Broadcom Unleashes a Big Move: VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro Now Completely Free for Personal Use
Brook.X
Since Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, there have been numerous negative reports. However, in a surprising move, Broadcom has announced that VMware Workstation Pro and VMware Fusion Pro are now completely free for personal users, eliminating the need for license activation.
As Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro are already free for personal users, there is no need to continue maintaining Workstation Player and Fusion Player, which will cease development.
Commercial users still need to purchase a license to use the products. Today, Broadcom released new versions of Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro, allowing users to check their license status after upgrading.
When installing or updating, personal users can select "Personal Use" and skip entering a license key, while commercial users can purchase a license and enter it in the activation window.
The only minor inconvenience is that Broadcom no longer provides public download links for Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro. Users need to register and log in to their Broadcom account to download the installation program.
Commercial Version Switches to Subscription Model
Another key point to note is that Broadcom has packaged VMware desktop products into a single SKU, VMware Desktop Hypervisor, which adopts a subscription model priced at $120 per year.
This means that enterprises will need to subscribe to use VMware desktop products, which includes Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro. The license is calculated per device, requiring a separate license for each device.
New Version Downloads
BobPony has provided download links for Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of VMware Desktop products, so you can download them even without a Broadcom account.
VMware Workstation Pro 17.5.2 for Windows:
https://dl.bobpony.com/software/vmware/workstation/VMware-workstation-full-17.5.2-23775571.zip
VMware Fusion Pro 13.5.2 for Mac:
https://dl.bobpony.com/software/vmware/fusion/VMware-Fusion-13.5.2-23775688_universal.dmg
VMware Workstation Pro 17.5.2 for Linux:
https://dl.bobpony.com/software/vmware/workstation/linux/VMware-Workstation-Full-17.5.2-23775571.x86_64.bundle
