VMware Workstation Pro Now Free for All Users Even Businesses

VMware certainly made news yesterday with the announcement that VMware Workstation Pro is now free for all users even businesses and organizations. If you remember, in May of this year, they made the announcement that VMware Workstation Pro would be free for personal use. Let’s talk about this announcement in more detail.

What’s the Real Motivation?

If we are reading between the lines, what is Broadcom’s deeper strategy with the announcement? One positive thing is that whatever motivation, free software is free software. I have always thought VMware Workstation was the undisputed king of desktop virtualization, even with client Hyper-V. Now with Workstation free, there is no real argument about client Hyper-V since many users run Home edition of Windows and Hyper-V is only available with Pro and higher.

I’m wondering too, now that ESXi free version is no longer available, is Broadcom looking at this as a way to gain loyalty from developers, students, and other enthusiasts with the free software offering. This will make it easier for educational institutions to use the solution as well in their curriculums and classroom settings. Is this part of Broadcom’s strategy? I am just not sure, but one could speculate that may be part of the idea that is behind the free software offering.

What’s Missing in the Fine Print?

One notable change outlined in the fine print is the shift in support for VMware Workstation. Once customers’ contracts expire, they will no longer have access to support ticketing, as VMware Workstation is transitioning away from being a paid product with dedicated support. This could be a significant drawback for organizations that rely heavily on VMware Workstation for development environments and other tasks.

VMware is transitioning the solution to a model that emphasizes community support and comprehensive documentation, enabling users to find help through these channels. Overall, this move away from the traditional paid support model under Broadcom’s direction may offset costs by eliminating dedicated support resources for the product in the future.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you require a desktop hypervisor for virtualization in your business or other environments, VMware Workstation could be a game changer. It is a robust virtualization platform with several enterprise-level features, offering significant virtual performance for various needs. Organizations looking to create virtual environments for testing, development, or educational purposes stand to benefit greatly from this development.

However, businesses that have depended on VMware Workstation and Fusion for production and development workflows may find the product’s new support model less appealing, even with the elimination of cost. Community-driven support may not always address the more complex issues that enterprise support traditionally handles, potentially leading to challenges. This shift is likely to bring some turbulence in this space for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Veeam is expected to remain among the top contenders for third-party Proxmox backup solutions.

What about competitors?

It is likely to cause some to shift away from other free solutions that have been out there for years. Oracle VirtualBox has long been a favorite among tinkerers, educational institutions, and others due to the free nature of the product. Hyper-V has had the argument for many that it is just included in Windows (but with a Pro or higher license needed).

VMware’s Workstation now offers a comparable and, I think, much superior alternative to those longstanding solutions with really good integration capabilities for those who already use VMware’s broader suite, like vSphere.

Will this move signal Broadcom’s strategy to offer other products and solutions for free in lieu of the backlash, as mentioned, over license hikes across other solutions in the portfolio? Time will tell. I doubt that we will see ESXi free brought back any time soon, but with the mass exodus of VMware customers for other solutions like Nutanix, it makes me wonder on that point as well.

Wrapping up

Is this a turning point in Broadcom thinking or is it just a response to increasing pressure and outcry over licensing increases? Again, time will tell on that front, but the benefit and win for the community is access to what I think is the best desktop virtualization solution among the options available.

The removal of support for the product outside of community resources and documentation will likely be detrimental to a few customers who rely on paid support, but overall, I am hoping this won’t be as impactful as one might think.