oVirt vs VMware Workstation Pro
oVirt
ovirt.org
VMware Workstation Pro
vmware.comSide by side
| Figure | oVirt | VMware Workstation Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Hypervisor Software | 8.6 (#5) | 7.9 (#14) |
| Spec score · Virtual machine software | 8.5 (#6) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Latest release | Version 4.5.7 was released January 13, 2026, adding CentOS and AlmaLinux 10 support, a CVE-2024-7259 fix, Java 21 builds and faster host reconnection. | Workstation Pro 26H1 for Windows is a 64-bit application and adds remote connectivity to ARM-based ESXi servers. |
| Networking | The current homepage identifies OVN networking as a built-in industry-standard foundation. | Workstation supports advanced networking and custom VM configurations. |
| Purpose | oVirt is a free open-source distributed virtualization solution designed to manage enterprise infrastructure. | Workstation lets users run virtual machines, containers, and Kubernetes clusters locally for development, testing, and learning. |
| Virtualization | oVirt uses the KVM hypervisor and is built on community projects including libvirt, Gluster, PatternFly, and Ansible. | The product uses hardware-assisted virtualization to run multiple operating systems on one physical machine, with each VM receiving virtual CPU, memory, and storage. |
Plans
In their own words
oVirt
oVirt is a free, open-source distributed virtualization system for managing enterprise infrastructure. It uses the KVM hypervisor and builds on community projects including libvirt, Gluster, PatternFly, and Ansible. Deployment options include a self-hosted Engine and a standalone Engine; the project recommends the self-hosted option, which runs as a virtual machine on specialized hosts and is highly available without external HA management. Centralized storage holds virtual machine disks, ISO files, and snapshots, with options including NFS, GlusterFS, iSCSI, local storage, Fibre Channel, pNFS, and other POSIX-compliant filesystems. Automation and integration are available through Ansible roles and collections, Python, Java, and Ruby SDKs, and a REST API. The download page identifies version 4.5.7 as intended for production use, with Engine and host support for Enterprise Linux 9 or 10 and CentOS Stream 9 or 10. Installation is by command line. At least one additional host is required for advanced features such as migration and high availability. The project points users to community forums, IRC, and Matrix, and invites contributions.
VMware Workstation Pro
VMware Workstation Pro runs virtual machines, containers, and Kubernetes clusters locally on Windows and Linux hosts for development, testing, and learning. Hardware-assisted virtualization lets it run multiple operating systems on one physical machine, assigning virtual CPU, memory, and storage to each VM. Users can configure virtual networks, create snapshots, and restore those snapshots as rollback points. VM security options include encryption, virtual TPM, and UEFI Secure Boot. Workstation can connect to remote vSphere or ESX servers to manage VMs and physical hosts, and migrate local VMs to a private cloud. VMware identifies developers, IT professionals, students, and enthusiasts as intended users. Workstation Pro is available at no charge for personal, educational, and commercial use, without a subscription or license key. The 26H1 Windows release is a 64-bit application and adds connectivity to ARM-based ESXi servers; it is available through the Broadcom Support Portal. Free product users do not receive Broadcom Global Support Team support and are directed to forums and self-service resources.