VMware has announced that its popular VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation desktop hypervisors will now be available for free to all users. This change affects individuals and businesses alike, covering commercial, educational, and personal use, signaling VMware’s commitment to broadening access to its powerful virtualization tools.
Expanded Access
The announcement means that users can now access VMware’s robust desktop hypervisors—Fusion for macOS and Workstation for Windows and Linux—without any licensing fees. This is a notable shift, especially given the history of these tools being priced for professional users and enterprises.
In May, VMware had already made a similar move by providing free access to VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro for personal use. This allowed students, hobbyists, and home lab users to explore virtualized environments, set up test labs, or experiment with multiple operating systems and Kubernetes clusters without the financial barrier. Now, with the latest announcement, the company has removed all paywalls on the standard and Pro versions of these products for a wider audience.
Starting this week, VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation—both the standard and Pro versions—will no longer require a paid subscription model. Himanshu Singh, VMware’s Director of Product Marketing at Broadcom, confirmed the shift, stating: “Effective immediately, both VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation will transition away from the paid subscription model, meaning you can now utilize these tools without any cost. The paid versions of these offerings—Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro—are no longer available for purchase.”
This means that all the powerful capabilities these platforms offer, from multi-OS compatibility to support for complex development environments, will be open to anyone, making VMware’s virtualization ecosystem accessible to users at all levels.
How Current Contracts and Support Will Be Affected
For current VMware customers who are under a commercial contract, there’s reassurance that their agreements will remain valid until the end of their existing terms. Singh emphasized that enterprise customers with active contracts will continue to receive the full level of service and support as stipulated in their agreements. However, for users who take advantage of the free offering, VMware will no longer provide ticketed support for troubleshooting.
This change reflects VMware’s shift toward a community-driven support model for the free versions, with the expectation that many users will find assistance through forums, documentation, and the extensive user community built around VMware’s products.
Broadcom’s Plans for Continuous Improvement
Broadcom, which acquired VMware last year, has plans to continue investing in VMware Fusion and Workstation to ensure that these tools remain on the cutting edge of virtualization technology. According to Singh, VMware’s engineering teams are “actively investing in new features, usability improvements, and other valuable enhancements.” Broadcom is committed to ensuring that updates for these tools are released on a regular basis, maintaining high standards for performance and stability.
This commitment is especially important for users who rely on VMware’s hypervisors for development, testing, and production environments. Although users of the free versions won’t receive formal support ticketing, they will still benefit from the continuous enhancements rolled out by VMware’s development teams.
How to Access the Free Versions of Fusion and Workstation
For anyone interested in using VMware Fusion or VMware Workstation, downloading the free versions is straightforward. After signing in to a Broadcom account, users can download these tools from VMware’s product pages. This streamlined access means that individuals and organizations alike can quickly start leveraging VMware’s hypervisors for a variety of use cases, from experimenting with different operating systems to managing Kubernetes clusters on desktops and laptops.
VMware’s Strategic Shift Under Broadcom Ownership
This change comes on the heels of several significant strategic adjustments Broadcom has made since acquiring VMware. Over the past year, Broadcom has ended VMware’s perpetual licensing model, discontinued the free version of its vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), and divested VMware’s End-User Computing Division. Broadcom’s latest decision to offer VMware Fusion and Workstation for free seems to be part of a broader plan to streamline VMware’s portfolio while expanding its user base and fostering greater accessibility.
Industry Reactions and Implications for Virtualization Users
The decision to make VMware Fusion and Workstation free for all users has been met with a positive response from the tech community. For enterprises and developers, this move eliminates a financial barrier to accessing some of the best-known virtualization tools on the market. Students and enthusiasts now have the opportunity to work with professional-grade tools without a financial commitment, potentially fostering a new generation of virtualization experts.
This shift also intensifies competition in the virtualization market, where other players such as Oracle’s VirtualBox and Microsoft’s Hyper-V are popular choices. By removing the paywall, VMware is likely positioning itself to expand its reach and influence within the virtualization space, creating more pathways for users to adopt VMware’s broader range of services in the future.
The Road Ahead for VMware Fusion and Workstation
VMware’s decision to make its desktop hypervisors free for all users is a major development in the virtualization landscape. With Broadcom’s ongoing commitment to enhancing these tools, users can expect continued feature upgrades and refinements, even if they are using the no-cost versions. As Broadcom integrates VMware into its operations and realigns its strategy, it will be interesting to see what further innovations and market shifts arise from this new, more inclusive approach to VMware’s product offerings.
For now, the virtualization community stands to benefit immensely from having free access to VMware Fusion and Workstation, tools that have long been regarded as industry standards. Whether for personal projects, educational purposes, or enterprise-level testing and development, users now have the freedom to harness the power of VMware’s virtualization technology at no cost.
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