VMware Fusion Reviews & Product Details

I like that I can run Windows 7 on my Mac, without losing the integrity of the Windows installation. Aside from that, the real winner is that I can control the backup schedule (snapshots), which is really important when running Windows. I keep a clean installation, but when things do go poorly I can restore a recent snapshot and I am back up and running within minutes. A top-tier feature. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The Mac has a hard time staying cool and devoting real power to the VM, but that is to be expected when running both at once. I use a MacBook with 3 additional screens and that really wreaks havoc for Windows, or VMware - not sure which one is the point of failure. The general rule is: don't close the laptop or enter sleep mode without first suspending the VM. Also, do not change the number of screens while the VM is running because it panics and locks you into one screen across all available screens, until rebooting the VM. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

1. VMware Fusion is very fast and reported the highest benchmark ranking.

2. More of a technical interface rather than the attractive looks of Parallels.

3. I didn't notice any performance difference between Fusion and Parallels while running a VM of Windows 8.

4. Allows you to run your Windows programs within OS X.

5. Solid integration between the two operating systems, including conveniences one would expect like clipboard sharing, drag-and-drop, the ability to launch Windows programs from the dock, etc. Easy to share files between the two.

6. Handy wizard lets you migrate your existing PC over to a virtual machine for use inside of VMware Fusion, which can be great for new Mac converts who are still nervous about leaving Windows behind.

7. Pricing is also cheaper than Parallels, and for personal (non-commercial) users, the license extends to however many Macs you own.

8. The ability to run and test out multiple Operating Systems and tools from one workstation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

1. Doesn't look nearly as good as Parallels.

2. Performance is solid, but still somewhat reduced by the virtualization of the guest OS.

3. Requires plenty of RAM, and since newer Macs cannot be upgraded, make sure you plan ahead in this department when buying hardware. Also, you will need a Windows operating system license, which will raise the cost of this solution.

4. Resource limitations to run some multiple Operating Systems can be too intense for a basic workstation. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Being able to use Windows-only programs right on my Mac without having to break out a PC. Speeds up workflows a lot!

I use this to test websites on IE on my mac and also used it for BingAds editor for a long time until they just recently finally came out with a mac version. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Copy and paste between my main machine and my virtual machine is spotty. Does hog a lot of resources when I'm running on my Macbook Air, slowing down my computer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As a Mac user, I often encounter have to open Windows programs that are not available for Mac. VMware fusion works perfectly, without occupying much of the resources. It launches fast and integrates well with the current system, allowing to copy and paste documents and text between the host and virtual machine. I personally tried every OS there is with VMware and have not encountered any compatibility issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I often run background tasks in my virtual machine and it would be nice to be able to lock it with password protection. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Handing files off between platforms is so easy. The interface is easier to understand than I thought. I have not had any issues with fusion since I installed it over four years ago. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nothing! The file transfer between Mac and PC is the only issue I thought I would have, and it has not been a problem so far. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

VMWare Fusion is a fast way for me to set up Windows VMs on my Macbook - yeah, there are situations where one just cannot do without MS Windows. It allows for easy copying the machines, which basically behave like any ole Windows computer.

A very nice tool is the seamless integration of Windows applications into the Mac Desktop. Also the good integration into the host's file system is very valuable.

Lastly, the VM acts like an additional computer, which in some situations facilitates being on different networks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the sales integration with the Antivirus software annoying. Just make it part of the product. Sometimes I wished to have multiple VMs active at the same time.

Reconfiguration of an existing VM could be made a bit simpler (e.g. changing no of cores, amount of RAM, HDD space dedicated to VM) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Overall, I like the ease of use of VMware (I'm currently using version 7). It was a quick and easy install and getting a virtual machine up and running took very little time. A few of the specific settings were frustrating (see the "What do you dislike" section). The ability to have my Windows software running side by side with my Mac software makes my workflow as productive as possible. I also was very happy with Technical Support and the speed with which the communicated when I had questions or issues. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A few of the settings were difficult to get figured out, such as network and printer settings. It seems like it should have been easier to get my wireless printer to be recognized by VMware. I have my Mac set up on a wired network, but also a wireless for printing, and I could only get VMware to recognize one of those connections at a time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It runs guest OS Virtual machines with ease on my mac's. from windows, to Linux. A great must for anyone who needs access to windows based programs that don't run on mac (Microsoft no likey!) or Linux based programs on a PC. Can also drag and drop files from the guest OS to your own desktop. Makes things easier! It runs better than virtual box too ;) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Compared to Parallells, it isn't a smooth running and can be abit laggy! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I think each release of Fusion improves upon the last. Installing and configuring new virtual machines is fast and simple. Snapshots are easy if sometimes not automatic and reliable. I don't use it, but there's integration into VMware's public cloud built in. A lot of projects will have premade VMware virtual machines that are easy to import and get working, which is very handy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

No integration with ESXi, even though it's made by the same company AND there's a commercial "Professional" version available. It'd be great to send VMs you configure locally to your ESXi production cluster. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

At my work, some application doesnt have mac version, so i have to use it and it gives the exact windows feeling and i like that. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Very slow at times and crashes which makes it annoying to use at times and affect my performance Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.