Since Broadcom collapsed VMware's catalogue into two per-core subscriptions, almost every buying decision now comes down to one question: vSphere Foundation (VVF) or the full Cloud Foundation (VCF) stack? They share a licensing model but sit at very different price points and capability tiers. This page explains where the line falls, then lets you size both against your own hosts.
| VMs | Hosts | VMware VCF / yr | Proxmox VE / yr | 3-yr saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 3× | £50,304 | £2,820 | £142,452 |
| 100 | 4× | £67,072 | £3,760 | £189,936 |
| 250 | 8× | £134,144 | £7,520 | £379,872 |
| 500 | 15× | £251,520 | £14,100 | £712,260 |
All figures are indicative estimates for planning only and subject to change; licence prices vary by reseller and deal size, and any monthly finance figure is subject to credit approval — not a quotation.
What VVF and VCF each include
VVF is the workhorse tier: vSphere Enterprise Plus, vCenter, the core management stack and a modest vSAN entitlement scaled to your licensed cores — enough to run compute and light hyper-converged storage. VCF is the full private-cloud platform. It keeps everything in VVF, multiplies the bundled vSAN capacity, and adds NSX software-defined networking plus the broader automation and operations tooling. Put simply, VVF virtualises servers; VCF builds an on-prem cloud around them.
The NSX and vSAN dividing lines
Two entitlements separate the tiers. NSX networking — micro-segmentation, overlay networking, distributed firewalling — ships only with VCF; there is no supported way to bolt it onto VVF for new customers. vSAN is included in both, but VCF grants roughly four times the raw capacity per licensed core. If your workloads are networked flat and your storage sits on an existing array, VVF's entitlements are usually plenty. If you want the network defined in software and vSAN as primary storage, that pushes you to VCF.
Per-core maths and which tier fits
Both bundles are licensed per physical core, with a 16-core-per-socket floor and a 72-core minimum order, so even a modest cluster is charged as if larger. VCF lists at roughly double VVF per core, which compounds across a full estate. Choose VVF when you need a supported hypervisor with management and some vSAN but networking and storage are handled elsewhere; choose VCF when NSX segmentation or vSAN-at-scale is a genuine requirement. The calculator applies both floors to your actual host layout.
FAQs
Is VCF just VVF with NSX added?
Largely, yes — but not only NSX. VCF keeps the entire VVF stack, then layers on NSX software-defined networking, a much larger bundled vSAN capacity per core, and the wider automation and operations tooling for running a private cloud. NSX is the headline difference and the usual reason to move up, but the expanded vSAN entitlement often matters just as much.
Can I buy NSX separately and stay on VVF?
For new purchases there is no supported standalone NSX path — NSX networking is delivered through the VCF bundle. If micro-segmentation, overlay networking or distributed firewalling is a firm requirement, the practical route is VCF rather than VVF. Where only some clusters need NSX, many buyers licence those on VCF and keep the rest of the estate on VVF.
Why does VCF cost so much more than VVF?
VCF lists at roughly double VVF per core because it bundles a full private-cloud platform — NSX, far more vSAN capacity, and broader operations tooling — rather than just a hypervisor. With per-core licensing and a 72-core minimum, that gap scales quickly across a real estate. The calculator on this page applies both minimums to your hosts so you can see the true delta, not just list price.