Skip to Main Content

VMware Fusion Review

Virtualization software of choice for tech-savvy users

4.0
Excellent

The Bottom Line

VMware Fusion offers deep customization options and integrations for running non-Apple OSes on Intel-based Macs. It’s best for corporate and enterprise-level systems thanks to its advanced management systems and because its virtual machines can run on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Pros

  • Virtualizes almost any Intel-compatible OS, as well as macOS
  • Virtual machines run on Mac, Windows, and Linux hosts
  • Offers a feature-limited free version for personal use

Cons

  • Slower than Parallels Desktop
  • No support yet for ARM-based guests or hosts (including Apple Silicon Macs)
  • Lacks Parallel Desktop's kiosk-style rollback feature

VMware Fusion Specs

Free Version Available
Runs Under Windows
Supports Windows Guest Machines
Supports OS X Guest Machines
Drag and Drop Files Between Guest and Host
Shortcut on Host Opens App on Guest
Guest Desktop Mirrors Host Desktop
Saves Snapshots of Guest Machines
Support for Apple Silicon Macs
DirectX Version Support DirectX 11

Corporate users and serious hobbyists who want to run Windows, Linux, or a different version of macOS in a virtual machine (VM) on an Intel Mac should use VMware Fusion. Its apps work smoothly, and we like that the VMs you create with the Mac version of the software can also run on Windows and Linux devices. VMware's no-cost solution for personal use is noteworthy, too, because scores of compatible, prebuilt systems are available for free online. Enterprise-level management systems and controls round out VMware's feature set. While VMware Fusion is an excellent piece of software for many use cases, Parallels Desktop remains our Editors' Choice winner among virtualization software, because it's currently the only practical choice for Apple Silicon machines. Parallels also runs noticeably faster than VMware Fusion.

This review looks at VMware Fusion Pro Version 12, which is specifically for macOS. The company has two other products, Workstation Pro and Workstation Player, for creating and running VMs on Windows or Linux computers.

You Can Trust Our Reviews
Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Read our editorial mission & see how we test.

How Much Does VMware Fusion Cost? 

VMware Fusion comes in two versions: a full professional version called VMware Fusion 12 Pro and a lightweight version called VMware Fusion Player. The latter is free for personal or non-commercial use, which makes it the obvious first choice for users who don’t want to pay for virtualization software. If you intend to use VMware Fusion Player for commercial use, a license costs $149.

VMware Fusion Pro is slightly more expensive at $199. With this tier, you get network customization and simulation features, plus the option to connect to VMware’s vSphere cloud-based hypervisor tool. You also get the ability to encrypt or clone a VM.

VMware Fusion primarily functions as a traditional license-based app, meaning you buy it once and own it forever. You will need to pay if you ever want to upgrade to a new whole-number version of VMware Fusion, however. Currently, upgrades to Version 12 from older versions of VMware Fusion cost $79 for Player and $99 for Pro. Subscription options are available for corporate users who need heavy-duty levels of support, and they start at $241 per year.

As a point of comparison, Parallels Desktop offers a limited Standard version for home and student users that costs a one-time fee of $79.99, as well as a subscription-based Pro edition for $99.99 per year. I don't recommend the Standard edition because it’s likely the version you buy this year won’t work smoothly with future versions of macOS or let you emulate future versions of Linux and Windows systems. With the subscription model, you get new Parallels versions as soon as they're released. The Pro version of Parallels adds customization features, unlocks a rollback mode that lets you experiment easily with system changes, and removes the restriction of 8GB of RAM and four emulated CPUs per machine.

VMware Fusion Open Step

One free alternative is the open-source VirtualBox, but it’s slower and far clumsier than both Fusion and Parallels. Another is an open-source UTM emulator which, if you’re willing to live with molasses-level speeds, lets you run ARM-based OSes on an Intel-based Mac or Intel-based operating systems on an Apple Silicon Mac. 

Keep in mind that whichever emulator you choose, you need to purchase a license for Windows, if that's the OS you want to run on your Mac. Prepare to hand over $139 to Microsoft for Windows 11 Home or $199.99 for Windows 11 Pro. If you want to run a Windows app without installing Windows—and this only works with some Windows apps—check out our guide on how to run Windows apps on a Mac.


VMware Fusion Windows running

What Platforms Does VMware Support?

Keep in mind that VMware Fusion currently supports only Intel Macs, though a public preview of an Apple Silicon version is available for download (more on it in a moment). Most Intel Mac users will probably use VMware to run Windows—anything from Windows 95 to Windows 11—but you can also run macOS and older Intel-based OS X versions; almost any Linux distro; and Solaris, FreeBSD, or NetWare. 

Advanced users can run dozens of other systems that aren’t officially supported, such as IBM’s OS/2 or even Steve Jobs’ ancient NeXTSTEP and Openstep systems. Some of these unsupported systems rely on driver software created by individual programmers, but setup guides are easy to find online. If you're curious about ancient computer history, try out this complete Openstep system (the link downloads a ZIP file) I put together.

As mentioned, the current version of VMware Fusion doesn't work on Apple Silicon machines—but VMware has a public preview of an Apple Silicon-compatible version that can run the ARM-based version of Windows 11, though without official support and with multiple headaches during setup. I had to experiment with the different suggestions I found on a half dozen unofficial blog posts before I finally got the ARM version of Windows 11 to run in the preview.

VMware Fusion select install pop up

Parallels Desktop is currently the only practical virtualization choice for devices running on Apple Silicon. However, it isn’t seamless to use either because Parallels can only run ARM-based operating systems; you are thus limited to the ARM-based version of Windows (which is also available only as a developer preview). If you know you need to run an Intel-based version of Windows or another OS on your Mac, just hold on to your Intel-based Mac because VMware Fusion and Parallels simply work better on those machines.

VMware Fusion create new virtual machine pop up

For most versions of Windows and Linux, VMware offers a VMware Workstation Player app that’s free for personal use. You can't create VMs with this app but you can run existing ones. You simply copy a VM from another machine or download one from any of the sites that provide VMware appliances (prebuilt special-purpose guest systems). Any VM you open gets listed in your VM Machine Library. Any operating system that runs in VMware Fusion on a Mac can also run on VMware Workstation for Windows or Linux; however, macOS is the obvious exception since it is licensed for running only on Apple hardware.

VMware Fusion integration

VirtualBox, which is available for Intel-based Windows, macOS, and Linux machines, lets you create VMs that run Windows and Linux distros. Parallels, unlike VMware, offers a Chrome OS version that runs Intel-based Windows.

For gaming and graphics-intensive apps, both VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop support DirectX 11 graphics, but not DirectX 12. VirtualBox works with DirectX 9 but nothing later. The only way to get DirectX 12 graphics on a Mac is to install Windows on a Boot Camp partition on an Intel-based Mac, and this method is only minimally supported under recent versions of macOS.

VMware Fusion

Getting Started With VMware Fusion

You can install a Windows, Linux, or macOS VM via VMware Fusion in several ways. The simplest method is to use a disk image file or USB drive loaded with the OS you want to install. Or you can use one of Fusion’s advanced installation options. For example, you can install an emulated Mac system from your Mac’s recovery partition.

I tested VMware Fusion on my quadruple-boot Mac running Mojave, Big Sur, Catalina, and Monterey. I created virtual machines that emulated all three of those macOS versions without issue. Fusion can also build an emulated Windows system by migrating an existing Windows machine across a network or by importing a Boot Camp-based system (if you still have one) from your Mac. Unlike Parallels, VMware Fusion doesn’t offer download links for Windows, Linux, or other systems, so if you’re going to install from scratch, you need to acquire installation disk images on your own. 

As in Parallels, you can choose an automated Windows installation option that requires no intervention beyond providing your Windows activation code and user name. Fusion also installs VMware Tools during the automated install process, which enables you to share files, printers, and clipboard data between the VM and the host machine. For non-automated Windows setups or any installations of Linux or macOS, you can install VMware Tools from a top-line menu.

VMware Fusion tools install pop up

VMware Fusion Integration

When you create a Windows VM, you get two options for integrating the guest Windows system and the host macOS system. With the first option, files on your Mac desktop and other standard folders appear in folders with the same names on your Windows guest system. If you choose the second option, your VM and macOS system won’t share desktop files and documents, but you can still drag files from one system to another.

I strongly recommend the second option unless you’re certain you need to open files on your Mac with apps in your Windows system (or vice versa) because VMware’s desktop integration is buggy. For instance, folders from your Mac desktop appear as unknown and unopenable files on your Windows system. Besides, if you decide you do want this level of integration, you can enable it later.

Be prepared for VMware to pop up messages that may make your eyes cross as you struggle to understand them. One message, for example, notifies you that you’re running a guest system "with side channel mitigations enabled," and that you can get better performance by disabling them in a Settings dialog. Unfortunately, you can’t change that setting. If you want to get the best possible performance out of Fusion, you need to spend a lot of time in the Settings.


VMware Fusion Unity mode

VMWare's Interface and Features

Like Parallels and VirtualBox, VMware Fusion lets you run a VM in its own window or full-screen mode. For Windows VMs, you can also use VMware’s Unity mode, which opens one or more Windows apps in their own windows on your Mac desktop. They look like any other app running on your Mac. Unity mode isn’t available in macOS or Linux guest systems, however. The equivalent features in Parallels and VirtualBox (respectively called Coherence and Seamless) are available on VMs running macOS and Linux guest systems.

VMware Fusion library

I much prefer how VMware Fusion doesn’t clutter your macOS desktop and dock the way Parallels does. Launch a Windows app via Parallels’ Coherence feature, for instance, and a shortcut to that app appears on the Mac desktop. Parallels also adds Windows apps automatically to your Mac’s dock. With Fusion, you can decide which Windows apps to place in the dock for yourself.

VMware Fusion snapshots

Again, like its rivals, Fusion has a Snapshot feature that enables you to restore a VM to an earlier state. This tool is helpful for testing new software because after you install the new software, it lets you quickly revert your VM to the before-install state. Parallels Desktop offers a similar capability but goes one step further. With Parallels, you can configure a VM to revert to its prior state every time it starts up, much like a hardware kiosk.

VMware Fusion offers many tools for developers. Apart from the benefit of being able to install VMware-managed VMs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, admins can fine-tune configurations to emulate almost any combination of old and new hardware. Reliable, robust networking is available with almost all emulated systems. Hundreds of prebuilt VMware appliances are downloadable from the VMware Solution Exchange on VMware’s website with many more available from third-party sites.


Testing VMware's Performance

On my Intel-based MacBook Pro, VMware took 43 seconds to boot a Windows 11 guest system to the desktop, and 15 seconds to resume the system after suspending it. 

Parallels booted slightly faster both with a boot time of 34 seconds and a resume time of four seconds. Parallels boots faster partly because it emulates the Fast Startup BIOS option supported by some real PC hardware. 

VirtualBox also booted to the Windows 11 desktop in 34 seconds, but was notably slower after I reached the desktop. Parallels is faster than either VMware or VirtualBox when opening a Windows app after you reach the desktop. The difference isn’t dramatic, but it’s usually noticeable. 


A Powerful and Stable Virtualization Platform

VMware Fusion won’t win medals for speed, but this developer- and enterprise-friendly software ranks first in flexibility and power. We also like its buy-once licensing structure, broad platform support, and enormous community of developers and experts. That said, Parallels Desktop remains our Editors' Choice winner for emulation software because of its unmatched speed and compatibility with Apple Silicon.

VMware Fusion
4.0
Pros
  • Virtualizes almost any Intel-compatible OS, as well as macOS
  • Virtual machines run on Mac, Windows, and Linux hosts
  • Offers a feature-limited free version for personal use
Cons
  • Slower than Parallels Desktop
  • No support yet for ARM-based guests or hosts (including Apple Silicon Macs)
  • Lacks Parallel Desktop's kiosk-style rollback feature
The Bottom Line

VMware Fusion offers deep customization options and integrations for running non-Apple OSes on Intel-based Macs. It’s best for corporate and enterprise-level systems thanks to its advanced management systems and because its virtual machines can run on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Like What You're Reading?

Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.


Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

Sign up for other newsletters

TRENDING

About Edward Mendelson

Edward Mendelson has been a contributing editor at PC Magazine since 1988, and writes extensively on Windows and Mac software, especially about office, internet, and utility applications.

Read Edward's full bio

Read the latest from Edward Mendelson

VMware Fusion $149.00 at VMware
See It