VMware makes Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro free for personal use

In a surprising move, VMware has made its VMware Workstation Pro and VMware Fusion Pro desktop hypervisor products free for personal use. Both products are now available under two license models: "Free Personal Use" and "Paid Commercial Use", with Workstation Pro being suitable for PC users on Windows or Linux, while Fusion Pro is designed for Mac systems with either Intel CPUs or Apple's own processors. Both Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro include all standard features and impose no restrictions for personal users, thereby eliminating the need for a purchased license key.

These tools enable users to create virtual machines on their local computers, facilitating the running of different operating systems or the creation of software sandboxes. This enables individuals and students to establish virtual test environments and explore various operating systems without incurring any expenses. Registration and download of free versions can be done via the new download portal at support.broadcom.com, while commercial subscriptions are available through authorized Broadcom Advantage partners.

With the Pro versions offering the same features, VMware has phased out its VMware Workstation Player and Fusion Player, urging users to switch to the fully equipped Pro versions for free, but organizations with commercial licenses for these products can continue to use and receive support for them until end of life (EOL) and end of general support (EoGS) dates. Broadcom is streamlining licensing for VMware customers by offering a single SKU for commercial use licensing, and Digital River has partnered to provide the VMware Desktop Hypervisor subscription for $120 per year.