VMware ESXi, a bare-metal hypervisor, is once again available for free after a period of discontinuation following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware. This reintroduction, although quietly released in update notes, is significant for students, home users, and small businesses seeking to utilize virtualization without incurring costs. The free version of ESXi 8 comes with certain limitations, including restricted CPU and memory usage per VM and the absence of advanced features such as vCenter centralized management and vMotion.

Users can download the free hypervisor from the Broadcom Support portal after creating a free account, following a specific download process for the ISO file. Once installed, the ESXi vSphere Client allows for GUI-based management of the server and virtual machines.

I commend Broadcom for making this valuable tool accessible again, despite previous user frustrations with the acquisition.

You can read more at https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2025/04/18/esxi-is-free-again.aspx