--- title: VMware Workstation Pro Reviews meta\_title: 'VMware Workstation Pro Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta\_description: Filter 139 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how VMware Workstation Pro works for a business like yours. aggregate\_rating: rating\_value: 4.5 review\_count: 139 scale: '5' date\_modified: '2026-08-09' parent\_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # VMware Workstation Pro Reviews & Product Details Claimed ###### Profile Status This profile is currently managed by VMware Workstation Pro but has limited features. Are you part of the VMware Workstation Pro team? [Upgrade your plan](https://sell.g2.com) to enhance your branding and engage with visitors to your profile! VMware Workstation Pro is a desktop hypervisor that enables users to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single Windows or Linux PC. Designed for IT professionals, developers, and educators, it provides a robust platform for developing, testing, and deploying applications across diverse environments without the need for additional hardware. Key Features and Functionality: - Multiple OS Support: Run a wide range of operating systems, including various versions of Windows, Linux, BSD, and MS-DOS, on virtual machines. - Snapshot Capability: Save the state of a virtual machine at any point in time, allowing for easy rollback to a previous state, which is invaluable for testing and development purposes. - Virtual Networking: Create complex network configurations with support for bridging existing host network adapters and sharing physical disk drives and USB devices with virtual machines. - High-Performance Graphics: Support for DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.3 enables running 3D applications and games within virtual machines. - Remote vSphere Integration: Connect to remote vSphere environments to manage virtual machines and data centers directly from the Workstation Pro interface. Primary Value and User Solutions: VMware Workstation Pro addresses the complexities of managing multi-OS operations by providing isolated, secure environments for development, testing, and learning. It allows users to streamline workflows by running multiple operating systems on a single machine without rebooting, facilitating efficient software development and testing across different platforms. Additionally, its integration with remote vSphere setups ensures seamless management of virtual infrastructures, making it an essential tool for professionals seeking flexibility and control in their virtualization needs. * * * Seller [Broadcom](https://www.g2.com/sellers/broadcom-ab3091cd-4724-46a8-ac89-219d6bc8e166) Discussions [VMware Workstation Pro Community](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/discuss) Solution Type Best-of-Breed Overview by Michael Roy (Product Line Marketing Manager at VMware) Show More ## Value at a Glance Averages based on real user reviews. ### Time to Implement 1 month ### Return on Investment 13 months [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/pricing) ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![VirtualBox](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "VirtualBox") VirtualBox 4.5/5(294) ](https://www.g2.com/products/virtualbox/reviews) [ ![Azure Virtual Machines](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Azure Virtual Machines") Azure Virtual Machines 4.4/5(393) ](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-virtual-machines/reviews) [ ![Google Compute Engine](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Google Compute Engine") Google Compute Engine 4.5/5(953) ](https://www.g2.com/products/google-compute-engine/reviews) [ View All Alternatives ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/competitors/alternatives) ## User Insights Average based on 139 real user reviews. Implementation Time 1 month Perceived Cost $$$$$ [Log in to unlock pricing and user insights](/login) MG Matthew G. Site Reliability Engineer Internet Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 11/16/2015 "Pricey, but flexible and high-performing virtualization for learning or productivity." 2.5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? I liked the strong integration the best. VMware has a way with staying on top of tight hardware/host OS/guest OS integration. VMWare had a strong unity mode for Windows VMs on Linux desktop long before it showed up on free alternatives. Also, vmware tools allows for nice desktop integration between host and guest OS (keyboard/mouse/display/clipboard/file drag-and-drop). Performance was great even on lower-power procs like i5-420UM (1.2ghz) running Windows 7 on Ubuntu host. Another great feature is its integration with enterprise VMWare products, allowing you to access workstations hosted on ESX/ESXi machines in a corporate environment. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? Cost and closed-source. The closed-source part is not as much of a complaint as the cost. It's extremely annoying that it costs $150 to upgrade versions, basically turning the product into a $150/year subscription (after initial $250 investment for the first year) if you want to stay up-to-date on features and cutting-edge hardware compatibility. Additionally, when you consider the cost vs. what you are getting out of it, there's a strong possibility that you could get everything you need from an open source alternative that you'd pay nothing for and have a great experience with. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering VMware Workstation Pro: Strongly consider whether the price is worth it or not for the extra features. Keep in mind that upgrading every year has historically been the only way for Workstation Pro to maintain advantages over free open source alternatives. Do your research to see if a free open source alternative has the features you need (the performance difference is negligible and shouldn't be considered when doing this comparison in my opinion). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? The benefits of VMWare Workstation over no desktop virtualization is the ability to have a virtual workstation other than your host for a variety of reasons. In my particular case that has amounted to running Windows for software written only for Windows (i.e. a PLC simulator) or a Linux guest on a Mac OSX host for a more friendly linux systems administration environment. The benefits of VMWare Workstation over its open source competitors don't amount to much more than slightly better performance, tight integration with other VMWare enterprise products, and a better virtual network administration tool. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Computer Software](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Computer Software") UC Verified User in Computer Software Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 12/18/2015 "Desktop Virtualization that just works" 2.5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? It is quite stable, reliable and just works. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? The free version is limited with restrictive usage license, but the pro version offers more feature at premium price. None of the offerings are opensource and have a future for wider adoption, as more and more stable opensource technologies are eating into the market. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? I run various kinds of VMs to develop and test software I'm writing without messing up my host operating system, or manually partitioning my HDD to installing an OS on my laptop. Pro version also allows me to capture a state of the VM as a snapshot so if I'm experimenting something that fails I can always revert back. I can also export VMs to colleagues to share a common VM image that can be used as a template. Though lately I've moved to more open technologies such as KVM. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ## Questions about VMware Workstation Pro? Ask real users or explore answers from the community Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights. [ Ask about VMware Workstation Pro ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/discussions/new) GU Guest User • Last activity over 2 years ago Is VMware a workstation pro? 0 Upvotes 1 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-vmware-a-workstation-pro) GU Guest User What is VMware Workstation Pro used for? 0 Upvotes 0 [ Join the conversation ](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-vmware-workstation-pro-used-for) [ View all Discussions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/discuss) ## Pricing Insights Averages based on real user reviews. ### Time to Implement 1 month ### Return on Investment 13 months ### Average Discount 16% [ View More Pricing Information ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/pricing) VMware Workstation Pro Comparisons ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_24dbd00b63cdabc3dc67fd49f5409c68/vmware-fusion.png "Product Avatar Image") Fusion 4.4/5(126) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/vmware-fusion-vs-vmware-workstation-pro) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_905ab8c2886117b7de9f64b848639635/virtualbox.png "Product Avatar Image") VirtualBox 4.5/5(294) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/vmware-workstation-pro-vs-virtualbox) ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/small_square/small_square_718f104d21f43dd9840c5a2a6e528adb/citrix-citrix-daas.png "Product Avatar Image") Citrix DaaS 4.1/5(546) [ Compare Now ](https://www.g2.com/compare/citrix-citrix-daas-vs-vmware-workstation-pro) ##### ##### VMware Workstation Pro Features Performance Scalability Portability Data Recovery Functionality OS Integration Resource Saving Performance Management [ View More Features ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/features) ##### Categories on G2 [Server Virtualization](https://www.g2.com/categories/server-virtualization) ##### Explore More [Which mobile crash reporting services give the most detailed diagnostics?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/which-mobile-crash-reporting-services-give-the-most-detailed-diagnostics)[What is the best AI writing tool for company blogs?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-best-ai-writing-tool-for-company-blogs)[What features should I look for in a secure data room for collaboration with legal teams?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-features-should-i-look-for-in-a-secure-data-room-for-collaboration-with-legal-teams) [Civil 3D vs other civil engineering design platforms: which gives better value for a mid-size company that does not want to be entirely dependent on the Autodesk ecosystem?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/civil-3d-vs-other-civil-engineering-design-platforms-which-gives-better-value-for-a-mid-size-company-that-does-not-want-to-be-entirely-dependent-on-the-autodesk-ecosystem)[Top tools for billing compliance and tax calculation](https://www.g2.com/discussions/top-tools-for-billing-compliance-and-tax-calculation)[Pros and Cons Details](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?qs=pros-and-cons) [Show MoreShow Less](javascript:void(0);)