The VMware renewal shock calculator
Broadcom replaced perpetual licenses with per-core subscriptions. Enter your hosts and see your new annual bill, and what leaving vSphere could save, in about ten seconds.
Most of this recurring cost disappears if you move to an open hypervisor. See what each path actually costs and how to migrate:
Illustrative estimate using widely-reported per-core list pricing, not a vendor quote. Real pricing depends on your bundle, term, and negotiation; confirm with Broadcom or an authorized partner. VMware licenses physical cores with a 16-core-per-CPU minimum.
Why renewals jumped
What changed when Broadcom took over VMware, the reasons behind the bill on this page.
- Perpetual licenses were retired, it's subscription-only now, billed annually.
- 160+ products were collapsed into a handful of bundles (VVF and VCF), so you buy more than you used.
- Pricing moved to per physical core, with a 16-core minimum billed per CPU.
- Widely-reported renewal increases of 3–10×, the reason this calculator exists.
Frequently asked
Why did my VMware bill go up so much?
After Broadcom acquired VMware it ended perpetual licensing, collapsed 160+ products into a few subscription bundles (VVF and VCF), and moved to per-core pricing with a 16-core-per-CPU minimum. Many customers have publicly reported 3–10× increases at renewal.
How is VMware licensed now?
Per physical CPU core, sold as an annual (or multi-year) subscription, with a minimum of 16 cores billed per CPU even if the CPU has fewer. This calculator multiplies your hosts × CPUs × cores (16-core floor) by a per-core list price.
How accurate is this number?
It is an illustrative estimate using widely-reported list prices, not a vendor quote. Your real figure depends on the bundle (VVF vs VCF), term length, and negotiation. Use it to gauge the scale of the increase, then model your specific case in the full calculator.
What can I migrate VMware to?
The common destinations are Proxmox VE, XCP-ng, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Nutanix AHV. Each has a different effort and cost profile, OffVendor ranks them by migration effort and models the 3-year total cost for your estate.