VMware Fusion is industrial-strength virtualization software for the Mac, in the same way that its sibling Windows app, VMware Workstation, is the industrial-strength emulator for Windows and Linux.
Competitor Parallels Desktop may be the best way for less technical users to run one or more Windows apps on the Mac desktop, but it's also subscription-based, a payment model that many users prefer to avoid.
VMware is an app that you buy once and can use forever.
For IT managers, developers, and for most tech-savvy users, VMware remains the best choice for virtualization on a Mac.
Price and Getting Started
Like Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion comes in two versions: Basic and Pro.
The Basic version, priced at $79.99 ($49.99 upgrade price), lacks the developer-level fine-tuning options in the Pro version, which costs $159.99 ($119.99 upgrade).
A Basic Fusion license works on all the Macs you own; the Pro license works on three Macs.
The Pro version integrates closely with VMware's vSphere cloud-based hypervisor for multiple virtual machines (VM) across a whole enterprise.
To get started with VMware Fusion, you'll probably need an installation USB stick, CD, or disk image for the emulated guest system that you want to install.
Fusion lets you create an emulated system from a disc or disc image, by migrating an existing Windows system across a network (you'll need to install VMware's migration software on the existing system), or by importing a Boot Camp-based system on your Mac.
Unlike Parallels, VMware doesn't offer download links for Windows, Linux, or other systems, so you'll need to acquire these systems on your own.
As with Parallels, when you install Windows you can choose an automated option that asks you for your Windows activation code and your user name.
After you enter that information, Fusion sets up your system without further interaction.
VMware vs.
the Competition
When you launch a newly installed emulated Windows system in VMware Fusion, your experience will be very different from what Parallels users experience, with pros and cons on both sides.
On a high-end 2015 MacBook Pro, VMware took one full minute to boot a Windows 10 guest system, compared to 35 seconds for both Parallels and free competitor VirtualBox.
and VirtualBox boots faster partly because it doesn't set up printing and other integration functions while booting.
VirtualBox is free, open-source software, so it's not surprising that it doesn't offer all the conveniences of its paid competitors.
Parallels boots faster partly because it emulates the Fast Start BIOS option supported by some real PC hardware.
It's also slightly quicker than both VMware and VirtualBox when opening a Windows app after the Windows system boots.
The difference isn't dramatic, but it's usually noticeable.
As for its negative aspects, Parallels starts up with almost every available integration option turned on, even the ones that are more annoying than helpful.
This includes the option that puts shortcuts on the emulated Windows desktop to everything that's on your Mac desktop, even if those Windows-app shortcuts don't actually do anything because of differences between the Windows and Mac file structures.
If all you want to do is run the Windows version of Excel or some Windows-only software like CorelDraw, Parallels makes things easy by automatically setting up your Windows system so that you can print to your Mac-connected printer.
If you're a developer or software-tester, you probably want your Windows system more isolated from your Mac host, and you'll appreciate that VMware expects you to enable printer-sharing and other integration features manually.
You can fine-tune VMware, Parallels, and, to a much lesser degree, VirtualBox to achieve the same levels of integration between a Windows guest and host Mac, but—as an advanced user—I prefer VMware's hands-off style.
For gaming and graphics-intensive apps, VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop both support DirectX 10 graphics, while VirtualBox only goes up to DirectX 9.
This isn't VMware's or Parallels' fault, however, since macOS doesn't support the OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) features required to run DirectX 11 or later.
The only way to get DirectX 11 or 12 graphics on a Mac is to install Windows on a Boot Camp partition.
Emulation and Other Features
Like its rivals, VMware Fusion can run any of a wide variety of emulated guest systems.
Most Mac users will probably use an emulator to run a Windows system—anything from Windows 95 to Windows 10—but you can also run emulated OS X and macOS instances, almost any Linux version, or Solaris, FreeBSD, NetWare, and dozens of other supported systems.
Advanced users can run any of the dozens of systems that aren't officially supported, like IBM's OS/2 or even Steve Jobs' ancient NeXTSTEP and OpenStep systems that evolved into today's macOS.
Some of these unsupported systems rely on driver software created by individual programmers, and setup guides are easy to find online.
Like its rivals, VMware Fusion uses the now-standard emulator interface, with thumbnail images of one or more VMs (emulated systems) displayed in a Virtual Machine Library window.
You can either specify the VM that you want to launch when Fusion opens or select one from the library window.
Again as with other emulator apps, you can run the emulated guest system in a window on the Mac desktop, in full-screen, or with VMware's Unity Mode, which displays a single Windows app from the guest system in a window on the host Mac system.
The same options are available with OS X and macOS guest systems, but Unity mode isn't available in Linux guest systems—a rare instance of a feature that Parallels and VirtualBox support but that VMware now lacks.
For developers, VMware Fusion offers a cornucopia of riches.
Any VMware virtual machine can be used on Windows, Linux, or the Mac, and its configuration can be fine-tuned 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 web site; many more are available from third-party sites.
For Windows and Linux, VMware offers a VMware Workstation Player app that's free for personal use.
This app can't create VMware machines, but it can run existing ones.
Fusion Is Flexible
VMware Fusion won't win any medals for speed, but it ranks first in flexibility, power, and developer-friendly and enterprise-level features.
Home and office users will prefer Parallels Desktop, despite its tendency to clutter up your Mac with menus and features you probably don't want.
Technically adept penny-pinchers will choose the free VirtualBox.
VMware Fusion is an essential tool for developers, IT managers; computer hobbyists; and anyone who prefers solid reliability, buy-once licensing, and software designed to do exactly what you want it to do, no more, no less.
VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop are Editors' Choices for advanced and everyday users, respectively.
Pros
Flexible virtualization solution for expert and professional users.
Reliable performance.
Useful and easily modified default settings.
Official and unofficial support for almost any Intel-based operating system.
View More
The Bottom Line
VMware Fusion is a reliable virtualization solution with deep customization options and integration features for running Windows or almost any other OS on a Mac.
It's slower than competitor Parallels Desktop in testing, but it has a better-balanced feature set.
VMware Fusion is industrial-strength virtualization software for the Mac, in the same way that its sibling Windows app, VMware Workstation, is the industrial-strength emulator for Windows and Linux.
Competitor Parallels Desktop may be the best way for less technical users to run one or more Windows apps on the Mac desktop, but it's also subscription-based, a payment model that many users prefer to avoid.
VMware is an app that you buy once and can use forever.
For IT managers, developers, and for most tech-savvy users, VMware remains the best choice for virtualization on a Mac.
Price and Getting Started
Like Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion comes in two versions: Basic and Pro.
The Basic version, priced at $79.99 ($49.99 upgrade price), lacks the developer-level fine-tuning options in the Pro version, which costs $159.99 ($119.99 upgrade).
A Basic Fusion license works on all the Macs you own; the Pro license works on three Macs.
The Pro version integrates closely with VMware's vSphere cloud-based hypervisor for multiple virtual machines (VM) across a whole enterprise.
To get started with VMware Fusion, you'll probably need an installation USB stick, CD, or disk image for the emulated guest system that you want to install.
Fusion lets you create an emulated system from a disc or disc image, by migrating an existing Windows system across a network (you'll need to install VMware's migration software on the existing system), or by importing a Boot Camp-based system on your Mac.
Unlike Parallels, VMware doesn't offer download links for Windows, Linux, or other systems, so you'll need to acquire these systems on your own.
As with Parallels, when you install Windows you can choose an automated option that asks you for your Windows activation code and your user name.
After you enter that information, Fusion sets up your system without further interaction.
VMware vs.
the Competition
When you launch a newly installed emulated Windows system in VMware Fusion, your experience will be very different from what Parallels users experience, with pros and cons on both sides.
On a high-end 2015 MacBook Pro, VMware took one full minute to boot a Windows 10 guest system, compared to 35 seconds for both Parallels and free competitor VirtualBox.
and VirtualBox boots faster partly because it doesn't set up printing and other integration functions while booting.
VirtualBox is free, open-source software, so it's not surprising that it doesn't offer all the conveniences of its paid competitors.
Parallels boots faster partly because it emulates the Fast Start BIOS option supported by some real PC hardware.
It's also slightly quicker than both VMware and VirtualBox when opening a Windows app after the Windows system boots.
The difference isn't dramatic, but it's usually noticeable.
As for its negative aspects, Parallels starts up with almost every available integration option turned on, even the ones that are more annoying than helpful.
This includes the option that puts shortcuts on the emulated Windows desktop to everything that's on your Mac desktop, even if those Windows-app shortcuts don't actually do anything because of differences between the Windows and Mac file structures.
If all you want to do is run the Windows version of Excel or some Windows-only software like CorelDraw, Parallels makes things easy by automatically setting up your Windows system so that you can print to your Mac-connected printer.
If you're a developer or software-tester, you probably want your Windows system more isolated from your Mac host, and you'll appreciate that VMware expects you to enable printer-sharing and other integration features manually.
You can fine-tune VMware, Parallels, and, to a much lesser degree, VirtualBox to achieve the same levels of integration between a Windows guest and host Mac, but—as an advanced user—I prefer VMware's hands-off style.
For gaming and graphics-intensive apps, VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop both support DirectX 10 graphics, while VirtualBox only goes up to DirectX 9.
This isn't VMware's or Parallels' fault, however, since macOS doesn't support the OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) features required to run DirectX 11 or later.
The only way to get DirectX 11 or 12 graphics on a Mac is to install Windows on a Boot Camp partition.
Emulation and Other Features
Like its rivals, VMware Fusion can run any of a wide variety of emulated guest systems.
Most Mac users will probably use an emulator to run a Windows system—anything from Windows 95 to Windows 10—but you can also run emulated OS X and macOS instances, almost any Linux version, or Solaris, FreeBSD, NetWare, and dozens of other supported systems.
Advanced users can run any of the dozens of systems that aren't officially supported, like IBM's OS/2 or even Steve Jobs' ancient NeXTSTEP and OpenStep systems that evolved into today's macOS.
Some of these unsupported systems rely on driver software created by individual programmers, and setup guides are easy to find online.
Like its rivals, VMware Fusion uses the now-standard emulator interface, with thumbnail images of one or more VMs (emulated systems) displayed in a Virtual Machine Library window.
You can either specify the VM that you want to launch when Fusion opens or select one from the library window.
Again as with other emulator apps, you can run the emulated guest system in a window on the Mac desktop, in full-screen, or with VMware's Unity Mode, which displays a single Windows app from the guest system in a window on the host Mac system.
The same options are available with OS X and macOS guest systems, but Unity mode isn't available in Linux guest systems—a rare instance of a feature that Parallels and VirtualBox support but that VMware now lacks.
For developers, VMware Fusion offers a cornucopia of riches.
Any VMware virtual machine can be used on Windows, Linux, or the Mac, and its configuration can be fine-tuned 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 web site; many more are available from third-party sites.
For Windows and Linux, VMware offers a VMware Workstation Player app that's free for personal use.
This app can't create VMware machines, but it can run existing ones.
Fusion Is Flexible
VMware Fusion won't win any medals for speed, but it ranks first in flexibility, power, and developer-friendly and enterprise-level features.
Home and office users will prefer Parallels Desktop, despite its tendency to clutter up your Mac with menus and features you probably don't want.
Technically adept penny-pinchers will choose the free VirtualBox.
VMware Fusion is an essential tool for developers, IT managers; computer hobbyists; and anyone who prefers solid reliability, buy-once licensing, and software designed to do exactly what you want it to do, no more, no less.
VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop are Editors' Choices for advanced and everyday users, respectively.
Pros
Flexible virtualization solution for expert and professional users.
Reliable performance.
Useful and easily modified default settings.
Official and unofficial support for almost any Intel-based operating system.
View More
The Bottom Line
VMware Fusion is a reliable virtualization solution with deep customization options and integration features for running Windows or almost any other OS on a Mac.
It's slower than competitor Parallels Desktop in testing, but it has a better-balanced feature set.
