VMware Fusion Pro Reviews

I use VMware Fusion Pro to build test machines and evaluate various software. As a system administrator, I constantly create machines to test updates and write scripts. It's instrumental for me to build a complete patching repository.

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.

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.

I've had about eight or nine years of experience with VMware Fusion Pro.

I've never had VMware Fusion Pro cause a crash. It has only quit twice unexpectedly, which indicates high stability.

With adequate RAM and disk space, it's possible to run up to seven virtual systems simultaneously on a laptop. This demonstrates good scalability.

I haven't needed direct customer support as I can rely on forums and my sysadmin expertise to resolve any issues.

Positive

I've tried Oracle Fusion, Zen, KVM, and UTM. These solutions generally require more setup time, but I have used them effectively in various settings.

The initial setup of VMware Fusion Pro takes about five minutes or less. However, a minor issue arises when it doesn't register itself properly with macOS.

For me, VMware Fusion Pro has been invaluable, allowing me to meet all my needs with a single system. This eliminates the need for additional hardware purchases.

The pricing of VMware Fusion Pro is reasonable. The licensing covers all minor version updates, while major updates require payment every three years. Buying it once can sustain you for years without needing to upgrade.

I've used KVM, Zen, Oracle Fusion, and UTM. KVM was used exclusively in one job with twenty to thirty systems running.

I would recommend VMware Fusion Pro to others. For its cost, it offers great value unless one has ample time for open-source alternatives. 

I would rate VMware Fusion Pro about a nine on a scale of one to ten.

I'm mostly interested in ERP packages; LX is an ERP package, so I used to work with XA and LX and some other legacy applications called Wings. My interest is always about ERP packages running on the IBM AS/400, and the tools that you are mentioning here are related to some document formatting or document archiving on the IBM AS/400.

The other solutions I am working with here are related to infrastructure, such as VMware and Veeam, which is mandatory for any environment.

I have worked with VMware Fusion Pro as a virtual desktop infrastructure.

It is an on-premises solution for VMware Fusion Pro. For on-premises VMware Fusion Pro, it is the legacy approach; it is straightforward, but because the on-premises has limited reliability or limited redundancy.

I spent a maximum of two days on deployment, setup, and configuration. Most of the deployments we had were around one to two days, full days with a downtime.

One of the problems with VMware Fusion Pro is limited redundancy; it is related to the infrastructure and the nature of the on-premises because on-premises you cannot have enough reliability since you have to fund all the resources on your own. But for the cloud, you pay a portion of the full infrastructure cost.

Neutral

I didn't interact with VMware Fusion Pro's support for DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1.

I have not employed VMware Fusion Pro's network segmentation and custom configurations for virtual network testing; it was a little bit advanced for me.

We didn't have that need with VMware Fusion Pro, so I didn't try integration with third-party tools.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate VMware Fusion Pro an 8.

I use VMware Fusion to do virtualization for another product called Cisco Modeling Labs. To install that, I needed a hypervisor, a solution that can virtualize, and that's why I use VMware Fusion.

The most important feature of VMware Fusion is that it helps me rapidly launch a new OS. I can simulate the network from my machine, which allows us to test labs using VMware Fusion.

VMware Fusion is good, especially for the graphical user interface. However, it would be beneficial to have a more developed command line interface to deploy solutions. This would allow scripting for launching specific Virtual Machines. Additionally, enhancing the API interactions could improve the ability to manage VS and deploy various kinds of guests.

I have used Fusion for about four or five years.

VMware Fusion seems stable and quite reliable.

I use VMware Fusion only for myself, not for enterprise deployment, so I cannot provide insights on its scalability.

Customer support is good, especially when you pay for the license. I would rate it a nine.

Positive

Before VMware Fusion, I used virtualization solutions on Linux systems, which was primarily oriented toward single machines. I use VMware Fusion because Cisco Modeling Labs require VMware OS. Otherwise, I would likely use other tools like VirtualBox.

The initial setup of VMware Fusion was straightforward and easy, especially because now you just download the image and run it on a Mac.

The pricing for VMware Fusion was reasonable and not very expensive. The licensing costs were for a year or two, and although there are free alternatives, VMware Fusion offers value for the money.

VirtualBox and other Linux system virtualization solutions were evaluated.

VMware Fusion is a good fit for individual users and enterprise users who are willing to pay for a license. There are free alternatives like VirtualBox for those who need basic functionality without a license requirement.

We use VMware Fusion Pro and VMware Workstation on our desktops and laptops. Our employees, particularly developers, use it on their Macs and PCs.

It saves us from needing to use separate PCs, leading to significant cost savings on hardware and improved flexibility, especially for testing and product demonstrations.

VMware Fusion Pro offers simplicity of use and stability. It is a stable product that allows operation in different setups and includes connectivity to infrastructure. It fulfills all my requirements. It has proved to be a valuable solution by offering significant cost savings.

Fusion is not meant to be scalable as it runs on desktops and laptops. For scalability, ESXi is the right solution.

The solution is stable and offers the expected stability.

Fusion is not meant to be scalable. It runs on desktops and laptops, indicating limitations in scalability.

The savings allow us to earn back the investment in around six months.

If VMware Fusion Pro fits your requirements, it can lead to significant savings.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

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 quite heavy in terms of resources like RAM and CPU. They should minimize the number of resources. Also, the installation process could be simpler for end users to understand. 

They should make it compatible with Windows and Linux. Presently, it works well only with Mac systems. In addition, they should enhance essential security features.

We have been using the solution for two years.

It is a highly stable solution. I rate its stability a nine.

Our organization has 50 solution users, including software developers and IT managers. It is highly scalable. I rate its scalability a nine.

The solution's technical support team should understand the criticality of the issue and respond faster accordingly.

Neutral

It takes ten minutes to deploy the solution. We need to download the software, buy a license and install it on our systems.

We implemented the solution with the help of our in-house team, including the IT manager, system administrator, and support executive.

I rate the solution as an eight. It is a robust and stable software if you want to deploy it on Mac infrastructure.

The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.

VMware Fusion's licensing cost needs improvement.

I have been using VMware Fusion for two months.

The product has high stability.

The initial setup is easy. I rate the process a ten out of ten.

I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced.

VMware Fusion works stable for virtualization on a desktop. I rate it a ten out of ten.

We use VMware Fusion for networking servers, virtual servers, supporting internet web pages, and general virtual machine maintenance.

The most value that it provides is that it is versatile. It is easy to use.

I haven't run into anything that has caused me any problems. For the time being, it runs pretty well.

Updates are timely.

I would like to see newer and updated cloud functions.

I have been working with VMware Fusion for one year.

We are using the most recent version.

VMware Fusion is very stable.

VMware Fusion scales well.

In our company, we have 25 users. Their roles vary from IT, techs, analysts, cyber security specialists, coders, and cyber security analysts.

Technical support is quick to respond.

VMware Fusion is simple to deploy and easy to maintain.

We usually require one or two people to maintain this solution. It is easily maintained.

We don't have any issues with the pricing.

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 would recommend that they be familiar with a Windows server and Linux.

I would rate VMware Fusion a ten out of ten.

We're on Windows VM. We use it to run Windows machines on Mac. We are using the latest version.

It allows us to use pieces of equipment other than the Mac equipment in order to do our job. There are certain things that I can do on a Mac that I can't do on a Windows PC. I am able to support many Mac users with it.

I used to use a Windows desktop, and now I use a Mac desktop with a Windows VM on it. I like to have a backup. When I shut something down, and as long as I remember to get rid of the snapshots first, I can copy it and run it anywhere, which is not possible on a pure Windows desktop. You have to back it up or clone it. If I shut down the Windows VM and make a clone of the disk on the Mac, I can go somewhere else. I'll just boot the Mac from that. I've been able to do stuff that used to be on my desktop at work. When the hard drive failed on that, I'd already made a clone on it, so I was able to boot up under the Mac. It is not a capability of VMware Fusion. It is the capability of the Mac and the Mac OS. However, because I use VMware Fusion to run the Windows OS inside the Mac OS, I survived a hard drive crash. I was able to just go over to Mac and have an SSD on the outside using a Thunderbolt cable. I could just write to that disk. When I was done, I shut it down and brought it into work. I had the exact same desktop back and forth.

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 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. 

I have been using this solution for more than 12 years. It was version 3 when I started to use it. I use it on a daily basis both at home and professionally.

It is pretty rock solid.

It is scalable. We get a new Mac, we put it on there, and it is done. 

When I have an issue, they're very good.

I've used Parallels before. We switched to VM Fusion because it is a part of the whole VMware infrastructure. If I added something in Parallels, I have to convert it to go over. 

It is pretty much straightforward if you've got a single user on the box. If you have got more than one user on the box, then it gets a bit complicated, but it is generally pretty easy and straightforward.

Starting with version 12, it is now free on a Mac for personal use. Fusion Pro has a cost. 

Apple is now going for its own chips. They are not going to use Intel chips anymore, and right now, both Parallels and Fusion aren't ready to do that because that chip is an ARM thing, so they can't do Windows on the new Mac mini M1s till they get that straightened out. If you have got an Intel Mac, you're good. 

My advice right now would be to download it for free. Use that instead of a VirtualBox or some of the other free stuff because it is more flexible than other solutions. There is support. There are tons of message boards and a lot of stuff out there about this solution.

I would rate VMware Fusion an eight out of ten.

We use the solution for testing on my Apple laptop.

Fusion is the leading product for workstation knowledge. 

The solution could be a little more stable.

I have been using VMware Fusion for five to six years.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

Fusion is a desktop product. It will scale according to the hardware of the laptop or desktop.

I have used Oracle VM VirtualBox.

The initial setup is straightforward and takes five minutes to complete.

There is a package downloader that gets deployed on your laptop itself.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.