Platform9
6.9/10Platform9 Private Cloud Director turns existing servers and storage into a KVM and OpenStack-based private cloud for VMs and Kubernetes, aimed at enterprises leaving VMware.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Platform9 makes Private Cloud Director, a private cloud platform built on KVM, OpenStack components, Open Virtual Network and Kubernetes. It runs on servers, storage and networks a company already owns. It offers the VMware-style features infrastructure teams expect: VM high availability (including a two-node option), live migration, predictive dynamic resource rebalancing, multi-tenancy, RBAC, SSO, GPU passthrough and vGPU, and per-VM metrics in a built-in Grafana dashboard. The management plane can be hosted by Platform9 as SaaS or self-hosted, including in air-gapped sites. Optional Kubernetes clusters use hosted control planes that Platform9 manages. Its free vJailbreak tool discovers VMware environments and migrates VMs while keeping IP addresses and network settings. Automation runs through OpenStack-compatible APIs, the pcdctl CLI and a first-party Terraform provider that is still in beta. It integrates with enterprise storage from Dell EMC, NetApp, Pure Storage and HPE. The best fit is mid-size and large IT organisations, plus service providers that want to replace VMware without buying new hardware. Pricing is per core per year, with features and support included, and enterprise deals are quote-only. A free Community Edition covers one region with community support. Service providers can join a program with a published monthly platform fee and per-core rate. The main limitation is that this is software you run on your own hardware, not hosted infrastructure. Troubleshooting the lower layers takes OpenStack knowledge. Built-in PaaS services such as databases are still on the roadmap, and independent analysts say it is not designed for small businesses.
Our Rating
Who Platform9 is best for
Best software for EnterpriseGood fit
It is built as a VMware replacement for large estates, and the vendor cites deployments of 18,000+ hypervisors and a 40,000-VM migration.
Infrastructure teams get a familiar VMware-like model for HA, live migration and rebalancing on hardware they already own.
Less suited
- Mid-Market6/10
The per-core pricing has no socket minimum, and the free Community Edition lowers the barrier, though running it still requires OpenStack skills.
Terraform, the CLI and OpenStack APIs support infrastructure as code, but the product targets operators rather than app developers who need hosted compute.
Info-Tech says the platform is not designed for small or midsized businesses with little infrastructure.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The free Community Edition has no time limit and includes the full feature set for a single region, which makes evaluation and small production use cheap.
- The free vJailbreak tool migrates VMs from VMware while keeping IP addresses and network and storage configuration, which lowers cutover risk.
- It reuses existing servers and enterprise storage from vendors such as Dell EMC, NetApp, Pure Storage and HPE, so buyers avoid a hardware refresh.
- Per-core pricing includes all features and support, and third-party estimates put it well below VMware Cloud Foundation per-core costs.
- Support is a strong point: G2 reviewers of its Kubernetes product rate support quality 9.6, and the vendor reports 100% CSAT four years running.
- Automation through OpenStack-compatible APIs, the pcdctl CLI and a first-party Terraform provider.
Cons
- Enterprise pricing is quote-only. Third-party estimates of about 200 to 350 USD per core per year are unverified.
- It is built on OpenStack, so troubleshooting the lower layers requires OpenStack knowledge.
- With the SaaS option, control depends on Platform9's hosted management plane.
- Built-in PaaS services such as managed databases, DNS and VPN are still on the roadmap.
- It is not hosting. Customers supply and run their own hardware, and analysts say it does not suit small businesses.
- Independent reviews are few. Most evidence and case studies come from the vendor, and one aggregator notes reports that support quality varies.
Key Features
Not included
- Managed Databases
- Managed WordPress
- Dedicated Servers
- Shared Hosting
Platform9 Pricing
Community Edition
- No time limit
- Single workload region only
- Community support via Reddit
- Full-featured Private Cloud Director
- Runs on x86 hardware with as little as 28GB RAM and 8 CPUs
Service Provider (PCSP) launch period
- vJailbreak migration tool included
- Unlimited cores during the launch period
- Flat $1,000 monthly platform fee for 90 days
- Then $13.52 per core per month with no annual commitment
- SaaS-managed environment provisioned within one business day
Private Cloud Director (Enterprise)
- No per-socket minimum
- Multi-region deployments
- Volume and multi-year discounts
- 24x7 support and 99.9% uptime guarantee
- SaaS-hosted or self-hosted management plane
- Priced per core per year with all features and support included
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Community Edition is free with no time limit and includes the full feature set, but it is limited to a single workload region and supported only through the community on Reddit.
Commercial licensing is per core per year, with features and support included and no socket minimum. Enterprise prices come from sales. Service providers can pay a $1,000 monthly platform fee for a 90-day unlimited-core launch period, then $13.52 per core per month with no annual commitment.
Yes. The free, open-source vJailbreak tool discovers VMware environments and does live or cold migrations, keeping IP addresses and network and storage settings. Optional professional services are reported at about 30 USD per VM at scale.
No. Private Cloud Director runs on your own x86 servers, storage and networks. Platform9 can host the management plane as SaaS, or you can self-host it, including in air-gapped environments.
Yes. Optional Kubernetes clusters run beside VMs, with control planes managed by Platform9. The August 2025 release added GPU passthrough and vGPU for VMs and Kubernetes clusters.
The paid Private Cloud Director includes 24x7 support and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. The Community Edition has community support only.
Private Cloud Director exposes OpenStack-compatible APIs and the pcdctl CLI. It also has a first-party Terraform provider (platform9/pcd, in beta), which works with OpenTofu, and the standard OpenStack Terraform provider works as well.
Platform9 announced an unqualified SOC 2 opinion from Prescient Assurance covering both the product and the organization. The announcement does not say whether it is Type I or Type II.
Similar Tools
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Enterprise Kubernetes application platform from Red Hat, offered as self-managed software or as managed services on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and IBM Cloud.
Spectro Cloud sells Palette, a platform that manages the full Kubernetes cluster lifecycle across public clouds, data centers, bare metal, edge and air-gapped sites for enterprise platform teams.
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