IBM PowerVM vs IBM z/VM
IBM PowerVM
ibm.com
IBM z/VM
ibm.comSide by side
| Figure | IBM PowerVM | IBM z/VM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Server Virtualization Software | 7.4 (#12) | 7.5 (#11) |
| Spec score · Hypervisor Software | 7.5 (#19) | 7.6 (#17) |
| Spec score · Virtual machine software | 7.3 (#19) | 7.4 (#18) |
| Founded | 1911 | 1911 |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Headquarters | IBM lists its address in Armonk, New York 10504-1722. | Armonk, New York, United States |
| Purpose | IBM PowerVM provides virtualization for enterprise workloads across AIX, IBM i, and Linux environments. | IBM z/VM is an operating system and hypervisor designed to run guest servers including Linux, z/OS, and z/TPF virtual machines on IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE. |
Plans
In their own words
IBM PowerVM
IBM PowerVM provides virtualization for enterprise workloads across AIX, IBM i and Linux environments. It can place multiple workloads on fewer servers, which IBM says may reduce energy use, hardware costs and data-center footprint. Live Partition Mobility moves running workloads between servers for maintenance or load balancing with zero planned downtime, subject to IBM’s conditions. Resource Groups and Affinity Scoring isolate workloads and apply placement policies for performance and compliance. Platform Key Store enhancements address memory management and encryption handling for AIX applications using large page sizes. PowerVM integrates with PowerVC and HMC for OpenStack automation and centralized hardware control. IBM describes quantum-safe cryptography, secure boot and policy-driven placement among its security capabilities. The product supports hybrid-cloud and AI workload strategies, with scalable performance and dynamic resource allocation. It is paid, priced on request, and has no free plan. VIOS media and fix packs require IBMid access and entitlement.