VMware Licensing and Pricing
VCF vs VVF, the 16-Core Minimum and a Free License Calculator
How Broadcom prices VMware now, and what your estate costs at list. Keep VMware hosted by a provider, or move off it: send us your renewal quote and within 24 hours you'll know whether you are overpaying and which paths are worth pricing. We source the one that fits, and the provider pays us, not you.
Get My Free Renewal Review Calculate My License CostVMware licensing under Broadcom, often called Broadcom VMware licensing, works on three rules: everything is a subscription, every physical core is licensed with a minimum of 16 cores per processor, and almost everything is sold inside two bundles, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF). VMware pricing follows from those rules: your cost is billed cores times a per-core rate for the bundle, over the term you sign. Broadcom publishes no price list, but VCF is widely reported at about $350 per core per year and VVF at about $135 to $140. For many estates that adds up to a renewal several times what they paid before, which is why the price you are quoted is worth checking, and worth negotiating with alternatives in hand. If you would rather not own the license at all, a provider can host VMware for you, and we source that too.
Sources: Broadcom, counting cores for VCF and VVF; list prices as widely reported, for example by AceMQ. Figures as of October 2026.
- VMware is sold only as a subscription; perpetual licenses are no longer sold.
- Every physical core is licensed, with a minimum of 16 cores per processor.
- The two main bundles are VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF).
- VCF is widely reported at about $350 per core per year, VVF at about $135 to $140.
- VCF includes 1 TiB of vSAN per core; VVF includes 0.25 TiB per core, rounded up.
- vSphere 8 general support ends on October 11, 2027.
VMware License Calculator
Estimate your VMware license cost in seconds. Enter your hosts and processors to see how many cores Broadcom bills, what that costs at list, how much of the bill pays for cores you do not have, and whether the included vSAN covers your storage. Change the price to match your quote.
Defaults use the widely reported list prices of about $350 per core per year for VCF and about $135 for VVF; Broadcom publishes no price list, and negotiated prices vary. Billing applies the 16-core minimum per processor. vSAN included is 1 TiB per licensed core for VCF and 0.25 TiB per licensed core for VVF, rounded up. An estimate, not a quote.
Host count, cores per host, vSphere version, renewal date and the quote itself.
Whether the quote matches what your estate needs, the alternatives worth pricing, including hosted VMware, and roughly what is at stake.
Firm quotes for other paths are the strongest card in a renewal negotiation, whether you move or stay.
The first read is free. If you go hosted or move, the provider you choose pays us; if you renew, you still pay us nothing.
Renewal in the next six months? Start now. Firm quotes for other paths take weeks to gather, and vSphere 8 support ends in October 2027, so the earlier the alternatives are priced, the more leverage you have.
Get My Free Renewal ReviewOr email your quote to contact@metrocoloadvisory.com
How the VMware Licensing Model Works Now
Subscription only
Perpetual licenses are no longer sold. Every new purchase and renewal is a subscription, typically signed for one to three years, and multi-year terms usually carry a lower price per year.
Per physical core
Every physical core on every licensed host counts, with a minimum of 16 cores per processor. A 12-core CPU is billed as 16.
Two main bundles
VCF and VVF carry almost every VMware capability. Standalone vSphere editions are limited and change often, so check what your reseller can still sell.
vSAN by capacity
Each bundle includes vSAN per licensed core; capacity beyond that is a separate per-TiB add-on.
VCF vs VVF: Which VMware Bundle Do You Need?
VMware vSphere Foundation is the virtualization tier; VMware Cloud Foundation is the full private cloud platform, and vSphere pricing now runs almost entirely through these two bundles. In VVF vs VCF, the dividing line is whether you use network virtualization (NSX), automation and a lot of vSAN.
| vSphere Foundation (VVF) | VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The virtualization tier | The full private cloud platform |
| Includes | vSphere, vSphere Kubernetes Service, VCF Operations and vSAN | Everything in VVF, plus NSX networking, VCF Automation, HCX and operations for networks and fleet management |
| vSAN included | 0.25 TiB per licensed core, rounded up | 1 TiB per licensed core |
| Reported list price | About $135 to $140 per core per year | About $350 per core per year |
| Best for | Estates that need vSphere and modest vSAN, without NSX | Private clouds using NSX, self-service automation and large vSAN capacity |
From Broadcom's VCF and VVF feature comparison and its core-counting guidance, September 2026. Broadcom publishes no per-core list price; the prices shown are as widely reported.
Send the quote and what you actually run. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
What Drives VMware Pricing
Billed core count
Physical cores, raised to 16 per processor. Older hosts with low-core CPUs pay for cores they do not have.
Bundle
VCF or VVF, and whether the features you pay for are features you use.
vSAN capacity
Included capacity per core, and how much more you need as an add-on.
Term length
Multi-year commitments usually lower the yearly rate, in exchange for less room to leave.
Your alternatives
Quotes are opening positions. Buyers with a priced alternative tend to settle lower than buyers without one.
The VMware Price Increase: What Customers Report
The VMware price increase varies by estate, but the reported range is wide, and it comes from three changes landing together: subscription pricing, bundling and the core minimum.
Figures as reported by Gartner, in AT&T's court filings and by CISPE. Your increase depends on core counts, bundle and negotiation.
Customers who licensed only the hypervisor saw the steepest rises, because the bundles include products they never bought before. Estates on older hardware were hit twice, by the bundle and by the core minimum. See VMware alternatives for the paths away from it.
A Worked Example: The 16-Core Minimum at Renewal
A company runs 10 hosts, each with two 12-core processors: 240 physical cores, billed as 320. The figures use the widely reported list prices and are illustrative.
| VCF at about $350 per core | VVF at about $135 per core | |
|---|---|---|
| Today's hosts320 cores billed | About $112,000 a year | About $43,200 a year |
| Paid for cores that do not exist80 cores | About $28,000 a year | About $10,800 a year |
| Consolidated onto 5 denser hosts240 cores billed | About $84,000 a year | About $32,400 a year |
The minimum is pure waste
A quarter of the bill on today's hosts pays for cores that do not exist.
The bundle matters more
On the same hosts, VCF costs about $69,000 a year more than VVF. If you do not use NSX or automation, that is the first number to challenge.
New hardware opens every path
Consolidation needs new servers. Once you are buying hardware, the same money could fund another platform or a private cloud contract instead. See VMware alternatives.
Send your host count, cores per processor and renewal date. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
VMware Perpetual Licenses and VMware Audits
Perpetual licenses: Broadcom no longer sells them, and support renewals on existing perpetual licenses have largely ended. They keep running, but without new support contracts, patches and upgrades generally require moving to a subscription. For estates on vSphere 7, whose general support ended on October 2, 2025, that decision is already overdue.
VMware audits: reports since 2025 describe Broadcom sending compliance letters to customers running VMware without an active subscription, including over updates installed after support ended. Keep an accurate record of hosts, processors and cores, and treat the renewal as the moment to get the count right.
How to Lower a VMware Renewal
VMware Hosting Providers: Keep VMware Without Owning the License
Not every estate needs to leave VMware. With hosted VMware, a provider runs vSphere on its own hardware in its own data centers, and you pay one monthly rate for the hosts, the platform and its management. Depending on the provider, the VMware licensing is included in that rate or brought from your own subscription. Your virtual machines stay on VMware, so the move is usually simpler than changing platforms.
When it fits
You want to stay on VMware, your hosts are due for replacement, and you would rather not buy new servers to run a renewal you already dislike.
What changes
No hardware to buy or refresh, and one monthly bill instead of a license renewal plus servers, space and power.
What to check
Term length, what the rate includes, whether the license is included or yours, and where the data sits. Broadcom cut its authorized cloud providers sharply in 2025, so which ones still sell it matters.
Send your host count and renewal date. We price hosted VMware next to your renewal, and the provider you choose pays us. You'll hear back within 24 hours.
How We Help With a VMware Renewal
You send the outline
Host count, cores per host, vSphere version, renewal date and the quote. You'll hear back within 24 hours, at no cost.
We check the quote
Billed cores, bundle and vSAN against what your estate actually needs.
We price the alternatives
Firm quotes for the same estate on other platforms and providers: hosted VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix, Proxmox, managed private cloud, bare metal or colocation.
You decide with leverage
Renew on better terms with your licensing specialist, or go hosted or move, and we place it. The provider you choose pays us. How a data center broker works.
Renewal coming up? Send the quote for a free review. You’ll hear back within 24 hours, and it costs you nothing.
Get My Free Renewal ReviewFrequently Asked Questions
How does VMware licensing work now?
Under Broadcom, VMware is sold only as a subscription, licensed per physical core with a minimum of 16 cores per processor, and almost entirely inside two bundles: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF). Your cost is billed cores times the per-core rate for the bundle, over the term you sign.
How much does VMware cost per core?
Broadcom publishes no price list. VMware Cloud Foundation is widely reported at about $350 per core per year and vSphere Foundation at about $135 to $140, before negotiation. Multi-year terms usually lower the yearly rate, and buyers with priced alternatives tend to settle below list.
What is the difference between VCF and VVF?
VVF is the virtualization tier: vSphere, vSphere Kubernetes Service, VCF Operations and 0.25 TiB of vSAN per core. VCF is the full private cloud platform, adding NSX networking, VCF Automation, HCX and 1 TiB of vSAN per core. At reported list prices, VCF costs about 2.6 times VVF per core.
What is VMware vSphere Foundation?
VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) is Broadcom's virtualization bundle, combining vSphere with vSphere Kubernetes Service, VCF Operations and vSAN at 0.25 TiB per licensed core. It is the usual fit for estates that need vSphere without NSX, and it is widely reported at about $135 to $140 per core per year.
How much does VMware Cloud Foundation cost?
About $350 per core per year at the widely reported list price, with every physical core licensed and a minimum of 16 cores per processor. A 10-host estate with two 12-core processors per host is billed 320 cores, about $112,000 a year at list.
What is the VMware 16-core minimum?
Every processor is billed for at least 16 cores, even if it has fewer. A host with two 12-core processors is billed as 32 cores, not 24, so older hardware with low-core CPUs pays for cores that do not exist. Consolidating onto denser hosts removes that waste.
Is there a 72-core minimum for VMware?
Partners were told of a 72-core minimum per order in April 2025, and it is widely reported. Broadcom has said it never announced a change, and its published terms still set the floor at 16 cores per processor. Check how many cores your own quote bills.
How much vSAN is included with VCF and VVF?
VCF includes 1 TiB of vSAN raw capacity per licensed core. VVF includes 0.25 TiB per licensed core, rounded up to the next TiB. Capacity beyond that is bought as a per-TiB add-on, and the calculator on this page shows whether your included capacity covers your storage.
Can I still buy a VMware perpetual license?
No. Broadcom stopped selling perpetual licenses, and support renewals on existing perpetual licenses have largely ended. Perpetual licenses keep running, but without new support contracts, patches and upgrades generally require moving to a subscription.
Why did my VMware renewal increase so much?
Three changes landed together: subscription pricing, bundles that include products you may not have bought before, and the 16-core minimum per processor. Estates that licensed only the hypervisor, or that run older low-core hardware, saw the steepest increases.
How can I reduce my VMware renewal cost?
Bill fewer cores by consolidating onto denser hosts, choose the bundle you actually use, check how much vSAN you need, weigh term length, and above all bring priced alternatives to the negotiation. A credible quote for another path is the strongest leverage, even if you renew.
Is there a VMware license calculator?
Yes, on this page. Enter hosts, processors per host and cores per processor to see billed cores, annual cost at list or at your quoted price, the cost of cores you do not have, and whether the included vSAN covers your storage.
What happens when vSphere 8 support ends?
vSphere 8 general support ends on October 11, 2027, after which there are no new patches or fixes. Staying supported means moving to vSphere 9, which is sold only inside the subscription bundles, so the date is effectively the deadline for your licensing and platform decision.
Does Broadcom audit VMware licenses?
Reports since 2025 describe Broadcom sending compliance letters to customers running VMware without an active subscription. Keep an accurate record of hosts, processors and cores, and do not install updates you are not entitled to.
Can a provider host VMware for us?
Yes. A VMware hosting provider runs vSphere on its own hardware in its own data centers for one monthly rate, with the licensing included or brought from your own subscription, depending on the provider. Broadcom cut its authorized cloud providers sharply in 2025, so check that a provider is still authorized. We price hosted VMware next to your renewal at no cost to you.
Do you negotiate VMware licenses?
We source what hosts or replaces the license: hosted VMware, managed private cloud, other platforms, bare metal and colocation, priced on your estate at no cost to you. Those firm quotes are what give a renewal negotiation its weight. The license negotiation itself is between you and Broadcom or your licensing specialist.
Get Your Free VMware Renewal Review
Send the quote with your host count, cores per host, vSphere version and renewal date. You'll hear back within 24 hours, with the paths worth pricing, including hosted VMware, and roughly what is at stake. If renewing is the right answer, we will tell you that.
Start months before your renewal date, not weeks. The first read and any placement cost you nothing.
Leaving VMware: VMware alternatives, Nutanix vs VMware, Proxmox vs VMware, Hyper-V vs VMware, hosted VMware and private cloud providers, bare metal and wholesale colocation.
The cost decision: FinOps consulting, cloud repatriation, the data center cost guide and the cloud versus colocation calculator.
Planning the move: the data center migration guide, compliance, data center consulting and how a data center broker works.
