Tim Hardwick
VMware announced that its Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro virtualization software are now free for personal use. For those unfamiliar with Fusion, it is designed to allow Mac users to manage virtual machines running operating systems other than macOS, such as Windows 11.
The decision to make the software free was made by Broadcom, which acquired VMware in November 2023. In a blog post announcing the change, Broadcom said the move is part of a plan to simplify the company's efforts to bring VMware applications to market:
Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro will now have two licensing models. We now provide subscriptions for free personal or paid commercial use for our Pro apps. Users decide whether a commercial subscription is needed depending on their use case.
This means that regular users who want a virtual lab on their Mac, Windows, or Linux computer can do so for free by simply signing up and by downloading snippets from the new download portal located at support.broadcom.com.
Broadcom also said it has discontinued Workstation Player and Fusion Player, although existing customers can upgrade to a more feature-rich version Pro. version at no additional cost. However, VMware Player will remain bundled with Workstation Pro.
Broadcom said customers using Fusion and Workstation at work will still require a paid commercial subscription, which can be purchased through an authorized Broadcom Advantage partner. For more information, visit the VMware website.
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