VMware, which Broadcom purchased for $61 billion, announced some big changes to its virtualization software suite. Starting today, VMware Workstation Pro for Windows and Linux and VMware Fusion for Mac no longer require a license for personal use.
If you want to set up a bunch of virtual machines on your computer to experiment with Windows 11, Linux, or something else, VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion are now available for free. All you need to do is to register and download the app for your platform. Commercial use, however, still requires purchasing a license.
Besides making Workstation Pro and Fusion free for personal use, VMware discontinued Workstation Player and Fusion Player. They are no longer available for purchase, and existing customers can upgrade to the more feature-packed Pro version without any cost. However, VMware Player will remain bundled with Workstation Pro.
Existing customers with commercial licenses for Fusion Player 13 and Workstation Player 17 can continue using the products without any changes. VMware recommends updating to Workstation Pro once those apps reach their end of life.
VMware says the new model helped reduce its product offerings down to just one SKU for those in need of a commercial license, eliminating over 40 different editions and making purchasing VMware"s virtualization software much easier.
To help users better understand changes, VMware published a small guide:
| Current Product | Going Forward |
|---|---|
| Workstation Player (personal) | Download and install the Workstation Pro personal use product. Workstation Player will continue to be bundled with Workstation Pro just as it is today. |
| Fusion Player (personal) | Update to Fusion 13.5.2 and delete your license key file. This will remove the ‘Player’ functionality limitation and unlock the “Pro for Personal Use” functionality without needing any additional keys. Here is a KB describing what to do: http://kb.vmware.com/s/article/97817 |
| Fusion Player 13 and Workstation Player 17 (commercial license) | Player Products will continue to function, no new license keys are required. Products will continue to be supported for existing customers in alignment with their existing End of Life and End of General Support dates (for more information visit here) Recommended upgrade to Pro products going forward for continued support and product enhancements. |
You can learn more in a post on the official VMware blog.