VMware Fusion vs. VMware Workstation Player

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Vmware Fusion is a virtual user session software built to run Windows applications on Macintosh to run any Windows applications.N/A
VMware Workstation Player
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
VMware Workstation 17 Player is a platform for running a single virtual machine on a Windows or Linux PC to deliver managed corporate desktops. Organizations can use Workstation Player to deliver managed corporate desktops, while students and educators use it for learning and training.N/A
Pricing
VMware FusionVMware Workstation Player
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
VMware FusionVMware Workstation Player
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
VMware FusionVMware Workstation Player
Considered Both Products
VMware Fusion

No answer on this topic

VMware Workstation Player
Chose VMware Workstation Player
Most of this is apples to oranges. VMware Horizon View allows for a cloud-based virtualization solution, whereas VMware Player is better suited for educational purposes (basic, local, etc.). VMware Fusion is nice, but I prefer Parallels when it comes to local virtualization on …
Chose VMware Workstation Player
Both free, VMware supports USB 3.0 while VirtualBox does not. VMware supports nested hardware-assisted virtualization while VirtualBox does not.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
VMware FusionVMware Workstation Player
Small Businesses
Parallels RAS
Parallels RAS
Score 8.7 out of 10
VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure
Score 9.0 out of 10
VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
Enterprises
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure
Score 9.0 out of 10
VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
VMware FusionVMware Workstation Player
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(19 ratings)
6.9
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(3 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(5 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
VMware FusionVMware Workstation Player
Likelihood to Recommend
VMware by Broadcom
Due to its perpetual licensing model, VMware Fusion is a great option for users whose needs do not change as much over time. It is also great for occasional-use scenarios such as testing and preparing code to run on newer platforms. Fusion is not really recommended for running graphics-intense applications as graphics acceleration in Fusion is fairly limited in both performance and API support. It has, however, come a very long way and offers near-native performance for many tasks.
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VMware by Broadcom
VMware will work great for the following test scenarios:
  • Testing windows updates on a system
  • Testing a new software or a new software version
  • Creating a sandbox to test options/features of an OS
  • Creating different VM to test a software on different OS without the need to have physical machines for all of them
You can also use it as a "player" only where you have that static VM that you run from time to time as with my use for SAS University. Whenever you need to use the software, you simply start that VM.
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Pros
VMware by Broadcom
  • Allows users to run Windows only applications on their Mac without switching devices.
  • Fusion is excellent for Windows image creation, and works exceptionally well on the Mac environment.
  • Assists a Mac user to virtualize Windows apps.
  • Excellent for installing Linux distros for penetration testing.
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VMware by Broadcom
  • VMware Player is easy to use.
  • VMware Player supports a wide variety operating systems.
  • Unity mode makes it easy for the end user to utilize needed legacy applications while maintaining their familiar Host OS desktop. It's seamless to the point where the end user doesn't know they're running applications from a VM.
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Cons
VMware by Broadcom
  • With OSX - 10.14.1 and the latest version of Fusion - 11.0.2 the user interface has taken a step back IMHO.
  • I would like to see price decrease.
  • Better remote host connection capabilities - remote server connections are available but connections are spotty.
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VMware by Broadcom
  • Would be nice to use more VMs at once, but this is basically trial software, so it's hard to fault them.
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Likelihood to Renew
VMware by Broadcom
For Apple workstations VMware Fusion is the virtualization software to use. No other application (free or paid) can do what Fusion can. The features and constant updates make Fusion an application that cant be beat.
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VMware by Broadcom
I give a rating of 8 because VMware Player has its use cases, for example it requires the host OS to be logged in, and the VMware Player application to be opened and the Guest VM started. Only one VM can run at a time. I'd give a 9/10 to VMware Workstation because you can run shared VMs at startup without logging in or starting the workstation application. and i'd give ESX a 10/10 because ESX is the leader in enterprise visualization.
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Usability
VMware by Broadcom
Sometimes the best surprise is no surprise and Fusion is just that. It's reliable and generally just works as expected every time (the only exception was running a boot camp install directly but that use-case scenario opens a can of worms due to how product activation works) The interface and settings are clean and simple and there is no hide and seek games to play.
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VMware by Broadcom
Great product. Its user-friendly GUI and overall performance are really the biggest strength of this tool. The reason why I don't give a higher note is because of the price. Although it's decent (starting at around $200 for a license), there is a good free alternative in VirtualBox. Not everyone values friendly GUI as something worth paying for. For people that are more tech-savvy, I would recommend looking into VirtualBox as they might actually like the model better (with downloadable add-ons and packages).
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Performance
VMware by Broadcom
No answers on this topic
VMware by Broadcom
Integration isn't really relevant here but I see this question more as an OS compatibility for the VM. They state that they support over 200 different OS versions. I honestly have never tried anything else other than Ubuntu and Windows myself but nonetheless, this is impressive. I have not hit any limitation in my use of this software in terms of limitation or conflicts with other software.
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Support Rating
VMware by Broadcom
I have never contacted VMware, but there is a lot of support online on message boards, forums, StackOverflow, YouTube tutorial videos, and the like. VMware has been around nine years longer than its leading competitor, VirtualBox, although both seem to have a good presence of online user communities who can help solve issues that come up.
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VMware by Broadcom
VMware support is very knowledgeable on their products, eveything from AirWatch to ESX clusters. VMware is easy to contact, they stay in touch and see the issue through to the end and a final resolution. They keep you up to date on your issue status and don't leave you waiting for answers.
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Implementation Rating
VMware by Broadcom
This is a workstation application and no install insights are needed.
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VMware by Broadcom
Installing the application was easily completed on the twenty computers that needed VMware Player. Once those 20 users were configured we copied our virtual machine template to the 20 users and turned on their newly provisioned virtual machines. We then configured unity mode so the user could easily work from within the virtual machine from their host desktop.
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Alternatives Considered
VMware by Broadcom
I've heard of other/competitive software but frankly once I tried VMware, I never looked back. There is absolutely nothing that I need that this product does not deliver. It's fast, effective and seems to be extremely durable and reliable. My only concern (and minor) might have to do with memory resources, but frankly it has not been an issue yet.
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VMware by Broadcom
Both free, VMware supports USB 3.0 while VirtualBox does not. VMware supports nested hardware-assisted virtualization while VirtualBox does not.
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Return on Investment
VMware by Broadcom
  • Users using a VM often don't need something as "fancy" as VMware Fusion, and instead can use a free option like Virtual Box, so we waste money on using an extra amount of VMware Fusion licenses.
  • Developers using and IT admins using VMware Fusion for testing saves us time and money. Simply, we know mistakes would take time and money to fix, but VMware is powerful, allows for proper and fast testing.
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VMware by Broadcom
  • A positive impact is that it require little to no funding to use.
  • Negative impact is that because it is free it can be hard to get support.
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