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The comparison of two distinct products with similar purposes, as in this question, seems to be the sort of question that solicits opinion and therefore not constructive. However, these questions are not shopping recommendations as they do not ask for a specific product to be recommended. Should these questions be closed as not constructive?

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    I agree that "X vs Y" questions are non-constructive. The answer given shows that: "VMware is generally more solid and reliable."
    – iglvzx
    Commented Jul 22, 2012 at 0:31
  • Unfortunately these questions (in my opinion) are actually super useful to people. It's a shame SE disdains them...
    – rogerdpack
    Commented Apr 10, 2016 at 1:28
  • There are exceptions: superuser.com/questions/439470/…
    – bwDraco
    Commented Apr 10, 2016 at 4:33

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Yes, these should be closed as primarily opinion based, because they're subjective and there's no real problem to be solved.

A couple of reasons:

  • It's easy enough to take a look at what both tools offer online and compare them yourself, with regards to whatever criteria may be more important to you (which could be anything). Answers would simply be a list of features. We don't do feature comparisons – if the OP can't do the comparison themselves, then the problem is possibly hidden behind the question and they should probably just ask about their real issue instead.

  • It encourages subjective answers that are merely of the form "I like X better than Y", simply because. It attracts answers very fast because everyone seems to have an opinion, at least about popular software, and it's a magnet for personal opinion without any references to back it up.

  • These questions get outdated very fast, since features might change, support for certain operating systems might change, et cetera.

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    What if you already did your best to research and you still can't figure out the differences or which is better between two products?
    – SarahofGaia
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 17:45
  • Because that's the situation I'm in and I don't know which site—if any—is appropriate to ask on...
    – SarahofGaia
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 17:45
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    Then you need to share that research and try to ask constructively – in what way does a certain product allow you to accomplish something in less time, with fewer steps, et cetera.
    – slhck Mod
    Commented Jul 30, 2015 at 19:28

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