The desktop hypervisor war reached a turning point in late 2024 when Broadcom made VMware Workstation Pro free for all users, including commercial use. By April 2026, that decision has reshaped the entire virtualization market: VMware Workstation 25H2 now ships as a no-cost download with USB 3.2 passthrough and Hardware Version 22, while Oracle VirtualBox 7.x continues its 18-year run as the dominant GPL-licensed alternative.
VMware vs VirtualBox 2026: 3x I/O Gap, Free Tier
