When I first set up my homelab, VMware ESXi 8 felt like the obvious choice. It’s polished, enterprise-grade, and easy to administer. Between the web console and VMware Workstation integration, spinning up VMs was painless. For a while, it was perfect.
But over time, I realized ESXi was giving me more than I actually needed—and tying me into licensing uncertainty I didn’t want to keep dealing with. Even with VMware’s current owner Broadcom bringing back free ESXi licenses after taking them away for a while, I didn’t want to gamble on future restrictions or support changes. My homelab doesn’t need vSAN, DRS, or enterprise clustering. What I needed was a simpler, leaner platform that still gave me full control. That’s when I made the switch to Proxmox.
Why I Moved Away from ESXi
- Licensing lock-in: ESXi works great, but its licensing model always felt like a ticking clock. Even “free” still meant being tied to Broadcom’s terms.
- Overkill for a homelab: The advanced features that make ESXi shine in a datacenter don’t add much value in a small-scale environment.
- Future uncertainty: VMware’s ownership changes and shifting product focus made me question whether ESXi would stay free and accessible long-term.
Why Proxmox Works for Me
- Lightweight but full-featured: Between KVM for virtualization and LXC for containers, Proxmox covers everything I actually need.
- Management that works: Proxmox’s web console is straightforward, though not as polished as ESXi’s. noVNC sometimes treats Windows’ mouse as relative, making guest setup tricky. Installing
virt-vieweron Windows or Linux solved the problem and gave me console access every bit as smooth as VMware Workstation. - Open-source freedom: No licenses to track, no vendor lock-in, and a community that ships fixes and improvements quickly.
- Right-sized: Delivers exactly the features my homelab needs—nothing more, nothing less.
Final Thoughts
ESXi gave me polish: tight VMware Workstation integration, a refined console, and a sense of running “the real thing.” But polish isn’t everything. Proxmox trades a bit of gloss for freedom, practicality, and a stronger open-source foundation.
For my homelab, that’s the right trade. I don’t need datacenter bells and whistles—I need stability, flexibility, and control. And Proxmox gives me exactly that.
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