VMware Licensing Cost Comparison
Compare legacy VMware perpetual per-socket licensing vs. Broadcom's new per-core subscription model (VCF/VVF). Understand the true TCO impact.
Per-Socket vs Per-Core
VCF & VVF Bundles
1-5 Year TCO
Perpetual vs Subscription
Quick Scenarios
⚙ Environment Configuration
Physical ESXi servers
CPU sockets per server
Physical cores per CPU
Previous VMware licensing tier
New subscription tier
TCO comparison window
SnS / subscription support tier
Broadcom charges min 16 cores/socket
■ Legacy VMware (Perpetual + SnS)
■ Broadcom Subscription (Per-Core)
📈 TCO Comparison Over Time
Annual Cost Visualization
Legacy (Perpetual + SnS)
Broadcom (Subscription)
ⓘ Understanding the Licensing Change
- Old model (Pre-2024): Pay once for perpetual license per CPU socket + annual Support & Subscription (SnS) renewal (~20-25% of license cost). You "own" the license forever.
- New model (Broadcom, 2024+): Subscription-only per physical core. No perpetual option. Minimum 16 cores billed per socket even if CPU has fewer. Two bundles: VCF (full stack) and VVF (vSphere + vSAN only).
- VVF (vSphere Foundation): Includes vSphere Enterprise Plus + vSAN Enterprise. Replaces buying these separately.
- VCF (Cloud Foundation): Includes vSphere + vSAN + NSX + Aria Suite. Full SDDC stack as a single subscription.
- Key impact: Customers with high core-count CPUs (32+ cores) see the biggest cost increase. Customers who already licensed NSX + vSAN separately may find VCF competitive.