VMware has made Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro free for personal use, following the merger with Broadcom. The two products allow users to create virtual machines on their local computers to run different operating systems or create sandboxes for specific software. This move is intended to familiarize users with VMware technology and is often used for app development and testing.
VMware is now offering two licensing models for its Pro apps: a “free personal use” subscription or a “paid commercial use” subscription for organizations. The Pro apps are available for Windows, Linux, and Mac systems with Intel CPUs or Apple’s processors.
There are no functional differences between the free and paid versions of the products, except for a text display in the free version indicating it is licensed for personal use only. Customers who require a commercial subscription can purchase it through an authorized Broadcom Advantage partner.
The Pro products will make VMware‘s Workstation Player and Fusion Player products obsolete, as they now perform the same function. Organizations with existing commercial licenses for Fusion Player 13 or Workstation Player 17 can continue to use them with support until end of life.
Broadcom claims that this move simplifies licensing for VMware customers by reducing it to a single SKU for commercial use licenses. The company has partnered with Digital River as a reseller to support customers without existing business accounts, offering the VMware Desktop Hypervisor subscription for $120 per year.
There were previous concerns about Broadcom divesting or discontinuing VMware‘s desktop hypervisor products, as it did with its EUC remote desktop and app virtualization portfolio. However, VMware‘s desktop hypervisor products remain with the company following the merger.
Article Source
https://www.theregister.com/AMP/2024/05/14/vmware_workstation_pro_fusion_pro/