Exciting Update: VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation Available for Free Starting November 11

Key Information:

• Starting November 11, 2024, VMware will offer VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation as complimentary desktop hypervisors for commercial, educational, and personal use.
• The paid Pro versions will be phased out, but current subscribers with active support agreements will still receive services until their contracts come to an end.
• While all features that were previously available in the paid versions will be part of the free options, users will not have access to ticketed support, relying instead on community forums and available documentation for help.

In a surprising announcement, Broadcom, which acquired VMware last year, has chosen to make two of its renowned virtualization tools completely free. This represents a significant pivot from the prior subscription-based model and past contentious price hikes.

According to the official statement, VMware Fusion and Workstation will now be freely accessible to all users, whether for business, educational, or personal purposes. These applications enable users to execute virtual machines and experiment with various operating systems across Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms.

Although users will benefit from all the premium functionalities that were previously associated with the Pro versions, there is an important caveat: the absence of support via ticketing systems. Users will need to depend on manuals, online documentation, and community assistance for any troubleshooting requirements.

Broadcom has pledged to continue enhancing these solutions, ensuring the introduction of new features, usability upgrades, and regular updates. The company aims to uphold a strong emphasis on performance and stability, while also being responsive to user feedback—something that critics claim was insufficient in the initial year following Broadcom’s takeover of VMware.

Current Pro subscribers can rest assured that their existing support agreements will remain in effect until they expire. Once that occurs, they will transition into the new free model along with all other users.

This shift follows several contentious developments at VMware since Broadcom assumed control, including the termination of perpetual licensing and the cessation of the free vSphere Hypervisor. Transitioning these desktop applications to a complimentary model signals a new approach to ensuring VMware’s continued relevance in the virtualization sector.

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