Alternatives to VMware Workstation
Pro desktop VMs, now free for personal use
VMware Workstation ranks #8 of 9 in Virtualization software, with an Alt Score of 68. It is proprietary, free and available on Windows and Linux. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
IT professionals, developers, and power users on Windows or Linux who need to run multiple operating systems on one physical machine for testing, development, or training; also used by hobbyists since it's now free for personal use.
Workstation Pro lets you create and run multiple virtual machines simultaneously on a single Windows or Linux PC, each with its own OS (Windows, Linux, and others) and isolated virtual hardware. It supports snapshots, cloning, encrypted VMs, and network configuration for testing multi-tier setups. It can connect to vSphere/ESXi hosts to manage remote VMs, and supports high-resolution displays, 3D graphics, and virtual TPM for OS compatibility.
You create a VM by allocating virtual CPU, memory, disk, and network resources, then install a guest OS from an ISO or existing image. Once running, VMs behave like separate computers accessible in windows or full screen, and can be paused, snapshotted, cloned, or reverted at any point.
Where VMware Workstation stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave VMware Workstation
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Virtualization software checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Virtualization software checklist | VMware Workstation | QEMU | VirtualBox | UTM | Multipass | Proxmox VE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Host platforms | ||||||
| Guest OS breadth | ||||||
| Snapshots | ||||||
| GPU passthrough | ||||||
| Free for personal use | ||||||
| Shared folders & clipboard | ||||||
| Headless / server mode | ||||||
| Apple Silicon support | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Performance overhead |
Every fact and feature listed for VMware Workstation is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Platforms Windows, Linux verified 2026-07-11
VMware Workstation Pro 17.x (Windows and Linux)
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/315653/supported-host-operating-systems-for-wor.html -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
Workstation Pro requires a paid license for commercial use which can be purchased from our channel partners.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/315616/vmware-workstation-17x-pro-sales-licensi.html -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-11
VMware Desktop Hypervisor (VMware Fusion Pro & VMware Workstation Pro) is available free for Commercial, Educational, and Personal users.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/368667/download-and-license-vmware-desktop-hype.html -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
VMware Workstation Pro 26H1 VMware by Broadcom
https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/desktop-hypervisors/workstation-pro/26H1.html -
Host platforms Yes verified 2026-07-11
VMware Workstation Pro 17.x (Windows and Linux)
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/315653/supported-host-operating-systems-for-wor.html -
Guest OS breadth Yes verified 2026-07-11
A guest operating system can be Windows, Linux, and other commonly used operating systems.
https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/desktop-hypervisors/workstation-pro/17-0/using-vmware-workstation-pro/introduction-and-system-requirements/virtual-machine-requirements.html -
Snapshots Yes verified 2026-07-11
Taking a snapshot of a virtual machine saves its current state and enables you to return to the same state repeatedly.
https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/desktop-hypervisors/workstation-pro/17-0/using-vmware-workstation-pro/using-virtual-machines-in-workstation-pro-user-guide.html -
GPU passthrough Partial verified 2026-07-11
The purpose of this article is to provide steps for disabling 3D acceleration feature on VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/344376/how-to-disable-3d-acceleration-feature-o.html -
Free for personal use Yes verified 2026-07-11
VMware Desktop Hypervisor (VMware Fusion Pro & VMware Workstation Pro) is available free for Commercial, Educational, and Personal users.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/368667/download-and-license-vmware-desktop-hype.html -
Shared folders & clipboard Yes verified 2026-07-11
You can use the drag-and-drop feature, the copy and paste feature, shared folders, and mapped drives to transfer files and text between the host system and virtual machines
https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/desktop-hypervisors/workstation-pro/17-0/using-vmware-workstation-pro/using-virtual-machines-in-workstation-pro-user-guide.html -
Headless / server mode Partial verified 2026-07-11
You can share virtual machines with remote users in this version of Workstation.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/311129/running-vmware-workstation-as-a-server-w.html -
Apple Silicon support No verified 2026-07-11
VMware Workstation Pro 17.x (Windows and Linux)
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/315653/supported-host-operating-systems-for-wor.html -
Open source No verified 2026-07-11
Workstation Pro requires a paid license for commercial use which can be purchased from our channel partners.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/315616/vmware-workstation-17x-pro-sales-licensi.html -
Performance overhead Partial verified 2026-07-11
The purpose of this article is to provide steps for disabling 3D acceleration feature on VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion.
https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/344376/how-to-disable-3d-acceleration-feature-o.html
FAQ
Yes. QEMU, VirtualBox and UTM have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
QEMU, VirtualBox and UTM — every license claim links its source.