TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    VMware Fusion

    Score7.4 out of 10
    N/AVmware Fusion is a virtual user session software built to run Windows applications on Macintosh to run any Windows applications.N/A

    VMware Workstation Pro

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AVMware Workstation Pro is virtualization software which allows running multiple x86-based operating systems on one PC. Users can run Windows, Linux and BSD virtual machines on a Windows or Linux desktop.N/A
    Pricing
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    Considered Both Products
    VMware by Broadcom
    Chose VMware Fusion
    VM Fusion is a leader. It has more functionality and capability for workstation virtualization application. Its unity view and resource management of virtual guests is far superior to any other Mac workstation virtualization applications on the market.
    Incentivized
    VMware by Broadcom
    Chose VMware Workstation Pro
    I have used just about every Virtual machine software on the market from Oracle Virtualbox, VMware Fusion, KVM for Linux, Microsoft Hyper-v, and the Google virtual machine software, and even though I love Virtualbox none of them come close to the ease of use and the quality of …
    Incentivized
    Chose VMware Workstation Pro
    VMware Workstation is ideal for small infrastructures and businesses, particularly for small-scale tasks, whereas VMware ESXi is well-suited for large production environments, multiple servers, and data centers.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Would buy again
    18 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    19 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    18 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    10 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    19 Answers
    Features
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    Server Virtualization
    Comparison of Server Virtualization features of VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation Pro
    Feature
    VMware Fusion
    -
    Ratings
    VMware Workstation Pro
    7.7
    29 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Virtual machine automated provisioning00 Ratings9.222 Ratings
    Management console00 Ratings6.524 Ratings
    Live virtual machine backup00 Ratings7.322 Ratings
    Live virtual machine migration00 Ratings6.021 Ratings
    Hypervisor-level security00 Ratings9.521 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    Small Businesses
    Parallels RAS
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Proxmox VE
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Parallels RAS
    Score9.6 out of 10
    VMware vSOM (discontinued)
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    VMware Workstation Player
    Score9.9 out of 10
    IBM PowerVM
    Score9.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (20 ratings)
    7.7
    (30 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    8.0
    (4 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    7.7
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    VMware FusionVMware Workstation Pro
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    I would not recommend using a VM as a complete replacement for your everyday driver, but I would recommend
    it for testing. One way that I use Workstation Pro is with testing GPO's. I can
    make a change to a user or computer GPO, take a snapshot, reboot the computer
    to pull the GPO, see if it worked. If it didn't, I revert to the last snapshot before the GPO was pulled, make some changes to the GPO again, and test on the test VM. The same style
    of testing can be used with creating and changing scripts for computer changes.
    We have a whole computer setup script that installs software and changes a ton
    of settings. On a VM you can test over and over to make sure the script runs
    how you want it to and revert if you didn't like the script outcome. Especially
    handy with software installs, so you don't have to wait for a program to
    uninstall and then edit the script and run the script again. Using snapshots save me so much time in testing!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • It provides a great remote access tool for accessing and managing servers in virtual environment. With the security risks surround remote desktop this provides a good alternative to do the same functions.
    • The app itself is very lightweight and easy to install/maintain.
    • Sandbox testing can be a time consuming thing to setup and do. Workstation makes this easy to create, use, and put away. This make you more willing to put new things in the sandbox and test them before production usage.
    • The cost of workstation is very affordable for the functionality that you get and you can try it for free before you buy it.
    • We use it to run apps that can be difficult to setup or conflict with other apps. We just spin this app VM up run it, and then shut it back down. The startup and shutdown is very quick.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • At the moment, it's incompatible with Microsoft's HyperVM, which is used in Docker and the Linux Subsystem on Windows 2 (WSL 2).
    • VMware shared files sometimes stop working and need to be reset.
    • 3D support is limited to Windows and only certain scenarios.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    It's a solid product, and if they make it compatible with HyperVM (WSL, Docker, etc.) it would be great
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    VMware by Broadcom
    I made an 8 because it's good in almost every aspect. As I said if you are on macos and you need both windows and linux I think is the best options out there. Otherwise if you need only windows there is a competitor that could be better for performance and integration.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    It is well documented since it is a long actor in the virtualization scene. Easy to use for most user cases. Pretty much not maintenance on the software besides the occasional software updates and/or compatibility issues from time to time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    I haven't had to call VMware Workstation support. The majority of the time, whenever I have a problem, I can perform an online search and find the answers I need. Online forums and users with similar situations are generally sufficient to answer any questions I have had, though, from previous experience at another company, their support is outstanding and responsive to circumstances. However, that is generally for a paid support contract and should be expected when you are paying for that support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    VMware by Broadcom
    This is a workstation application and no install insights are needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    VMware ESXi is more enterprise based whereas VMware Workstation offers capabilities at a lower cost and smaller scale. VMware Workstation Pro is also user friendly and easy to install. It can be utilized on a regular desktop system as the name implies. It helps with also demonstrations when needed to clients without having bulky hardware every time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    VMware by Broadcom
    • When updating multiple VM's, this is a much quicker option vs trying to either RDP to them or console using Vcenter
    • We are required to run a VM locally for certain tasks, and this has been the most effective way to use it
    • The ability to manage a VM without having to worry about the console freezing up helps with management
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots