Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

VMware Fusion Pro vs VMware Workstation comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 6, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

VMware Fusion Pro
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
4th
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
VMware Workstation
Ranking in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Number of Reviews
54
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2024, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of VMware Fusion Pro is 21.3%, up from 13.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Workstation is 16.7%, up from 13.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

Amit Negi - PeerSpot reviewer
May 29, 2023
Robust software with efficient snapshot and cloning features
The solution helps us install multiple operating systems on a single machine The solution's snapshot feature best captures the machine's current state. Also, its cloning feature allows us to create clones of a single virtual machine. Both features help us with machine backup. The solution is…
CH
Jul 11, 2024
Helps minimize noise and clutter in common office spaces
When setting up VMware, you have to install the software and virtual machines. The speed of the underlying hardware affects how long the setup takes. Typically, the team creates one configuration and then duplicates it across as many virtual machines as needed. Each virtual machine setup takes about ten minutes, but the initial configuration can take a few hours to tweak and ensure everything is working properly, including network addresses. Aside from a few manual changes after each copy, it's straightforward. It's less complicated than keeping your Windows machine at home up to date. You can deploy updates in bulk to all the virtual machines overnight from a single location without anyone needing to intervene. This ensures everyone is on the same version with the same patches, which brings a lot of consistency.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It is a highly stable solution."
"The most value that it provides is that it is versatile."
"The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface."
"The whole point of it is to run Windows VMs on a Mac. This is the most valuable feature. There is snapshotting, but we don't really use that. The Pro version allows me to actually attach to the Windows ESXi infrastructure at the backend, and I'm able to create a session that I can attach to the VMware hooks at the backend, so one is running a VM, and the whole operating system is running on the actual Mac. The other one is literally a frontend to the VMs that are running in the infrastructure at the backend. These are the two main features I use."
"The most valuable features of VMware Workstation are the DirectX support, you can run Microsoft Hyper-V in virtual environments which is good for me to test different installations. Additionally, you can set up different VLANs, and overall it is a complete solution."
"VMware Workstation’s most valuable feature is virtualization technology."
"VMware Workstation allows multiple operating systems in the same physical machine."
"The technical support is good."
"The simplicity of the deployment and the implementation, and the footprint for the hardware are some of the solution's valuable features."
"We are able to simultaneously run multiple operating systems in a single machine and have virtually no performance hit."
"I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"The product works well."
 

Cons

"The way they handle snapshotting can be improved. One time, I moved a machine from one to another, and I tried to pull it up on the second machine, but it didn't work. This was because I had not cleaned up the snapshot before I deleted it and moved it across. So, when I tried to pull it up, it wouldn't let me bring it up. The backups for the VMs themselves can also be improved. I pretty much have to rely on Windows backups and not something on VMware. That's where it needs improvement. I am able to upload from my Fusion into the ESXi easily. I'm able to spin something up on Fusion and push it into the big arena, but the reverse is not as easy, that is, trying to pull something down from that. I would love to have a functionality where I could pull something from the VMware infrastructure into Fusion, but I'm not sure if I can take something from ESXi and pull it into Fusion."
"Its installation process could be simpler."
"I would like to see newer and updated cloud functions."
"VMware Fusion's licensing cost needs improvement."
"They could add more integration between them, and compatibility with the standard virtualization format."
"When you go to work on a server, it opens up the whole window, and that causes an error inside VMware Player."
"I have had issues with the virtual network adapters in the past that has taken some time to troubleshoot."
"The interface is a little wonky and needs to be improved."
"VMware Player should provide a cloud version with no limitations to hardware resources."
"It could have more platforms and CPUs."
"VMware Workstation has some network limitations which could improve, it is not as flexible as VMware NSX. Additionally, it could support operating systems better. I only run some Linux versions and Windows at the moment but it would be nice to be able to take whatever operating system you want and run it."
"The product could provide the features available in Microsoft Hyper-V."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Starting with version 12, it is now free on a Mac for personal use. Fusion Pro has a cost."
"The cost varies depending on the season and whether it is scaled up or scaled down, but I would guess that it's approximately $1,000 per month."
"I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced."
"The price of the solution per workstation is approximately 200 Francs annually. We pay a total of 800 francs. Everything is included in the price such as the support."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"It has the best licensing modules."
"With a VDI solution, there is always extra cost running a VDI solution but it's not for cost purposes anymore. In the beginning, it was to save money on hardware but at the moment it's other aspects that are more important why you should use a VDI solution."
"The licensing costs are cheap. I pay approximately $100 per year."
"The tool is not the cheapest."
"The solution is moderately priced. I rate the pricing a six out of ten."
"VMware is expensive. Licensing can be tricky. For example, I recently had a client running VMware vSphere Essentials and wanted to migrate to a more scalable solution. However, they had no choice but to purchase a completely new license and deploy a completely new instance of VMware."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions are best for your needs.
801,314 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
University
12%
Educational Organization
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about VMware Fusion?
The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Fusion?
I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced.
What needs improvement with VMware Fusion?
The solution could be a little more stable.
Which VMware solution would you go with - Workstation or vSphere?
VM Workstation’s setup is so easy, you can use it almost instantly, it works well with Windows and Linux. We like VM Workstation primarily to test environments to determine how well a solution will...
What do you like most about VMware Workstation?
The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up.
What needs improvement with VMware Workstation?
The product's integration capabilities are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required.
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NetApp
Akademiska Hus
Find out what your peers are saying about VMware Fusion Pro vs. VMware Workstation and other solutions. Updated: September 2024.
801,314 professionals have used our research since 2012.