--- 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 Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages #### Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews Generated from real user reviews Users value the **seamless integration** with systems like vSphere/ESXi, enhancing their virtualization capabilities remarkably. [(2 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324836&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users value the **Snapshot and Clone Features** of VMware Workstation Pro for easy machine virtualization and efficiency. [(2 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1269127&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users value the **robust virtualization capabilities** of VMware Workstation Pro, enabling efficient management of multiple VMs. [(2 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1269556&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users find VMware Workstation Pro's **ease of setup** enhances their experience, especially compared to alternatives like VirtualBox. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1269736&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users appreciate the **extensive features and capabilities** of VMware Workstation Pro, enhancing their virtual environment experience. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324773&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users often face **complex billing issues** with VMware Workstation Pro, complicating the licensing and activation process. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324752&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users find the **difficult configuration** of VMware Workstation Pro challenging, especially without a background in networking. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324844&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users find the product's **high cost** a barrier, particularly for small teams or individual developers. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324801&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users find the **high licensing cost** of VMware Workstation Pro a barrier compared to free alternatives. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324788&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users face **complex licensing and activation issues** that create challenges, particularly in corporate environments. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324763&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) ### 5 Pros or Advantages of VMware Workstation Pro ##### 1. Integrations Users value the **seamless integration** with systems like vSphere/ESXi, enhancing their virtualization capabilities remarkably. [ See 2 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324836&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro is widely appreciated for several standout features, especially by professionals like you who work in systems engineering. Rob JS Jose S. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 5.0/5 "Powerful Virtualization with a Learning Curve" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? I appreciate VMware Workstation Pro for its extensive features and capabilities compared to alternatives like VirtualBox. Once familiar with it, the s ##### 2. Snapshots Users value the **Snapshot and Clone Features** of VMware Workstation Pro for easy machine virtualization and efficiency. [ See 2 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1269127&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro is widely appreciated for several standout features, especially by professionals like you who work in systems engineering. Rob DA Daniel A. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 5.0/5 "Amazing VM product" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? East to snapshot a machine and virtualize it and run multiple VMs at same time ##### 3. Virtualization Management Users value the **robust virtualization capabilities** of VMware Workstation Pro, enabling efficient management of multiple VMs. [ See 2 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1269556&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro is widely appreciated for several standout features, especially by professionals like you who work in systems engineering. Rob DA Daniel A. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 5.0/5 "Amazing VM product" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? East to snapshot a machine and virtualize it and run multiple VMs at same time ##### 4. Ease of Use Users find VMware Workstation Pro's **ease of setup** enhances their experience, especially compared to alternatives like VirtualBox. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1269736&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews JS Jose S. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 5.0/5 "Powerful Virtualization with a Learning Curve" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? I appreciate VMware Workstation Pro for its extensive features and capabilities compared to alternatives like VirtualBox. Once familiar with it, the s ##### 5. Features Users appreciate the **extensive features and capabilities** of VMware Workstation Pro, enhancing their virtual environment experience. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324773&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews JS Jose S. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 5.0/5 "Powerful Virtualization with a Learning Curve" What do you like about VMware Workstation Pro? I appreciate VMware Workstation Pro for its extensive features and capabilities compared to alternatives like VirtualBox. Once familiar with it, the s ### 5 Cons or Disadvantages of VMware Workstation Pro ##### 1. Billing Issues Users often face **complex billing issues** with VMware Workstation Pro, complicating the licensing and activation process. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324752&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? 1.High Resource Consumption Running multiple VMs can be heavy on CPU and RAM, especially if the host system isn’t high-end. It’s not ideal for lig ##### 2. Difficult Configuration Users find the **difficult configuration** of VMware Workstation Pro challenging, especially without a background in networking. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324844&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews JS Jose S. Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 5.0/5 "Powerful Virtualization with a Learning Curve" What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? I found the initial setup of VMware Workstation Pro to be pretty challenging. It requires at least a basic understanding of networking to configure ev ##### 3. Expensive Users find the product's **high cost** a barrier, particularly for small teams or individual developers. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324801&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? 1.High Resource Consumption Running multiple VMs can be heavy on CPU and RAM, especially if the host system isn’t high-end. It’s not ideal for lig ##### 4. High Licensing Cost Users find the **high licensing cost** of VMware Workstation Pro a barrier compared to free alternatives. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324788&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? 1.High Resource Consumption Running multiple VMs can be heavy on CPU and RAM, especially if the host system isn’t high-end. It’s not ideal for lig ##### 5. Licensing Issues Users face **complex licensing and activation issues** that create challenges, particularly in corporate environments. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/vmware-workstation-pro/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2324763&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Mahendran D.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mahendran D.") MD Mahendran D. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.0/5 "Robust Virtualisation and Snapshot Features Make VMware Workstation Pro a Standout" What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? 1.High Resource Consumption Running multiple VMs can be heavy on CPU and RAM, especially if the host system isn’t high-end. It’s not ideal for lig ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![VirtualBox](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/0e9e8c0391aec772a9e9dcc84c23bda1/virtualbox.png "VirtualBox") VirtualBox 4.5/5(294) ](https://www.g2.com/products/virtualbox/reviews) [ ![Azure Virtual Machines](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_f176b4154a751d10150daa67a57b7dc5/azure-virtual-machines.jpg "Azure Virtual Machines") Azure Virtual Machines 4.4/5(393) ](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-virtual-machines/reviews) [ ![Google Compute Engine](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_aeae116c52945fdecd7ed16d621cb315/google-compute-engine.png "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) ![Fazal Ur Rehman S.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Fazal Ur Rehman S.") FS Fazal Ur Rehman S. IT Project Manager/Senior IT Consultant Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 12/20/2023 "Desktop Virtualization software" 4/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro allows me to have multiple OS running on my Windows 11 machine to test & learn. It's quite flexible with configuration. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? The pricing could have been cheaper for testing purpose or for students. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? I use VMware Workstation Pro to build test environment to test various operating sytems and check their functionality like web servers, email servers, etc. I help me better understand the system before putting them into production and to learn new technologies. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Shrawan J.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Shrawan J.") SJ Shrawan J. Customer Success Engineer Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 12/12/2023 "VMware Workstation Pro Review" 4.5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? From a single desktop/Laptop computer, it is simple to run virtual environments locally which is very helpful for Lab Purposes. It is a best Type B hypervisor. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? The license cost is a bit more. Sometimes Virtual machines freeze due to High CPU Usage. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? I can host my virtual machines and lab locally which is very beneficial instead for purchasing high specs servers for Lab. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite DC Damian C. Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 4/28/2023 "VMware Workstation Pro" 5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro allows me to keep all my virtual machines in one place. Werry fast a working application with many integration things. The best solution for users who are working on packaging and must do make tests on different environments. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro, like other similar applications for virtualization machines, has the same issue. Bog size of machines files on our drives. Sometimes also machines work too slowly because of many things in the background. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? Working on software packages, VMware Workstation Pro allows me to do all tests in a closed environment. Also, making some test environments when I install the system on new machines. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Verified User in Architecture & Planning](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Architecture & Planning") AA Verified User in Architecture & Planning Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 12/22/2023 "Very good VM platform" 4.5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? It one of the most verstile and well known and used platform among system admins ans cyber security perosnnel. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? It is expenssive and sometime hard to manage and configre, some simplicty are missing compare to other products Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? Well, it is very goof virtual machine solution. Well patched and known so you can troubleshoot via Google w/ ease. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Talha A.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Talha A.") TA Talha A. Application Engineer Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 2/26/2023 "VMware Workstation Pro has made my work in Industrial Automation easier than it was ever before." 4.5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? In my work, I have to download multiple software for SCADA implementation, PLC Logic Designing, and HMI Designing. So by using VMware Workstation Pro, I can make various virtual machines Instead of installing all this software on a single machine Which makes my PC slow as the software services are running in the background. Another thing that I like is that I can test communication between servers and clients for SCADA and DCS Architecture using VMware Workstation Pro without having different physical machines. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? One thing that I want to point out is that I have a hard time copying and pasting files from physical machines to virtual machines directly, and for that, I have to share folders on my physical device which consumes more time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? I can do server-client configuration and communication testing on a single machine using VMware Workstation Pro for SCADA and DCS implementation. Otherwise, I would have to use two different PCs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite LS Luca S. Sitecore Solution Architect II Consumer Goods Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 6/28/2023 "Excellent hypervisor to create controlled test environments" 5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? What I like most is how simple it can be to have a controlled virtual environment on our computers. It has become quite easy to control VM instances without logging in to them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? Even though I have a solid laptop with good overall performance, loading up the Virtual Machines takes some time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? Able to run multiple virtual machines in one host and it has the snapshot feature which preserves the current state of a virtual machine. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![John Alexis C.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "John Alexis C.") JC John Alexis C. Senior System Administrator | Information Technology Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 2/10/2023 "VM Workstation Pro Top Tier Virtualization Tool" 5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? Easy to install, manage and configure. There's nothing you can virtualize with this product of vmware. I am using this for roughly ten years and it still amazed me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? Nothing! All I can say that this is the only Virtualization tool that is very user friendly. You can use this in all types of environments and operating systems. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? This solves my issues in setting up a test environment for the new softwares or applications that we need to test. It's fast and easy to install. All you need is a laptop with good specs and you can use it right away. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More 2/13/2023 Current UserValidated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Information Technology and Services](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Information Technology and Services") CI Verified User in Information Technology and Services Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 12/1/2022 "You can do a lot with virtual machines" 4.5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? VMWare Workstation lets you create and manage various configurations and basic settings for your virtual machine. Still, you can also define multiple virtual machines and attach to different types of networking. It also lets you easily define port forwarding rules in the virtual network editor or taking and managing snapshots of the state of your VM/work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? Sometimes it doesn't manage the Windows updates correctly and when you restart the VM, it doesn't work anymore, raising processor-related errors and you have to configure the VM with a single core to be able to start it and remove the update. Not clear if it's a problem with VM Workstation or Windows itself. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? You can work with multiple Operating Systems even at the same time, build a lab, have different versions of SW stack for your applications and manage isolation. Furthermore, snapshots can save your day or even your week! I use VMware Workstation almost everyday. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerSource: Organic ![Tawanda N.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Tawanda N.") TN Tawanda N. Software Developer Team Lead Computer Software Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 2/7/2023 Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores. "Excellent software helped me stop dual booting Linux and Windows" 4/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? I can install multiple operating systems on one computer instead of dual booting. Very easy to install linux there is no need to create a bootable device which saves time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? Sometimes the screen turns black and i have to close the app to get back to it again Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? I create multiple server instances on one computer with different operating systems instead of buying different servers and install an operating system on each server Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Current UserValidated ReviewerSource: G2 invite ![Christian J.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Christian J.") CJ Christian J. Cloud Solutions Architect Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 2/23/2023 "VMware Workstation Pro in a Cloud Architects point of view" 5/5 What do you like best about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro is easy to set up and use, even for beginners. It has a user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of creating and managing virtual machines. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about VMware Workstation Pro? VMware Workstation Pro is a commercial product, and while there is a free trial version available, the full version can be expensive for some users, especially for personal or non-commercial use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is VMware Workstation Pro solving and how is that benefiting you? VMware Workstation Pro solves several challenges related to running multiple operating systems on a single physical machine, providing users with increased flexibility, compatibility, and security, as well as improved performance and resource management. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. 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