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Software · head to head

Vagrant vs Zerto

Vagrant logo

Vagrant

Software

Development environments made easy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zerto logo

Zerto

Software

Continuous data protection with near-zero RPO

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vagrant has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Vagrant vagrant 2.4.3 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 with IBM Corporation as licensor, not an OSI open source licence; Zerto zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector
  • They diverge on capability: Vagrant covers Box management, Zerto covers Continuous data protection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Vagrant and Zerto actually diverge.

Attributes where Vagrant and Zerto differ
AttributeVagrantZerto
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, MacWindows, Linux, Web
Founded20102009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Vagrant

  • Box management
  • Provider support
  • Multi-machine setups
  • Provisioners
  • Networking
  • Synced folders
  • Snapshots
  • Plugins

Only in Zerto

  • Continuous data protection
  • Journal-based recovery
  • Automated failover
  • Non-disruptive testing
  • Multi-cloud mobility
  • Long-term retention
  • Azure
  • Google Cloud

Both cover

  • VMware
  • AWS
  • Hyper-V
  • Linux support
  • Windows support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Vagrant

  • Reproducible local development environments defined in a Vagrantfilenot Zerto
  • Provisioning identical VMs across VirtualBox, VMware and Hyper-V for a teamnot Zerto
  • Sandboxing multi-machine setups on a developer laptopnot Zerto

Zerto

  • Data protectionnot Vagrant
  • Disaster recoverynot Vagrant
  • Business continuitynot Vagrant
  • Ransomware protectionnot Vagrant
  • Compliancenot Vagrant

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Vagrant

  • Vagrant 2.4.3 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 with IBM Corporation as licensor, not an OSI open source licence
  • The Additional Use Grant forbids offering Vagrant to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis in a paid product that competes with IBM's paid versions of Vagrant
  • Each version converts to the MPL 2.0 Change License only four years after that version is first published
  • Uses that fall outside the Additional Use Grant require a separately negotiated licence from the licensor

Zerto

  • Zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector

Pricing, plan by plan

Vagrant

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Development environment provisioning
    • Multiple providers
    • Provisioner support

Zerto

$5/month
  • Zerto Enterprise Cloud$5/month
    • Continuous protection
    • Journal-based recovery
    • Multi-cloud mobility

Which should you pick?

Choose Vagrant if

  • You need box management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac.
  • You also want provider support.
Vagrant review

Choose Zerto if

  • You need continuous data protection.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want journal-based recovery.
Zerto review

Questions people ask

Is Vagrant or Zerto better?
Neither clearly leads. Vagrant starts at Free and Zerto at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Vagrant or Zerto?
Vagrant has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Vagrant and $5/month for Zerto.
Does Vagrant or Zerto run on more platforms?
Vagrant runs on Linux, Windows, Mac. Zerto runs on Windows, Linux, Web.
Can I use Vagrant for free?
Yes. Vagrant has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zerto starts at $5/month.
What is Vagrant best used for?
Vagrant is most often used for reproducible local development environments defined in a vagrantfile, provisioning identical vms across virtualbox, vmware and hyper-v for a team, sandboxing multi-machine setups on a developer laptop. Of those, reproducible local development environments defined in a vagrantfile and provisioning identical vms across virtualbox, vmware and hyper-v for a team are not what Zerto is typically brought in for.
What can Vagrant do that Zerto cannot?
Vagrant covers Box management, Provider support, Multi-machine setups, Provisioners. Zerto covers Continuous data protection, Journal-based recovery, Automated failover, Non-disruptive testing. Both handle VMware, AWS, Hyper-V, Linux support.
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