VMware Fusion vs VMware Workstation comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 6, 2024

We compared VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion based on our user's reviews in several parameters.

VMware Workstation is praised for seamless virtual machine creation and reliability, but lacks feedback on customer service and ROI. In contrast, VMware Fusion offers exceptional customer support, reasonable pricing, and positive ROI. Fusion users also suggest areas for improvement, such as performance enhancements and better customer support.

Features: Valuable features in VMware Workstation include seamless VM creation, efficient resource use, reliable performance, helpful snapshots, and compatibility with different OS. In contrast, VMware Fusion emphasizes seamless integration, powerful VM performance, and extensive operating system support.

Pricing and ROI: The setup cost for VMware Workstation is not specified in the available data. However, for VMware Fusion, users have expressed concerns about the setup cost, as it may require technical expertise., The ROI for VMware Workstation is not provided, while user feedback for VMware Fusion describes a positive and beneficial ROI. Users found value in its ability to run multiple operating systems, improving productivity and cost savings.

Room for Improvement: VMware Workstation has no feedback for improvements, while VMware Fusion needs enhancements in performance, hardware compatibility, user interface, customer support, and software updates based on user feedback.

Deployment and customer support: From the user reviews, it is unclear how long it takes to deploy, set up, or implement VMware Workstation. However, for VMware Fusion, some users took three months for deployment and an extra week for setup, while others only needed a week for both. This suggests the terms deployment and setup may refer to the same period, and evaluating user context is crucial., The customer service for VMware Workstation cannot be assessed due to a lack of information. In contrast, user experiences with VMware Fusion's customer service have been exceptional, with prompt and helpful assistance, knowledgeable staff, and efficient and reliable support.

The summary above is based on 31 interviews we conducted recently with VMware Workstation and VMware Fusion users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.

To learn more, read our detailed VMware Fusion vs. VMware Workstation Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It is a highly stable solution.""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 most value that it provides is that it is versatile.""The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface."

More VMware Fusion Pros →

"The product works well.""The solution's customer service is good.""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.""The most valuable features of the VMware Workstation solutions are the ESXi and vCenter.""The product's initial setup phase was simple.""Technical support is very good.""I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.""I appreciate the ease of backup and snapshot creation. The ability to revert to previous versions without losing data is very useful for our team."

More VMware Workstation Pros →

Cons
"Its installation process could be simpler.""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 would like to see newer and updated cloud functions.""VMware Fusion's licensing cost needs improvement."

More VMware Fusion Cons →

"The solution should provide a guide on its installation.""I would want to see features included that make deployment easier.""The interface is a little wonky and needs to be improved.""The solution can be expensive.""The big issue that we've always had with VMware, was the disparity between what was presented for a Windows-based client and a Linux-based client. The Windows client was always two or three releases ahead of the Linux client. We always wanted VMware to change and improve the feature sets between the client connector on Linux and on Windows.""VMware Workstation uses more resources like CPU and disk space, especially the CPU, which is a shortcoming that needs improvement.""Performance could be improved, it's somewhat clunky.""It would be helpful if VMware Workstation included an in-built monitoring tool for monitoring things."

More VMware Workstation Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "Starting with version 12, it is now free on a Mac for personal use. Fusion Pro has a cost."
  • "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 rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced."
  • More VMware Fusion Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing is a bit steep in my opinion for testing and there are other options."
  • "Licensing costs are paid on a yearly basis."
  • "The licensing costs are cheap. I pay approximately $100 per year."
  • "The cost differs depending on the customer's requirement."
  • "VMware Workstation has a high price than competitors in the market."
  • "With a VDI solution, there is always extra cost running a VDI solution but it's not for cost purposes anymore. In the beginning, it was to save money on hardware but at the moment it's other aspects that are more important why you should use a VDI solution."
  • "Licensing fees are paid on an annual basis."
  • "The price of the solution per workstation is approximately 200 Francs annually. We pay a total of 800 francs. Everything is included in the price such as the support."
  • More VMware Workstation Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The product is easy to use and has a simple user interface.
    Top Answer:I rate the product's pricing a seven or eight. It is highly-priced.
    Top Answer:The solution could be a little more stable.
    Top Answer:VM Workstation’s setup is so easy, you can use it almost instantly, it works well with Windows and Linux. We like VM Workstation primarily to test environments to determine how well a solution will… more »
    Top Answer:We can undo some changes using the snapshot feature.
    Top Answer: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.
    Ranking
    Views
    7,442
    Comparisons
    6,719
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    212
    Rating
    9.0
    Views
    8,175
    Comparisons
    5,707
    Reviews
    29
    Average Words per Review
    358
    Rating
    8.6
    Comparisons
    Learn More
    Overview
    VMware Fusion is a software hypervisor for Macintosh computers. VMware Fusion allows Intel-based Macs to run operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, NetWare, or Solaris on virtual machines, along with their Mac OS X operating system using a combination of paravirtualization, hardware virtualization and dynamic recompilation.

    VMware Workstation is part of a suite of robust Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) tools or Desktop Hypervisors that allows users to run Kubernetes clusters, containers, and Virtual Machines (VMs). Users have the option to choose between VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Workstation Player to ensure that they get the most out of their VMware Workstation experience.

    Workstation Player is best used as a command line or single graphical operation. It works very well for running different operating systems using a secure cloistered sandbox on a general consumer PC. Workstation Player is an industry favorite for use in an educational environment to better expand the knowledge concerning computer systems and global information technology. Workstation Pro is created for astute IT developers and professionals. The solution provides an intuitive next-generation interface and gives users the ability to seamlessly run several virtual machines at the same time. Users can easily create clones, configure virtual networks, connect to vSphere, and more, using a crisp, visually enhanced dashboard that provides full transparency to show multiple VMs and more.

    VMware Workstation solutions rely on components in next-generation 64-bit x86 CPUs to develop robust, secure VMs that are able to utilize many different operating systems and all of their applications. VMware Workstation’s modern technology intuitively links the physical hardware devices to the virtual machine's virtual resources enabling each VM to have its own I/O devices, memory, disks, and CPU in addition to the equivalent of a standard x86 actual machine. It easily installs onto the host operating system and is able to offer comprehensive hardware support by utilizing the device support from the original host.

    VMware Workstation Benefits

    VMware Workstation has many desirable benefits. Some of those benefits include:


    • Improved overall IT processes.
    • Better, more efficient deployment outcomes.
    • Enhanced application performance.
    • Better server availability.
    • Less physical hardware and additional devices needed.
    • Cost-effective.
    • Decreased outages or downtime.
    • Faster provisioning of applications and resources.
    • Reduced power consumption.
    • Reduced Environmental Impact.



    Reviews from Real Users

    Walter G., Owner at Secacon Gygli Engineering LLC says, “The most valuable feature of the VMware Workstation is the ease of creating a development environment. When you have different ongoing developments, you often need to create a lot of different development environments. With this workstation solution, you can have a development environment for all the things you develop.” 

    Toni L., CEO at Virtual Consultants Sverige AB says, “The most valuable features of VMware Workstation are the DirectX support; you can run Microsoft Hyper-V in virtual environments, which is good for me to test different installations. Additionally, you can set up different VLANs, and overall it is a complete solution.” 


    “Having a user-friendly interfaceis important for me. I'm not a coder, even though I do a little bit of programming. Also, I don't use the command-line interface when I can avoid it. When I do have to use it, I look up what I'm supposed to type and then type it.” A PeerSpot user who is a Chief Technical Officer at a construction company.

    are Workstation is part of a suite of robust Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) tools or Desktop Hypervisors that allows users to run Kubernetes clusters, containers, and Virtual Machines (VMs). Users have the option to choose between VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Workstation Player to ensure they get the most out of their VMware Workstation experience.

    Workstation Player is best used as a command line or single graphical operation. It works very well for running different operating systems using a secure cloistered sandbox on a general consumer PC. Workstation Player is an industry favorite for use in an educational environment to better expand the knowledge concerning computer systems and global information technology. Workstation Pro is created for astute IT developers and professionals. The solution provides an intuitive next generation interface and gives users the ability to run seamlessly several virtual machines at the same time. Users can easily create clones, configure virtual networks, connect to vSphere, and more using a crisp, visually enhanced dashboard that provides full transparency to show multiple VMs and more.

    VMware Workstation solutions rely on components in next-generation 64-bit x86 CPUs to develop robust, secure VMs that are able to utilize many different operating systems and all of their applications. Vmware Workstation’s modern technology intuitively links the physical hardware devices to the virtual machine's virtual resources enabling each VM to have its own I/O devices, memory, disks, and CPU in addition to the equivalent to a standard x86 actual machine.VMware easily installs onto the host operating system and is able to offer comprehensive hardware support by utilizing the device support from the original host.

    VMware Workstation Benefits

    Vmware Workstation has many desirable benefits. Some of those benefits include:


    • Improved overall IT processes.
    • Better, more efficient deployment outcomes.
    • Enhanced application performance.
    • Better server availability.
    • Less physical hardware and additional devices needed.
    • Cost-effective.
    • Decreased outages or downtime.
    • Faster provisioning of applications and resources.
    • Reduced power consumption.
    • Reduced Environmental Impact.



    Reviews from Real Users

    “The most valuable feature of the VMware Workstation is the ease of creating a development environment. When you have different ongoing developments, you often need to create a lot of different development environments. With this workstation solution, you can have a development environment for all the things you develop.” Walter G., Owner at Secacon Gygli Engineering LLC

    “The most valuable features of VMware Workstation are the DirectX support; you can run Microsoft Hyper-V in virtual environments, which is good for me to test different installations. Additionally, you can set up different VLANs, and overall it is a complete solution.” Toni L., CEO at Virtual Consultants Sverige AB

    A Chief Technical Officer at a construction company says,“Having a user-friendly interfaceis important for me. I'm not a coder, even though I do a little bit of programming. Also, I don't use the command-line interface when I can avoid it. When I do have to use it, I look up what I'm supposed to type and then type it.” 

    Sample Customers
    NetApp
    Akademiska Hus
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    University11%
    Educational Organization10%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company20%
    Computer Software Company20%
    University8%
    Construction Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Midsize Enterprise57%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business48%
    Midsize Enterprise23%
    Large Enterprise30%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise57%
    Buyer's Guide
    VMware Fusion vs. VMware Workstation
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about VMware Fusion vs. VMware Workstation and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    VMware Fusion is ranked 7th in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 5 reviews while VMware Workstation is ranked 2nd in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with 41 reviews. VMware Fusion is rated 9.0, while VMware Workstation is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of VMware Fusion writes "Robust software with efficient snapshot and cloning features". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware Workstation writes "An easy-to-manage solution that has really good customer support compared to other market players". VMware Fusion is most compared with Parallels Desktop, VMware Player, VMware Horizon View, VMware Horizon and Citrix Workspace, whereas VMware Workstation is most compared with Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, KVM, Proxmox VE and VMware Player. See our VMware Fusion vs. VMware Workstation report.

    See our list of best Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) vendors.

    We monitor all Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.