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VMware Fusion Pro vs VMware Workstation vs Workspace ONE UEM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) category, the mindshare of VMware Fusion Pro is 10.1%, down from 25.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware Workstation is 11.2%, down from 17.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Workspace ONE UEM is 2.6%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware Workstation11.2%
VMware Fusion Pro10.1%
Workspace ONE UEM2.6%
Other76.1%
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
 

Featured Reviews

Bruce Lundberg - PeerSpot reviewer
Linux HPC Systems Administrator at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Create custom virtual environments quickly with minor macOS integration issues
The primary advantage of VMware Fusion Pro is its simplicity in creating custom virtual machines. It allows quick construction and provides connectivity to full VMware server systems, enabling remote management. It facilitates downloading images from main VMware servers for local testing. The ability to construct a virtual environment on my laptop meets my needs, even ones I wasn't aware of.
GC
Director of IT at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Creating and destroying test machines has simplified our operations and reduced manual recovery time
The Snapshot feature has helped with workflows by allowing us to more easily reconstruct something if we lose it or need it. We've been making Snapshots on a consistent basis, mainly of servers. The VX Rail has worked effectively because we can create machines as we need them. It's helpful for resetting and has helped with our operations because I had set up failover servers on Vertex, but we don't have to do that anymore since VMware will just create a new machine immediately if we have a problem. We're doing our domain servers on there, and we've been very happy with that. We appreciate that we can create machines simply to test things out and then destroy them. I use it for a test machine for checking emails, so if the email has a virus in it, we can just destroy the machine and create a new one. We're slowly moving into the VMware environment, although the pricing with Broadcom has been a disaster.
Vishal Bhatia - PeerSpot reviewer
Trainer/Consultant at Koenig Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Effective product tracking and monitoring enhances daily operations despite needing documentation improvement
The documentation part of Workspace ONE UEM can be confusing. The documentation is not comprehensive compared to other VMware solutions or Microsoft documentation. Most people struggle to connect the dots when looking at the documentation. Even the training material and PowerPoint slide decks that trainers use are sometimes too confusing or overwhelming, with too much content but not enough clarity. The support side has recently become weaker compared to what it used to be with VMware. This is another area that needs improvement. Since working with Workspace ONE UEM from when it was AirWatch, it has improved significantly over the last five years. However, there are still some gray areas and scope for improvement, especially in documentation and workflow between different aspects of the solution.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most value that it provides is that it is versatile."
"Veeam Backup and Replication is the common product for backing up virtual machines."
"The most value that it provides is that it is versatile."
"The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface."
"VMware Fusion Pro offers simplicity of use and stability."
"It is a highly stable solution."
"For me, VMware Fusion Pro has been invaluable, allowing me to meet all my needs with a single system."
"My advice right now would be to download it for free and use that instead of a VirtualBox or some of the other free stuff because it is more flexible than other solutions."
"I haven't faced any inconveniences working with this solution. It is very easy to use."
"The product is stable, very easy to deploy, easy to use, easy to configure, and easy to set up."
"VMware Workstation is great for migrating and patching operating systems."
"The product works well."
"Users can deploy the test machines or the VM machines on their own system and do the testing part, setting up their own lab or own test setup on their system and doing what they need."
"For all the interface customers, VMware is a one-stop solution for all the virtualization needs."
"VMware Workstation keeps working and it makes my day every time I have to use it because it starts, it runs, and it makes my life easier."
"This product is solid and useful for quick test/dev environments."
"There are various MDM vendors, and I've used at least five of them, and the reason I prefer AirWatch is simply because it helps me to think more in terms of a future perspective and has given me the right tools for my enterprise."
"It's all about centralizing your data and making sure that your data is centralized and secure."
"VMware Workspace ONE has been stable so far."
"We've configured single sign-on for two or three enterprise customers, and it works very well."
"The solution includes support for remote work. It also features identity management. This setup supports our users remotely by providing default monitoring and tunneling into our environment, eliminating the need for additional VPN software to access backend applications and staff resources."
"Sometimes, we face an issue and raise a ticket. The technical support team is fantastic and resolves the issue."
"We find it to be reliable."
"VMware is the better solution versus other things that are out there."
 

Cons

"Its installation process could be simpler."
"Fusion is not meant to be scalable. It runs on desktops and laptops, indicating limitations in scalability."
"VMware Fusion's licensing cost needs improvement."
"I would like to see newer and updated cloud functions."
"The only issue I've experienced with VMware Fusion Pro is that it doesn't register correctly with the main macOS system, causing repeated notifications about background installations. This is a minor inconvenience."
"The backups for the VMs themselves can also be improved. I pretty much have to rely on Windows backups and not something on VMware."
"The only issue I've experienced with VMware Fusion Pro is that it doesn't register correctly with the main macOS system, causing repeated notifications about background installations."
"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."
"The product’s virtual machine data backup feature needs upgrading."
"The support can be improved."
"I need to buy a newer version of the tool to support Windows Server."
"For our needs, the issue is that there is no way to take an existing system out of the testing environment, clone it with everything that it's currently set up on, and put it into production without having to create a whole new one."
"The solution can be expensive."
"The solution freezes sometimes."
"If you have a big environment with thousands of servers, VMware Player can have problems, and migrations can be extremely slow."
"VMware Workstation has some network limitations which could improve, it is not as flexible as VMware NSX."
"We have experienced some connectivity issues in that the application in VMware is very slow compared to SecureX."
"I think the product could be improved by making it more independent; for now, it's very dependent on an active directory so that you could basically tie into us for A, B or some other IDP that they provide."
"The documentation is not comprehensive compared to other VMware solutions or Microsoft documentation."
"The pricing could always be better."
"The accuracy of the management function has room for improvement. It's important to us because sometimes we send a profile to the machine and it's pending but doesn't reach."
"It's a costly product. It would help if they could offer it at a discount."
"Setup is not too complex."
"We have a lot of problems when it comes to integrating with Active Directory."
 

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 pricing is reasonable."
"The cost differs depending on the customer's requirement."
"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."
"VMware Workstation has a high price than competitors in the market."
"VMware Workstation is an expensive tool. I rate the product's price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low or good price."
"The solution is moderately priced. I rate the pricing a six out of ten."
"Licensing costs are paid on a yearly basis."
"VMware Workstation is an expensive solution in Asian countries."
"The solution is about $45 per device for a 12 month subscription. The price is standard across the world."
"In terms of pricing, this solution is definitely much more expensive compared to other solutions, like MobileIron or MaaS360 or any other product in the market. This solution is more expensive by 30 or 40 percent."
"We pay approximately thirty to thirty-five euros per device per month for the complete suite, and this is a fixed cost with one, three, or five-year licensing in advance. I would rate the pricing a four out of ten, making it affordable."
"It is quite expensive, but I think large companies have agreements with these organizations that provide remote monitoring for phones, and they get massive discounts. The public price does not reflect what they pay. You won't get the same pricing if you're buying for 10 employees versus 1,000 employees. On the public price, you get perhaps a 10% discount, but if you're buying 1,000, the discount could be really massive, especially if you signed a contract for a number of years."
"VMware Workspace ONE is expensive."
"For big users, it's around $500."
"There is a separate cost for technical support and extra premium features. The pricing should be simplified."
"I have no opinion about the pricing of the product."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
16%
University
12%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
12%
University
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business32
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise58
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware Fusion?
The pricing of VMware Fusion Pro is reasonable. The licensing covers all minor version updates, while major updates r...
What needs improvement with VMware Fusion?
In future updates of VMware Fusion Pro, I think there should be another community to input features. It is an infrast...
What is your primary use case for VMware Fusion?
My specialty is about IBM AS/400 applications, so I got to be in contact with several packages, including LX, which i...
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 ...
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.
How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial...
What do you like most about VMware Workspace ONE?
The platform provides a stable environment for operations and quickly creates new environments. Additionally, it offe...
 

Also Known As

No data available
No data available
VMware Workspace ONE, VMware AirWatch, Workspace ONE Assist, VMware Identity Manager, Workspace ONE Access, VMware Horizon Air
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NetApp
Akademiska Hus
Australian Sports Commission, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Lomond School, Merck, United Bank, Medical College of Wisconsin, Latymer Upper School, 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, Dowling Aaron Inc., Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Harrogate Grammar School, Duke University Football, Delta Air Lines, Adventist Health System, Giochi Preziosi, Cramlington Learning Village, Intermountain Healthcare, Safexpress, TAG Aviation
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix, Broadcom, Omnissa and others in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). Updated: April 2026.
886,719 professionals have used our research since 2012.