What to know:
- VMware has made its desktop hypervisors – VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation – completely free for commercial, educational, and personal use starting November 11, 2024.
- The paid Pro versions will be discontinued, but existing subscribers with active support contracts will continue receiving service until their contracts expire.
- While the free versions include all previous paid features, users will no longer have access to support ticketing and will rely on community forums and documentation for assistance.
Broadcom, which acquired VMware last year, has made a surprising move by offering two of its popular virtualization products completely free. This marks a significant shift from their previous subscription-based model and controversial price increases.
As per the announcement, VMware Fusion and Workstation will be available at no cost to all users, whether they need it for business, education or personal use. These tools allow users to run virtual machines and test different operating systems on Windows, Linux and macOS devices.
While users get access to all the premium features that were previously part of the paid Pro versions, there’s a catch – technical support through ticketing will no longer be available. Instead, users will need to rely on online documentation, user guides and community forums for troubleshooting help.
Broadcom has committed to continuing development of these products, promising new features, usability improvements and timely updates. The company says it will maintain high standards for stability and performance, while also paying attention to user feedback – something critics say was lacking during the first year after Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware.
For existing Pro subscribers, Broadcom assures that their current support contracts will remain valid until expiration. After that, they’ll transition to the new free model like everyone else.
This move comes after several controversial changes at VMware under Broadcom’s ownership, including the end of perpetual licensing and discontinuation of the free vSphere Hypervisor. The shift to a free model for these desktop products suggests a new strategy to maintain VMware’s presence in the virtualization market.
