smaller ecosystem of third-party plugins and integrations compared to VMware vSphere
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
- Discounts require one or three year Savings Plan commitments rather than being automatic
- Every service is priced separately, so a working architecture has no single published cost
- The free tier is a promotional allowance rather than an ongoing free plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Proxmox VE
€120/year- Community$120/year
- Enterprise Repository access
- Community forum support only
- Per-socket subscription model
- Basic$370/year
- 3 support tickets per year
- 1 business day response time
- Stable updates and Enterprise Repository
- Standard$550/year
- 10 support tickets per year
- 4-hour response time for critical issues
- Remote SSH support and offline updates
- Premium$1100/year
- Unlimited support tickets
- 2-hour response time for critical issues
- Remote SSH support and offline updates
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Free- AWS Free TierFree
- EC2 750 hours/month
- 5GB S3 storage
- 20GB data transfer
- Pay-As-You-GoFree
- No upfront payment
- No long-term commitments
- Pay only for what you use
Which should you pick?
Choose AWS (Amazon Web Services) if
- You need ec2 - virtual servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
- You also want s3 - object storage.
Questions people ask
- Is Proxmox VE or AWS (Amazon Web Services) better?
- Neither clearly leads. Proxmox VE starts at €120/year and AWS (Amazon Web Services) at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Proxmox VE or AWS (Amazon Web Services)?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at €120/year for Proxmox VE and Free for AWS (Amazon Web Services).
- Does Proxmox VE or AWS (Amazon Web Services) run on more platforms?
- Proxmox VE runs on Linux, Web, API, Self-hosted. AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
- Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
- Yes. AWS (Amazon Web Services) has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Proxmox VE starts at €120/year.
- What is Proxmox VE best used for?
- Proxmox VE is most often used for open-source datacenter virtualisation for hosting providers and cloud platforms, cost-sensitive enterprise virtualisation replacing commercial hypervisors, high-availability clustering for disaster recovery and business continuity, container deployments using lxc as lighter-weight alternative to docker. Of those, open-source datacenter virtualisation for hosting providers and cloud platforms and cost-sensitive enterprise virtualisation replacing commercial hypervisors are not what AWS (Amazon Web Services) is typically brought in for.
- What can Proxmox VE do that AWS (Amazon Web Services) cannot?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Proxmox VE: What is the licensing model for Proxmox VE?
Proxmox VE is open-source and free to deploy. Optional subscription tiers provide technical support, priority response times, and access to the Enterprise Repository for stable update channels. All tiers include identical virtualisation features.
SourceProxmox VE: Can I run Proxmox VE without a support subscription?
Yes. Community Edition (€120/year per socket) provides Enterprise Repository access with community-based support through forums. The core Proxmox VE platform is fully functional without any subscription.
SourceProxmox VE: What hypervisors does Proxmox VE support?
Proxmox VE includes both KVM for full virtualisation and LXC for Linux containers. It does not support Xen or Hyper-V. Workloads on those platforms must be migrated or reimplemented.
Source