ZSvirt
ZSvirt is an open-source, self-hosted virtualization platform based on ZStack’s ZSphere virtualization engine and using KVM.
What ZSvirt is
ZSvirt is an open-source, self-hosted virtualization platform based on ZStack’s ZSphere virtualization engine and using KVM. Its free open-source plan has no license fee and no VM limit, with community support. The site says one control plane can manage 10,000+ hosts and virtual machines with up to 768 vCPUs. For VMware migration, ZMigrate supports agentless full-disk replication, incremental sync and cutover in as little as five minutes. Listed security features include VM encryption, SecureBoot, vTPM 2.0, security groups, MFA/2FA and immutable audit logs. Integration options include Go, Python and Java SDKs, native Terraform providers, GitOps and 2,000+ REST/OpenAPI endpoints. It also lists distributed storage integrations, SAN support, the standard KVM ecosystem, VMDK and mainstream hardware and guest operating systems. Live migration, high availability, disaster recovery and API access are supported. Enterprise adds advanced multi-cluster and compliance capabilities, LTS releases, SLAs and vendor-backed production support.
Good
- Open-source plan has no license fee or VM limit.
- Supports live migration, high availability and disaster recovery.
- ZMigrate offers agentless VMware migration.
- Provides SDKs, Terraform providers and GitOps.
- Deployment packages include ISO, OVA and QCOW2 images.
Watch out
- Open-source release has community support.
- LTS, SLAs and vendor-backed support are Enterprise features.
Who it suits
ZSvirt suits self-hosting users ranging from homelab operators to large infrastructure teams, including organizations moving away from VMware. The open-source edition may suit users who can rely on community support rather than vendor-backed production support.
Verdict
ZSvirt offers a no-license-fee, self-hosted KVM option with migration, security and integration capabilities. Teams needing vendor-backed support or advanced multi-cluster and compliance features should consider the Enterprise edition.
Plans and prices
From ZSvirt's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| ZSvirt Open Source | Free | No license fee · no VM limit |
| Contact vendor | Priced on request | Pricing supplied by vendor · free trial not available · free version not included |
| Plus license | Priced on request | Required after the six-VM backup trial quota · licensed by VM count or unlimited authorization |
The facts
Each one read from ZSvirt's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API
- ZSvirt 1.0.0 documents a RESTful API with definitions for all APIs and more than 2,000 REST/OpenAPI endpoints claimed on the product site.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Architecture
- The platform uses a modular architecture covering virtualization resource management, management-plane services, extensions and operations tooling.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Audience
- ZSvirt is presented for users ranging from homelab operators to hyperscale infrastructure teams and organizations moving away from VMware.checked 8 Oct 2026
- CLI
- Environments can be operated through a command-line interface in addition to the web UI and API.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Deployment packages
- The download page offers x86_64 ISO, OVA, and QCOW2 images, plus the ZMigrate VMware migration package.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Documentation includes quick start, installation and upgrade tutorials, user guides, Terraform material, API reference, SDK specifications and FAQs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Dynamic resource scheduling
- Clusters support manual and automatic dynamic resource scheduling for balancing CPU and memory workloads.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Enterprise features
- Advanced multi-cluster and compliance capabilities are listed for ZSvirt Enterprise.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- The architecture supports plugin-based extension of resource types, business capabilities and integrations.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Funding record
- Crunchbase lists ZStack as a private Shanghai cloud-infrastructure company with 21 investors, including Beijing Information Industry Development Investment Fund and Entrepreneurship Relay Group.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Hardware passthrough
- Hosts can pass through GPU, virtual GPU, USB and PCI devices to virtual machines, with IPMI-based power control.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Hardware requirements
- A demonstration deployment requires at least four CPU cores and 8 GB RAM; a small production management node requires at least eight cores, 16 GB RAM and 240 GB storage.checked 15 Oct 2026
- High availability
- VM HA can automatically reboot virtual machines after host failure, with configurable global and cross-cluster policies.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Identity management
- The IAM system centrally manages users, permissions and single sign-on integration.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent description
- GetApp describes ZSvirt as covering compute, storage, networking, live migration, high availability and multi-tenant isolation for enterprise and public-sector users.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Independent limitation
- TrustRadius states that no free version or trial is available and that no pricing plans are listed.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Installation media
- The download center provides a 5.41 GB x86_64 ISO, 17.02 GB OVA, 24.02 GB QCOW2 image and an 8.92 GB ZMigrate package.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The site lists SDKs for Go, Python, and Java, native Terraform providers, GitOps, and 2,000+ REST/OpenAPI endpoints.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Key management
- A built-in Native Key Provider manages encryption keys without requiring an external dependency, and key rotation is supported.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License
- The core project is released under the GNU GPL version 3.0.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: backup entitlement
- The backup feature's free allowance is limited to six virtual machines before a Plus license is required.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: pricing transparency
- Capterra and TrustRadius list no published ZSvirt pricing and direct buyers to contact the vendor.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company facts
- ZStack International lists Hong Kong headquarters, 501–1,000 employees and a 2015 founding year.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company ownership
- ZSvirt is presented as launched and backed by ZStack, whose LinkedIn profile says it is part of Alibaba Cloud.checked 15 Oct 2026
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