VMware Workstation Reviews

I have a bunch of VMware servers set up, including our domain servers, our data servers, and some test machines on VMware.

We're not really using VMware Workstation as workstations. We've got a couple of workstations on there, but typically we use them more as test machines to test some things we're doing. Then we just destroy them, and most of our workstations here are Dell. They're all Dell; we use Dell workstations, either all-in-ones, Precisions, or whatever.

We're really using VMware Workstation in very simple situations, such as when someone needs it for one application, and we just connect to it for that one application. We don't use it for production; for instance, our accounting firm wants to get banking information, so we set up a connection for them to get their banking information from one of the VMware Workstations.

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.

Here's what happened with us regarding the prices for VMware Workstation: we purchased everything through Dell, and as is common, we got busy and didn't get everything activated. By the time we tried to activate some of the VMware, Dell had sold VMware to Broadcom, which made it a mess. Eventually, we had to get some licenses with Broadcom, and all the costs went up dramatically to the point where if I had it to do over again, I might have made a different decision. But we're with VMware now, and Broadcom just dramatically increased all prices.

I have about three years of experience with VMware products now.

I find their support or customer service pathetic. We haven't really needed their services on VMware, but we needed their services on the licensing, and they didn't do anything. On a scale of one to 10, I would rate their support or customer service a two or three since they never did anything.

Neutral

The initial setup for VMware Workstation was very straightforward; I had no problem.

We have VLANs configured on VMware, but we don't do it on there per se since it's connected to our network. We do our VLANs mostly internally; actually they're all set up as trunks on VMware. The VLANs that we set up internally that are more specific are set up on our edge switches.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate VMware Workstation a nine.

On-premises

Other

We are using VMware Workstation very heavily. VMware Workstation is our main product we are using.We primarily use VMware Workstation mainly for development. We are developing for several customers and these products cannot be developed on the same machine. So, we have virtual machines to be able to have different development environments for our different customers. That's the way we use VMware Workstation.

Simply being able to run several Windows PCs with different development environments has had the largest impact on our operational efficiency. There's no special feature from VMware Workstation that influenced our decision. For quite some time, VMware Workstation was the most stable environment we could have. In recent times we noticed some disadvantages in reliability, so we are now also using VirtualBox besides VMware Workstation.

The problem we are facing with stability is that the network adapter causes crashes of the VM when we're using it for developing purposes. It's actually the Intel network adapter in VMware that causes machine crashes frequently.I would still recommend VMware Workstation to others. It's actually only unstable in the way we are using it. We are using the network in a very specific way, and this network adapter causes crashes in the VM.

We did not face any challenges while integrating Workstation into our environment. That's very smooth.

The problem we are facing with stability is that the network adapter causes crashes of the VM when we're using it for developing purposes. It's actually the Intel network adapter in VMware that causes machine crashes frequently.I would still recommend VMware Workstation to others. It's actually only unstable in the way we are using it. We are using the network in a very specific way, and this network adapter causes crashes in the VM.

We usually try to resolve issues by ourselves. I don't think I would get any support when I bring that up because it's a very special way of working with VMware Workstation. They would probably tell me that it's not guaranteed to work this way.

Positive

We initially intended to work with Hyper-V because we are selling a virtual appliance and thought our customers would want to run that on Hyper-V. Then we realized that everybody is still using ESXi. I don't know whether that has changed in the last few months because Broadcom has bought VMware, and I think there is a lot of movement there. Some of our customers are switching to open source solutions away from Broadcom. But not Hyper-V. None of our customers are actually using Hyper-V, so we currently have a Hyper-V installation. If ever a customer would want to see our appliance on Hyper-V, we are able to look into that, but currently we are not actively working with Hyper-V.I would rate VMware Workstation a nine.

I have experience with VMware Workstation from using it for my customers. It is not my own workstation, but it is used by my customers.

VMware Workstation works correctly and has more features compared to Oracle VirtualBox. It is good for emulating PC workstations and can be used for companies. It offers features beyond personal use and is more suitable for larger companies.

The network configuration was not as easy as it could be and could take less time. We faced challenges with backup due to limitations in the free version, requiring us to switch to a paid version. This is more of a company policy rather than a disadvantage.

I have been working with VMware Workstation for about three to four years.

In terms of challenges faced with VMware Workstation, there were no significant problems that couldn't be solved.

VMware Workstation is scalable enough for larger companies, though it requires some skills. It has a good interface.

VMware's technical support is not bad. The documents provided for Workstation were not hard to understand, and I could access the necessary information from the internet rather than relying solely on their support center.

Neutral

I compared VMware Workstation with Oracle VirtualBox, which I use personally. VirtualBox is geared more towards personal use, while VMware offers more features for companies.

Pricing was accepted by my customers, so I did not experience any issues.

I compared VMware Workstation with Oracle VirtualBox.

I would recommend VMware Workstation. 

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate VMware Workstation a seven.

Currently, we are creating storage, and we are using multiple machines. We use the solution for production purposes, and we are creating Linux and Windows machines.

VMware has included graphical uses and many features in VMware Workstation. VMware Workstation is easy to manage and understand.

It would be helpful if VMware Workstation included an in-built monitoring tool for monitoring things.

I have been using VMware Workstation for four years.

VMware Workstation has good stability.

Around 100 to 150 users use VMware Workstation in our organization. We have created more than 400 to 500 VMware Workstation machines.

We seek the technical support team's help during data migration, VM machine migration, testing new hardware, creating a new VMware Workstation, and migrating our old VMs to new machines.

Neutral

Installing VMware Workstation at the start will be a little bit difficult. However, it will be easy once we install the solution several times. We should have a correct action plan for installation and what we need to install. The solution's installation totally depends on our infrastructure.

The solution’s pricing is moderate.

VMware Workstation makes it easy to manage all the resources that we are handling. VMware Workstation has reduced our infrastructure cost. If someone wants machines, I can create them easily using the solution.

VMware Workstation is easier to manage than other workstations like Oracle Workstation. VMware Workstation is an easy-to-manage solution, and its support is really good compared to other market players.

Overall, I rate VMware Workstation an eight out of ten.

Private Cloud

It helps minimize noise and clutter in common office spaces. The virtual machines run on separate machines or servers, often located away from the office environment. Much of what we do is through PC-over-IP, which reduces the need for local hardware and streamline management. It simplifies bulk configurations, makes it easier to track updates, apply patches, and handle routine maintenance tasks like installing antivirus software.

It keeps the noise out of common office spaces because all the virtual machines run on racks away from everything else. A lot of what we do in the office is PC over IP, so this setup reduces noise and makes bulk configurations easier. It also simplifies tracking updates, applying patches, installing antivirus software, and handling routine maintenance tasks.

Having ten people working off a single piece of hardware reduces costs.

One improvement is mouse emulation. Some people in the office want to use a five—or seven-button mouse like they're used to at home, but they can't with the workstation setup. They want the flexibility to use the same type of mouse at work, but it's not supported.

I have been using VMware Workstation since 2015.

Since HP bought it, response times have slowed. Most smart people stayed, but they let them lose over time. This has caused longer response times, though the remaining staff is top-notch. 

Positive

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.

It is very cost-effective.

You can get a pre-bundled, pre-packaged, pre-configured virtual machine from a provider like Cisco. When you create the virtual machine, you specify the number of cores and the amount of memory, and the package handles the rest, setting up the Cisco infrastructure.

Since the most recent Windows update and with the PC over IP solution we use, we've been experiencing occasional conflicts with workstation cards that connect to the remote desktops. These random crashes, which started in the last three months, are unrecoverable, and we have to reboot the entire base hardware.

It's clean and stable.

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

On-premises

I mainly use this platform for labs. So, I work with several different clients that have several different apps. And if they use VMware, it's a really good place for me to go and spin up a quick sandbox where I can test certain things for them. So that's my main use case.

If customers are leveraging a certain vendor product, I can usually get a virtualized version of that product, and I spin it up in my lab. Then I can do some testing, I can run through run books on how to do certain backups, how certain configurations will affect workflows, and things like that. That's probably my highest use case.

VMware Workstation has tons of third-party support, the largest partner ecosystem. VMware works with a ton of different vendors. They have plugins for almost everything. Other hypervisors lack the flexibility that VMware Workstation offers. Hyper-V is extremely focused on the Microsoft ecosystem and has some plug-ins. Nutanix is even lower on that list, lacking compatibility or plug-ins with other third-party vendors. They don't have as large partner support and an ecosystem as VMware.

It would be great if VMware Workstation had more networking options and compatibility, that would be great. I would like to deploy virtual switches and play around with networking a bit more. Otherwise, I have to deploy ESXi Virtual Edition and emulate it, which is painful and clunky.

In future releases, if there could be a built-in tool in VMware Workstation that allows me to convert Hyper-VVMs directly to VMware VMs.

Another area of improvement is pricing. It could be a bit tricky to upgrade. So, there could be an improvement in the upgrade path from Standard to above.

I have been using VMware Workstation for ten years. We use Workstation 17. 

The stability of the solution is great. I have not had any customers with issues, apart from the day-zero incidents, which happened to everyone, whether you are Microsoft, VMware, or anyone else. Other than that, we have not experienced any major core stability issues.

My customers believe VMware is extremely scalable with 100s nodes and hosts.

I've never had to use VMware technical support, but overall, customers are very happy.

The initial setup is very easy.

It was worth it to pay the licensing fee to improve my job and be more efficient.

The solution is very expensive. 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.

So, there could be an improvement in the upgrade path from Standard to above.

VMware Workstation is a great tool for learning. Go for it 100%. It's worth your time, and it's a perpetual license, so you can keep using it forever. It's a great learning experience and a great tool.

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

Public Cloud

I use the product to create a virtual operating system for testing various tools. It allows me to test different tools.

Instead of relying on dual-boot operating systems, I can utilize open-source tools within my infrastructure. This approach allows me to create an in-house cloud platform suitable for testing. VMware Workstation enables me to perform tasks across various operating systems using a single device. It has helped me save time. 

I can allocate resources such as RAM and processor cores to each virtual operating system as needed. For instance, if my base machine has 16 gigabytes of memory, I can allocate 12 gigabytes to a virtual operating system. In terms of simplicity, it's easy to use and expandable. I can manage multiple servers on a single base machine. 

I prefer the snapshot rather than the cloning feature to create a recovery point for the operating system. 

The solution should provide a guide on its installation. 

I have been using the product for more than three years. 

I rate VMware Workstation's stability a ten out of ten. 

The product is very scalable. You can extend to operating systems that are of different specifications. My company has 30-35 employees. 

I haven't used the technical support yet. 

I've also used another tool called Oracle VirtualBox, a workstation for operating systems. However, instead of using Oracle VirtualBox, I recommend using VMware Workstation one hundred percent. The user interface is simple and not very complex, making it easy to use.

Installing an operating system can be complex, typically taking one to two hours, depending on the operating system installed in the VMware Workstation. You can deploy it using Windows IIS and create an in-house VPN. 

VMware Workstation's costs are lifetime. 

I rate the product a nine out of ten. It supports most of the industry's widely used flavors of operating systems. This is one of the main reasons we use VMware Workstation because it is easy to install if an operating system is supported in VMware. Otherwise, with other tools, it can get complex to install any operating system.

On-premises

My company uses VMware Workstation to create a test lab and to access our customers' VPN connections so that we can isolate working with customers from your own computer, making it more secure.

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that VMware Workstation is a proven technology in the market. One experiences less hassle when handling VMware Workstation, especially when compared with tools like Hyper-V and Oracle VM. With VMware's extension, working with USB devices and other products is much easier.

The price of VMware Workstation is an area of concern where improvements are needed.

The utilization is an area of concern in VMware Workstation. The utilization is an area where improvements are needed so that the CPU runs at 100 percent from the host. In some cases, if you copy a virtual machine, the tool offers very little resource for the virtual machine. The resource management of the product needs to improve.

I have been using VMware Workstation for nine years. I use VMware Workstation Pro. I am a system integrator and user of the product.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

The scalability of the solution is excellent. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

My company has around 50 users of the tool.

The product's initial setup phase was simple.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

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.

Against VMware Workstation, my company evaluated options like Microsoft Hyper-V and VirtualBox. My company chose VMware Workstation because of its good USB connections and other peripheral device connections.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

On-premises

We use VMware Player mostly to connect the server hosting the client. I use the solution more like a manager.

The most valuable feature of VMware Player is the ability to snapshot with or without memory.

When you go to work on a server, it opens up the whole window, and that causes an error inside VMware Player. You'll see it on your web front, and you'll be unable to change the resolution. You can't manage any of them without clicking on them.

I have worked with VMware Player for about three years.

VMware Player is a pretty stable solution. I haven't had any problems connecting the solution to a much older client appliance. It didn't have any issues with what it was supposed to do.

VMware Player's scalability works fine. You could potentially add as many users as you want on it, and I haven't had any issues adding multiple clients.

VMware Player's technical support is good. Overall, the technical support team gets back to you pretty quickly.

Positive

VMware Player's initial setup is straightforward. Once you install the solution, you can build your own local cluster or connect an external one.

VMware products are usually pricey. With all its support and ease of use, VMware Player's pricing is fair.

Overall, I rate VMware Player a nine out of ten.

We have prepared VMs for testing purposes. We have set up different configurations on different VMs to meet the configuration testing target.

We can undo some changes using the snapshot feature. We can also use the feature to create different configurations on a single VM. We can create separate snapshots of different configurations. We use the snapshot functionality to enhance our workflow. We can take a snapshot if we install an application and do patch testing. Once we complete the patch test, we need a fresh configuration again. The tool allows us to revert to the base snapshot. The product is easy to learn.

Currently, everybody is moving towards the cloud. I don’t think anyone will use VMware anymore. The product is outdated. If the tool moves to the cloud, I will use it.

I have been using the solution for around three years.

The tool’s stability is good.

Around 15 people are using the product in our organization.

The solution is deployed on the cloud. The installation was easy.

Our choice of products depends on our clients’ requirements. VMware is a good option if we need a set of configurations on a single machine. The tool performs well. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

Private Cloud