Prior to the Broadcom acquisition, VMware announced that Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro would transition to a "Free for Personal Use" model. Under this model, users could use the software for free legally, but commercial use required a paid subscription. This was not a "crack" or a pirated key, but a legitimate shift in the End User License Agreement (EULA).
However, this free version came with significant limitations: vmware free license key
The removal of VMware’s free licenses has catalyzed a mass migration toward Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) alternatives. For users who previously relied on "Free ESXi," viable options have matured significantly. Prior to the Broadcom acquisition, VMware announced that
To understand the current landscape, one must differentiate between the two primary VMware product lines and how they historically handled free licensing. XCP-ng is the open-source version of XenServer
XCP-ng is the open-source version of XenServer. It provides an enterprise-class hypervisor for free, with an optional paid support channel. It offers features comparable to vSphere, such as live migration and pooling, which were historically locked behind expensive VMware licenses.
VMware Workstation Pro (Windows/Linux) and VMware Fusion Pro (macOS). Cost: $0 for all use cases.