Run multiple operating systems on Mac, Windows, or Linux. Build, test, and demo software with the world's leading desktop hypervisors.
Best for
Developers and IT professionals need to run multiple operating systems without maintaining separate hardware. VMware Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro provide production-grade virtualization on your desktop, using the same hypervisor technology that powers VMware vSphere in the data center.
Run hundreds of guest operating systems on a single machine without rebooting. Test your software on Windows, Linux, and macOS side by side.
Developers can build and validate cross-platform applications in isolated environments that mirror production configurations.
Run traditional virtual machines, OCI containers, and Kubernetes clusters on a single desktop. No separate container runtime or cloud account required.
This gives development teams a complete local environment for building and testing cloud-native applications with VM-level isolation.
Connect directly to vSphere and ESXi hosts from your desktop. Upload local VMs to your private cloud or pull down remote VMs for local testing.
Drag-and-drop VM migration between desktop and data center simplifies the path from development to production deployment.
Built on the same VMware hypervisor technology that powers vSphere. VMs created on your desktop are fully compatible with data center infrastructure.
Hardware-accelerated 3D graphics for running CAD applications, visual development tools, and graphics-intensive workloads inside virtual machines.
Run OCI containers and Kubernetes clusters alongside traditional VMs. Build and test containerized applications locally with full VM-level isolation and security.
Full IPv4 and IPv6 support with configurable virtual networks. Simulate network latency, packet loss, and bandwidth constraints for realistic testing scenarios.
Both Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro are now free for personal use. Commercial organizations need a paid license. Here is how the products compare across key capabilities.
Both Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro are now free for personal use. Organizations using them for commercial purposes need a paid commercial license.
This changed in 2024 when Broadcom made the personal-use tier free and discontinued the separate non-Pro editions. The free version includes the full Pro feature set.
Fusion Pro runs on macOS and supports both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Workstation Pro runs on Windows and Linux.
Both share the same core VMware hypervisor technology and support hundreds of guest operating systems, snapshots, clones, containers, and Kubernetes clusters. Workstation Pro adds VBS support and Hyper-V compatibility on Windows.
Yes. VMware Fusion Pro supports Windows 11 on Apple silicon Macs running the Arm version of Windows. It includes a built-in "Get Windows" feature that simplifies downloading and installing Windows without needing a separate ISO.
Performance on Apple silicon is strong for most productivity and development workloads.
Yes. Both products can connect directly to vSphere and ESXi hosts. You can upload local VMs to vSphere, power on and manage remote VMs, and use drag-and-drop migration between your desktop and private cloud infrastructure.
This makes them useful for IT teams that need a local development environment connected to their data center.
Yes. Both Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro support running OCI containers and Kubernetes clusters alongside traditional VMs.
This gives developers a local environment for building and testing containerized applications with full VM-level isolation, without needing a separate container runtime or cloud account.
VirtualizationWorks helps organizations evaluate VMware Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro for commercial use, understand licensing options, and plan enterprise deployments.
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