If you need a virtual machine (VM) on your Apple silicon or Intel Mac, VMware Fusion Pro is a versatile choice. It allows you to set up and use a Linux, macOS, or Windows guest system at no cost. We especially like that any Intel-based VMs you create on compatible Macs also run on Windows and Linux devices. A flexible set of admin controls round out the experience. That said, the paid Parallels Desktop remains our Editors’ Choice winner among virtualization software because it better integrates your host and guest OS (especially for Apple silicon systems) and works noticeably faster.
What’s the Difference Between Fusion Pro and Workstation Pro?
VMware’s Fusion Pro (the version I reviewed) is for running VMs on macOS machines. Workstation Pro (also free) is for running VMs on Windows or Linux computers. They otherwise work similarly. VMware no longer offers the Fusion Player or Workstation Player apps.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
How Much Does Fusion Pro Cost?
VMware Fusion Pro is now free for personal or non-commercial use. This version provides network customization and simulation features, along with the option to connect to VMware’s cloud-based hypervisor tool, vSphere. You can also encrypt or clone a VM. Corporate users need to contact the company for pricing.
A permanent license for the Standard Edition of Parallels Desktop costs $129.99. Subscription pricing ranges from $99.99 to $149.99 per year for continuous updates and more features.
Similar Products
Oracle VM VirtualBox for Mac
Oracle’s open-source VirtualBox is a free alternative, but it’s slower and far clumsier than both Fusion Pro and Parallels Desktop. Another option is an open-source UTM emulator, which, if you’re willing to live with molasses-level speeds, uniquely lets you run ARM-based OSes on Intel-based Macs and Intel-based OSes on Apple silicon Macs. These apps are suitable if you are a hobbyist but not if you have serious work to do.
Whichever emulator you choose, you need to purchase a license for Windows (if that’s the OS you want to run). Windows 11 Home and Pro licenses cost $139 and $199, respectively. Just keep in mind that virtualization isn’t your sole option for running Windows apps.
What Platforms Does Fusion Pro Support?
Fusion Pro is primarily for using Windows-only apps on your Mac (it supports everything from Windows 95 to Windows 11). However, it can also run almost any Linux distro, FreeBSD, macOS, older Intel-based OS X versions, NetWare, and Solaris.
Advanced users can even set up dozens of other systems without official support, such as IBM’s OS/2 or even Steve Jobs’ ancient NeXTSTEP and Openstep. These tend to rely on driver software from 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.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
VMware’s software didn’t support Apple silicon machines the last time I reviewed it, but the current version can run the ARM-based version of Windows 11 on such systems. Although the company’s early attempts were frustrating to use, the latest version is more reliable.
Parallels Desktop supports all the same platforms as Fusion Pro and is also available for ChromeOS (this version supports Windows VMs). VirtualBox, which is available for Intel-based Windows, macOS, and Linux machines, helps you create VMs that run Windows and Linux distros.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
For gaming and graphics-intensive apps, both Fusion Pro and Parallels Desktop support DirectX 11, but not DirectX 12. VirtualBox works with DirectX 9 but nothing later. If you have an Intel-based Mac, you can get DirectX 12 graphics by installing Windows on a Boot Camp partition. Just be aware that most recent versions of macOS barely support this method.
Getting Started With Fusion Pro
VMware Fusion Pro gives you several ways to create a Linux, macOS, or Windows VM. If you want to set up a Windows guest system on either your Apple silicon or Intel Mac, the easiest method is to navigate to File > New, click the “Get Windows from Microsoft” button, and then follow the prompts.
You can also easily set up a VM from a disk image file or USB drive with the OS of your choice. In testing, I had no problem creating a virtual Linux machine from ARM-based installation media. Additionally, Fusion Pro’s advanced installation options let you install an emulated Mac system from your Mac’s recovery partition.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
I tried installing Windows via the menu option on both an Apple silicon and an Intel Mac. For the former, you have to go through all the steps of installing Windows on actual PC hardware. Parallels Desktop automatically performs the whole installation on the same hardware. On Intel Macs, Fusion Pro offers an automated installation process that requires just your Windows activation code and a username. This method also installs VMware Tools, which enables you to share clipboard data, files, and printers between the VM and the host machine. On an Apple silicon Mac, you have to manually install this program.
On Intel Macs only, Fusion Pro can migrate an existing Windows machine across a network or by importing a Boot Camp-based system (if you still have one) from your Mac.
Integrations
When you create a Windows 11 VM on an Apple silicon Mac, you can enable drag-and-drop file transfers via the Settings menu, along with the ability to copy and paste between the two system’s clipboards. Both experiences seem buggy. I sometimes had to try two or three times to copy files across systems, and dragging and dropping files to the Windows desktop was especially unreliable. Dragging files into a folder in Windows Explorer instead of the desktop helped somewhat, but these integrations clearly need more work.
Everything seems smoother on an Intel Mac. When you create a Windows VM on these devices, you get two setup options. With the first choice, files on your Mac desktop and other standard folders appear with their original names on the Windows guest system. With the second option, your VM and macOS system won’t share desktop files and documents, though you can still drag files between them.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
I strongly recommend the second option unless you’re certain you need to open files on your Mac with apps on your Windows system (or vice versa) because VMware’s desktop integration is buggy. For instance, files and folders from your Mac desktop might respectively appear as unopenable and unknown on the Windows VM. You can always enable this feature later if you want.
On Intel systems especially, prepare for VMware to pop up various confusing messages. One message, for example, declares that you’re running a guest system “with side channel mitigations enabled” and that you can get better performance by disabling them in the app’s settings. Unfortunately, you have to shut down the guest system before you can change that option, and it’s an easy thing to forget to do. If you want the best possible performance out of Fusion Pro, prepare to spend a lot of time tweaking settings.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
How Does Fusion Pro Work?
Like Parallels and VirtualBox, VMware Fusion Pro lets you run a VM in a window or in full-screen mode. If you are using a Windows VM on an Intel-based Mac, you can use VMware’s Unity mode, which opens one or more Windows apps in dedicated windows on your Mac desktop. These look just like any other apps.
Unity mode isn’t available for macOS or Linux guest systems and doesn’t work on Apple silicon machines. Parallels Desktop’s equivalent Coherence feature doesn’t have any of those limitations. Even VirtualBox’s similar Seamless feature is available for macOS and Linux VMs.
VMware Fusion Pro doesn’t clutter your macOS desktop and dock as much as Parallels Desktop can, depending on your settings. Launch a Windows app via its Coherence feature, for instance, and a shortcut to that app appears on the Mac desktop. Parallels Desktop also automatically adds Windows apps to your Mac’s dock. With Fusion Pro, you get to decide which Windows apps to place there.
(Credit: VMware/PCMag)
Like competitors, Fusion Pro has a Snapshot feature that enables you to restore a VM to an earlier state. This is helpful if you simply want to see how a new app runs without committing to installing it permanently.
Parallels Desktop’s Pro and Business versions offer a similar capability that goes one step further. With its Rollback Mode, you can configure a VM to revert to its prior state every time it starts up, much like a hardware kiosk.
VMware Fusion Pro offers many tools for developers. In addition to its support for VMware-managed VMs on Linux, macOS, and Windows devices, admins can fine-tune configurations to emulate almost any combination of old and new hardware. Reliable, robust networking is also available for almost all emulated systems. Additionally, you can download hundreds of prebuilt VMware applications from the VMware Marketplace, along with many more from third-party sites.
How Fast Is Fusion Pro?
On my Apple silicon MacBook Air, Fusion Pro required 19 seconds to boot a Windows 11 guest system and 8 seconds to resume the system after I suspended it. A Parallels Desktop VM on the same machine took 18 seconds to boot Windows 11 but just 2 seconds to resume from suspension. To save time, I always suspend guest Windows systems instead of shutting them down; I’ve never had any problems restarting them at will.
Although Fusion Pro and Parallels Desktop take a similar amount of time to boot a Windows system on Apple silicon, Parallels feels faster in operation. Subjectively, Windows 11 via Parallels on Apple silicon feels faster than running Windows 11 natively on my Intel i7 PC.
On a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro, Fusion Pro took 37 seconds to boot a Windows 11 guest system to the desktop and 12 seconds to resume the system after suspending it. On the same machine, a Parallels Desktop VM booted in a slightly faster 29 seconds and resumed in just three seconds. Meanwhile, VirtualBox reached the Windows 11 desktop in 31 seconds. At least part of the performance difference is because Parallels Desktop emulates the Fast Startup BIOS option that some PC hardware supports. It also opens apps more quickly once you reach the desktop; the difference isn’t dramatic but is usually noticeable.
Verdict: Free and Versatile Virtualization
VMware Fusion Pro offers lots of flexibility for developers and enterprise users, and we especially like that it’s now free for personal and non-commercial use. It also accommodates Apple silicon Macs better than before, though the virtualization experience is still smoother on Intel-based host systems. Overall, Parallels Desktop remains our Editors’ Choice winner for emulation software because of its more seamless compatibility with Apple silicon devices and unmatched performance.
Pros
Cons
The Bottom Line
VMware Fusion Pro lets you run a variety of virtual systems on all modern macOS machines and has enterprise-friendly management features, but it could be faster.
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About Edward Mendelson
