Kubermatic KKP EE Plus vs. VMware Tanzu

Since Broadcom acquired VMware in 2023, VMware customers have faced the biggest licensing shake-up in the company’s history. Perpetual licenses have been replaced by subscription-only bundles, and many enterprises have reported renewal costs increasing by 200% or more. As a result, many organizations are looking for alternatives to reduce their VMware dependency.

Kubermatic helped organizations such as Swisscom reduce their dependence on VMware and build a sovereign, open-source-based infrastructure. Kubermatic runs on VMware, bare metal, OpenStack, Nutanix, sovereign cloud environments, and all major public clouds, giving organizations the freedom to modernize at their own pace instead of remaining tied to a single infrastructure vendor.

Below, we compare VMware Tanzu / Broadcom VCF and Kubermatic on the capabilities that matter most when choosing a Kubernetes management platform.

Kubermatic vs VMware Tanzu - main differences

Kubermatic is an enterprise Kubernetes platform built on an open-source core that helps organizations manage Kubernetes consistently across on-premises, edge, sovereign cloud, and public cloud environments.

The Kubermatic KKP EE Plus includes Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform (KKP) Enterprise Edition together with multi-tenant load balancing (KubeLB) and virtualization (Kubermatic Virtualization), built on open-source foundations. Kubermatic also offers a self-service developer platform (KDP) and secrets management (SecureGuard), which can be licensed modularly as your operational needs grow.

VMware Tanzu, now delivered as part of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), integrates Kubernetes directly into VMware’s virtualization platform. It is designed for organizations standardizing on the VMware ecosystem, with Kubernetes delivered as part of the broader private cloud stack.

The biggest difference is how the two platforms approach Kubernetes. VMware makes Kubernetes part of the VMware platform. Kubermatic makes Kubernetes independent of the underlying infrastructure.

Organizations typically choose Kubermatic for four key reasons:

Freedom from forced bundling: With VMware, Kubernetes comes as part of a larger infrastructure platform. With Kubermatic, you adopt only the Kubernetes platform you need, without being forced into a broader infrastructure bundle.

No vendor lock-in or sudden price rises: Kubermatic is built on open source foundations, and gives you the freedom to run Kubernetes on VMware, bare metal, private cloud, public cloud, and edge environments. Its consumption-based pricing is independent of hypervisor renewal cycles, giving you predictable costs and the freedom to choose your infrastructure.

A gradual exit from VMware: Most enterprises cannot replace thousands of virtual machines overnight. Kubermatic Virtualization, built on KubeVirt, allows organizations to run virtual machines and containers side by side on Kubernetes. This enables a gradual migration away from VMware rather than a disruptive “rip-and-replace” project.

Built for open infrastructure and digital sovereignty: Kubermatic is headquartered in Germany and built on an open-source core. Organizations can deploy the platform on their own infrastructure, in sovereign cloud environments, or with their preferred provider while maintaining full control over where workloads and data reside.

Who each platform fits

VCF with VKS is a reasonable fit if you’re a large enterprise fully committed to the VMware private-cloud stack, want Kubernetes to ride existing vSphere skills and hardware, and have already negotiated favorable VCF bundle economics at scale.

KKP is the better fit for teams that want Kubernetes independent of their hypervisor contract. Kubermatic is the better choice for organizations that value infrastructure independence, digital sovereignty, and the flexibility to modernize beyond VMware at their own pace.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get Kubernetes from Broadcom without buying the full VMware Cloud Foundation bundle?

No. Since Broadcom’s acquisition, VMware’s enterprise Kubernetes offering is available only as part of VMware Cloud Foundation. There is no standalone VMware Kubernetes product.

How much have VMware/Tanzu costs increased under Broadcom?

Many organizations have reported renewal cost increases of 200% or more after Broadcom replaced perpetual licenses with subscription-only bundles.

Do I need to migrate off VMware before using Kubermatic?

KKP runs on VMware today, allowing you to keep your existing investment while managing Kubernetes independently. You can migrate to bare metal, OpenStack, Nutanix, or public cloud whenever you’re ready.

Has Kubermatic helped organizations move away from VMware?

Yes. Swisscom used Kubermatic to build a 100% sovereign cloud platform and migrated 60% of its workloads within nine months, demonstrating that organizations can modernize gradually without a disruptive migration. The CNCF has recognized this architecture as a leading example of cloud-native excellence.

How do I migrate from VMware to Kubermatic?

Most organizations don’t migrate everything at once. They start by running KKP on their existing VMware infrastructure, then gradually move Kubernetes clusters and virtual machines to the infrastructure of their choice. Kubermatic’s VMware migration guide outlines a proven four-phase approach for planning and executing this transition.

Ready to evaluate Kubermatic for your stack? Get in touch.