VMware Workstation Pro icon

VMware Workstation Pro

VMware Workstation Pro is a desktop virtualization software that allows users to run multiple operating systems as virtual machines on a single physical machine. It is used for software development, testing, running legacy apps, and training.

What is VMware Workstation Pro?

VMware Workstation Pro is a Type 2 hypervisor developed by VMware for desktop virtualization on x64 versions of Windows and Linux. It allows users to set up multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine and run different operating systems and applications in each VM without rebooting.

Key features include:

  • Ability to run production environments and real-world testing scenarios with hundreds of OS and app combinations on a single PC
  • Snapshotting for quick rollback of VMs to previous states
  • VM cloning for rapid deployment of identical VMs
  • Virtual networking and network simulation between VMs and host machine
  • Support for latest OS versions (Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, Linux kernels etc.) and resource-intensive apps
  • Powerful customization with access to all host resources for storage, graphics, peripherals etc.
  • Security features like isolation between VMs, role-based access controls, and data encryption

Use cases include software development and testing, running legacy/incompatible apps, disaster recovery simulations, IT training, platform migration testing, and server consolidation to reduce hardware costs. It compares with paid products like Oracle VM VirtualBox and open-source options like QEMU.

The Best VMware Workstation Pro Alternatives

Top Apps like VMware Workstation Pro

VirtualBox, QEMU, Parallels Desktop, Limbo PC Emulator, Windows Sandbox, Portable Virtualbox, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), QEMU Manager, VMware Fusion, Multipass, Bochs, UCS Virtual Machine Manager, Boxes, MobaLiveCD, GDaaS, RVTools, Awingu, VMWare Disk Mount, JPCSIM, VMLite Workstation, Qemu Simple Boot, bhyve, VMmanager, GreenVBox, VirtualBuddy, xhypervisor, FAUMachine, Virtual PC, GNURoot Debian, VMware Server, Parallels Workstation, VMLite XP Mode, OpenVZ, SysInfoTools Virtual Disk Machine Recovery Tool, VMX Builder, USBFastBoot are some alternatives to VMware Workstation Pro.

VirtualBox

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Limbo PC Emulator

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Windows Sandbox

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KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

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QEMU Manager

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VMware Fusion

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Multipass

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Bochs

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UCS Virtual Machine Manager

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Boxes

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MobaLiveCD

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GDaaS

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RVTools

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Awingu

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VMWare Disk Mount

VMWare Disk Mount is a free, standalone utility from VMWare that allows you to mount virtual disks on a Windows machine without needing to run VMware or Hyper-V hypervisors. It supports mounting VMDK and VHD format virtual disks and provides read-only access to files and folders stored on those disks...

JPCSIM

JPCSIM is an open-source, Java-based, discrete event simulation software designed specifically for modeling manufacturing systems like production lines, assembly operations, supply chains, and more. It provides a graphical modeling interface that allows users to quickly build simulations by adding and connecting functional blocks that represent individual processes or operations.Some...

VMLite Workstation

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Qemu Simple Boot

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Bhyve

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VMmanager

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GreenVBox

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VirtualBuddy

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Xhypervisor

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FAUMachine

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Virtual PC

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GNURoot Debian

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VMware Server

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Parallels Workstation

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VMLite XP Mode

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OpenVZ

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SysInfoTools Virtual Disk Machine Recovery Tool

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VMX Builder

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USBFastBoot

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