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VMware Workstation Player

VMware Workstation Player
Formerly VMware Player

Overview

What is VMware Workstation Player?

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…

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Recent Reviews

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VMware Player has been widely used in various scenarios, addressing software compatibility issues and ensuring operating system …
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VMware Workstation Player is solid

6 out of 10
March 29, 2022
I use VMware Workstation Player to run virtual machines on Windows or Linux PCs. I can easily run multiple operating systems as virtual …
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Pricing

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What is VMware Workstation Player?

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.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Product Demos

VMware - Virtual Machine,Virtualbox,Virtual,Vmware Workstation,Vmware player Part- 1

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Product Details

What is VMware Workstation Player?

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.

VMware Workstation Player Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(33)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

VMware Player has been widely used in various scenarios, addressing software compatibility issues and ensuring operating system compliance. Users have reported that the software has been particularly helpful for beginners as it serves as an introduction to virtualization. By using VMware Player, users can explore the concept of virtualization without the need to invest in a paid product.

The creation and maintenance of basic virtual machines can be easily done with VMware Player, making it suitable for beginners. It has been successfully utilized in running open-source and software-defined development projects, including open network operating systems and distributed architectures. The interface of VMware Player has been widely praised for its user-friendly nature, allowing users to run multiple operating systems simultaneously without the need for rebooting.

Additionally, users have found VMware Player to be a time-saving tool as it eliminates the requirement of directly installing operating systems on PCs. This makes it easier for users to switch between multiple operating systems effortlessly. VMware Player has also gained popularity in software testing and quality assurance, providing a sandbox environment for testing software installations and behavior.

With the ability to run virtual machines on both Windows and Linux PCs, VMware Player offers flexibility and convenience to users. It has been described as a handy tool for managing and handling virtual machines on laptops and workstations without impacting production machines.

Furthermore, VMware Player serves as a software visualization tool, allowing users to run programs that are not installed on their machines but are emulated within the virtual machines. This feature has proven beneficial in various use cases where users require access to specific programs or applications without the need for direct installation.

Overall, VMware Player's user-friendly interface, compatibility features, and versatility make it a valuable tool for both beginners and experienced users alike in addressing software compatibility issues, exploring virtualization concepts, managing virtual machines efficiently, and facilitating software testing and development processes.

Easy to use: Many users have found VMware Player to be easy to use and beginner-friendly. They appreciate the intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate and operate the software.

Wide variety of operating systems supported: Reviewers have mentioned that they appreciate the fact that VMware Player supports a wide variety of operating systems. This allows them to create virtual machines of different OSes on different host machines, providing flexibility and convenience.

Seamless performance: Several users have praised VMware Player for its seamless performance. They mention that the program works smoothly with other applications, ensuring smooth performance even when running a virtual machine.

Limited functionality: Some users have mentioned that VMware Player has limited functionality compared to VMware Workstation, as it can only run a single virtual machine at a time and requires the user to be logged into the host machine. This limitation may not meet the needs of users who require simultaneous operation of multiple virtual machines or want to run VMs without logging in.

Steep learning curve: Several reviewers have commented that VMware Player requires higher technological knowledge than most users possess. This can make it challenging for less experienced users to fully utilize the software's features and navigate its interface effectively.

Lack of comprehensive documentation: Users have found the documentation provided for VMware Player to be lacking in robustness. Some reviewers expressed frustration with the insufficient guidance on various functionalities and troubleshooting common issues, making it difficult for them to find proper solutions independently.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

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Score 8 out of 10
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It is probably used more heavily in other groups (like for software testing and QA for example). In my case, I've used it mainly to run virtual machines that were built and shared. More specifically SAS University which is a free "light" version of SAS base. So I was using it as a form of software visualization tool where it allowed me to run a program that wasn't installed on my machine but rather "emulated". However, I know that this kind of tool and this one also, in particular, are very often used as sandboxes to test software installs and overall behavior.
You can install a piece of software on one of your virtual machines, do all sorts of testing and then if you must, restore the initial state at the click of a button.
  • Overall performance is great, the program feels light (and should be) when running a virtual machine.
  • The interface is really user friendly and you quickly get the hang of it.
  • Ability to go full screen is also really convenient but make sure to remember how to leave full screen!
  • Managing the VMs is not really handled (unless I used it wrong). If you have just a few VM available it's ok but keep in mind that you can't really regroup them. Using a naming convention is an easy way around the problem though.
  • I had occurrences where my VM was corrupted and the error message was mentioning the possibility of restoring the state but stating that it could corrupt the VM itself. I had to do it a couple of times over the last year and a half and never got any problems but this warning always scared the heck out of me. I wish VMware would be able to provide some more details on why this thing happens every once in a while and how to avoid it.
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.
  • For me the benefit was really high as I could use a solution that had a free educational version with VMware player. Without it, I would've needed to buy the SAS software itself which would have cost a few thousand dollars.
  • Although I have no details about the ROI, I know that software testing teams that use the software are saving a lot of money buy using virtual machines. It is obviously a great saving both in physical machine count but also in workstation lab sizes.
I haven't used VirtualBox a lot but I didn't find it as intuitive as VMware workstation. The later was much more simple for me to use. The Oracle tool is free however so it is definitely something to take into consideration.
Also, VirtualBox needs you to get some additional packages depending on what you want to create/run as a VM. No big deal but you might be doing some tweaking before actually being ready to go as to with VMware, it's already part of it.
Finally, and I'd rather mention that my memory is a bit fuzzy about that but, VirtualBox seemed a little less optimal when it comes to running VMs. If true, it might have been my type of usage. I did not have an extended experience with VirtualBox so you should definitely try it for yourself.
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.
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).
This is a standalone software so integration isn't really relevant. I only used it on Windows but never got any problem getting it installed and running. I expect that it is the same for the other supported OS.
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