Your digital life will thank you.
software, the situation is different. This version was released over a decade ago and reached its end of support years ago.
Starting with the release of and ESXi 9.0 in June 2025, VMware officially retired perpetual license keys. vmware 9 license key new
If you are looking for free virtualization software, there is no need to use outdated or illegal versions of VMware 9. Better, safer alternatives exist:
All modern VMware products (vSphere, vCloud Suite, vSAN, etc.) are now sold strictly on a per-core subscription model. Standard subscription terms are typically 1, 3, or 5 years. Core-Based Licensing Rules Your digital life will thank you
is the focus, moving away from legacy key management. License file approach replaces individual, scattered keys. 90-day evaluation is available for new users.
VMware Cloud Foundation 9 and VMware VCF Foundation (VVF) 9 are sold as subscriptions. Upon purchasing or upgrading, your licenses are tied to your account in the Broadcom Support Portal. 2. Accessing the License File Starting with the release of and ESXi 9
There is no "ESXi 9" yet. The current major release version is vSphere 8. However, people often confuse VMware Virtual Hardware Version 9 (vmx-09) —which was introduced with ESXi 5.1—with the core software version.
If you need a completely open-source solution, VirtualBox 7.x is free, actively maintained, and supports all modern guest operating systems.
If your infrastructure absolutely demands VMware Workstation 9 due to specific legacy host/guest OS constraints, you must proceed with extreme caution. Running unpatched, legacy hypervisors exposes your local environment to severe technical risks: Host and Guest Compatibility Failures