VMware Workstation & Fusion 25H2: Embracing calendar versioning and new features

VMware by Broadcom has announced radical changes to its popular desktop virtualization products, Workstation and Fusion. With the release of version 25H2, the vendor is not only introducing a new naming system but also significantly changing the licensing model, making the basic versions free for personal use.

Transition to calendar versioning: meet 25H2

The first thing the IT community will notice is the move away from traditional numbering (like Workstation 17 or Fusion 13). The new version is named 25H2, which follows the calendar versioning practice (YYH2), where "25" stands for the year 2025 and "H2" indicates a release in the second half of the year.

This simplifies product lifecycle tracking and aligns them with operating system releases like Windows, Ubuntu, and RHEL.

The main news: a new licensing model

The most significant change concerns the division of products into free and commercial. VMware is simplifying its portfolio, offering a clear distinction for different audiences.

VMware Workstation Player and Fusion Player (for personal use)

• Status: Now completely free.
• Condition: Available for download and use without a license key.
• Restriction: The license permits use only for personal, non-commercial purposes (e.g., for learning, home labs, or open-source projects).

Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro (for business)

• Status: Paid subscription.
• Condition: Mandatory for any commercial use in organizations.
• Advantages: Provides a full set of professional features, including advanced network management, cloning, snapshots, and integration with corporate environments (e.g., vSphere/ESXi).

This change simplifies the choice of virtualization tools for the entire IT community, from students and enthusiasts to large corporate engineers.

Technical updates in version 25H2

In addition to licensing changes, the update also brings important technical improvements that meet modern IT infrastructure requirements:

• Support for new virtual "hardware": Introduced support for virtual hardware platform version 21.
• OS compatibility: Improved support for the latest guest and host operating systems, including Windows 11 24H2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Ubuntu 24.04, and others.
• Graphical improvements: Updated vmwgfx graphics driver to support current standards.

What does this mean for business?

For companies and corporate users, it is important to ensure compliance with the new licensing requirements. Using the free "Player" versions for commercial purposes is a direct violation of VMware's terms.

Switching to a "Pro" subscription guarantees not only access to full functionality but also the legality of using the software in your infrastructure. Softprom, as an official distributor of VMware by Broadcom, helps companies correctly license products and provides full technical and consulting support.