Looking for a VMware Fusion alternative
Most people arrive here because of the download experience rather than the software. Worth separating those two before you move a whole VM library.
First: do not switch if this is you
You already have Fusion machines, you need Windows 11 ARM or a wide Linux matrix with snapshots and encryption, and free matters more than polish. It is also the answer if you are on a macOS older than 26, which 1VMTool requires.
1VMTool is an early product. It is deliberately narrower than VMware Fusion, and a narrower tool is only an upgrade when the part it does well is the part you need.
What frustrates people about VMware Fusion
- Obtaining it is genuinely the hard part. The download lives behind the Broadcom support portal with registration and an export-compliance step, and the in-product updater was retired.
- No macOS guests on Apple silicon. This is a documented limitation, so it cannot test Mac installers the way 1VMTool, UTM, Parallels and Tart can.
- Support is not included for new users. Every Pro feature is free, but Broadcom's support organization is not part of that.
- Host-integration features such as Unity mode were removed, and Apple-silicon setup is more manual than the commercial alternatives.
What you gain by moving
- You want a macOS guest on Apple silicon, which Fusion cannot give you.
- You want snapshots that cost nothing, rather than snapshots that work but take time proportional to the disk.
- You would rather download an app than negotiate a vendor support portal.
- You want a native Mac app rather than a cross-platform product with a Mac build.
How they actually differ
| 1VMTool | VMware Fusion | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-time purchase. | Free, including for commercial use. |
| Snapshot mechanism | APFS clone of the disk bundle. Take and restore in well under a millisecond, independent of disk size. | Full snapshot trees and clones, conventional disk-delta implementation. |
| macOS guests | Supported on Virtualization.framework. | Not supported on Apple silicon. |
| Windows on ARM | Experimental first-party engine. | Production, with vTPM and Secure Boot. |
| Command line | 1vm covers every GUI action. | vmrun and vmware-vdiskmanager. Capable, older in style. |
| Getting it installed | Download and drag to Applications. | Broadcom portal, registration and compliance review. |
| Maturity | Early. | Long-established, twice-yearly releases. |
| macOS version floor | macOS 26 or later. | Supports older macOS releases. |
Highlighted cells mark the stronger side of each row. Competitor details checked September 2026 against vendor documentation — pricing and features move, so verify anything decision-critical at the source.
Moving across
- Keep VMware Fusion installed. There is no importer — machine formats do not transfer — so treat this as running both for a while rather than a migration.
- Recreate one machine you actually use in 1VMTool and work in it for a week. One real machine tells you more than a checklist.
- Take a safe point as soon as it is set up, then deliberately break something and restore it. That loop is the reason to switch; test it early.
- Only then decide. If the loop did not change how you work, the honest answer is to stay on VMware Fusion.
Frequently asked questions
Fusion is free — why would I pay for 1VMTool?
If you need Windows 11 ARM that works today, or you already have a library of Fusion machines, you probably would not. 1VMTool is worth it if you want disposable Linux and macOS environments where resetting is cheaper than cleaning — and macOS guests are something Fusion cannot do on Apple silicon at all.
Can Fusion run macOS virtual machines on an M-series Mac?
No. Broadcom documents ARM variants of macOS as unsupported in a Fusion VM. If you need a throwaway macOS environment you need a different tool.
Is Fusion still maintained?
Yes — the current release is 26H1, from May 2026, on a half-year naming cadence, and it is still free for commercial use. Maintained and pleasant to obtain are separate questions, and the second one is where most of the complaints live.
See whether the reset loop changes anything
Every screen states its limits before you commit, so it does not take long to find out.