Proxmox vs ESXi vs XCP-ng: Which Hypervisor Should You Actually Run at Home in 2026?
Every homelab thread eventually turns into a hypervisor argument. Here’s the practical version, based on what actually matters when it’s your own gear and your own time on the line. The short answer If you’re starting fresh in 2026, run Proxmox VE. It’s free, actively developed, has a real community, and does everything most home labs need — VMs, LXC containers, clustering, ZFS, and a web UI that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. The rest of this post is for the “but why” crowd. ...