Yes, it’s FREE — but only starting from version 8.0U3e!

After months of speculation following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, we now have clarity — VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) 8.0U3e is officially available for free, directly from Broadcom.

This is massive news for:

• Homelab enthusiasts
• IT professionals training on their own hardware
• vExperts testing integrations and new features
• Small businesses who need a reliable virtualisation platform

Let’s break it down…

What’s New: Free ESXi 8 is Now Real (But ONLY 8.0U3e and Above)

Broadcom has released VMware vSphere Hypervisor 8.0U3e as a free ISO download, complete with a free license key for standalone use.

This version is the first and only one under the new licensing model to be offered for free.
Download File: VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0U3e-24677879.x86_64.iso
Build Number: 24677879
Size: 618.34 MB

Previous ESXi 8 builds (like 8.0U1 or U2) are not available with a free license anymore. Make sure you download 8.0U3e or later.

How to Access the Free ESXi 8.0U3e ISO from Broadcom

Follow these exact steps to access and download:

Step 1: Go to Broadcom’s Support Portal

https://access.broadcom.com/

Step 2: Register for an Account

• Click Sign Up if you’re not already a member.
• After registration, verify your email address before proceeding.

Step 3: Log In and Navigate to “My Downloads”

• Once signed in, click on your profile dropdown and go to My Downloads.

Step 4: Click on “Free Software Downlaod avaliable HERE”

• In the Downloads section, locate and click on Free Software on the left panel.

Step 5: Select “VMware vSphere Hypervisor”

• You will see the latest versions listed here.

Step 6: Download the ISO

• Look for:
• tick on the I agree the Teams and Condictions
• Click into VMware vSphere Hypervisor Relese (ESXi 8.0U3e)
  VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0U3e-24677879.x86_64.iso
• Click download and save it locally.

Step 7: Retrieve Your Free License Key

• Once downloaded, you’ll see a free license key provided on the same page.
• Apply this license after ESXi is installed to unlock the full functionality for a standalone host.

Ideal Use Cases for ESXi 8.0U3e Free Edition

• Studying for VMware certifications (VCP/VCAP)
• Building a home lab to test vSphere 8’s latest features
• Small, non-clustered virtual environments
• Integration and testing by vExperts and developers

Note: This version does not support vCenter Server integration under the free license. It’s designed for standalone ESXi hosts only — perfect for labs or basic setups.

Special Shoutout to the vExpert & Homelab Community

To all the VMware vExperts, bloggers, and tech YouTubers — thank you for continuously sharing updates, workarounds, and guides. Your insights have helped keep the community informed through the Broadcom transition.

This free version is a huge win for us all.

Whether you’re:

• Setting up a low-power Intel NUC or Supermicro node
• Building out a multi-node lab
• Just getting started with virtualisation…

You now have access to VMware’s powerful hypervisor at zero cost.

Final Thoughts

Broadcom has finally provided the community what many feared would disappear — a free tier of ESXi, now under version 8.0U3e. It’s perfect for labs, learning, testing, and lean deployments.

If you’re a CloudBunch customer or a fellow IT pro and want help installing or managing your ESXi lab — from ISO to VM creation to patching and VM backups — we’ve got your back.

Quick Links

• Register or Login: Broadcom Support Portal
• Download Page: After login, go to My Downloads > Free Software > VMware vSphere Hypervisor

Over to You

Are you running a homelab?
Are you planning to upgrade from an older ESXi version?
Tag your favourite #vExpert and let the community know:
ESXi 8.0U3e is FREE — go get it!

VMware has recently announced the General Availability (GA) of vSphere 8, as always we have a lot of new features and a whole new look to the web interface.

You can download the new vSphere 8 now from VMware https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/downloads/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/8_0

As with all the new versions of VMware products VMware raises the bar for the maximum limits and I think in this new release they have outdone themself again. To check out the Maximum values that vSphere 8. I am particularly surprised by the Host’s maximum Logical CPU limit.

You can visit https://configmax.esp.vmware.com/guest?vmwareproduct=vSphere&release=vSphere%208.0&categories=2-0

Let’s have a quick look what’s new.

VMware has introduced a cool new feature Data Processing Unit ( DPU), This is available in the hardware similar to GPU, PCI or any NIC what VMware has done is they are now going to run the hypervisor within the DPU to offload the networking traffic. ( So, we will be having two instances of vSphere on one hardware). The good thing is this is all managed by vSphere and we VMware Adminis, will not behave over the head of upgrading or updating this as it’s going be managed by the Life Cycle Manager.

https://core.vmware.com/resource/whats-new-vsphere-8#sec21112-sub1

Meet the vSphere Distributed Services Engine, this will be working on the DPU Isolation Layer and will be responsible for the Network and Security

We can easily select the option to offload the network traffic by a simple dropdown selection as shown below:

Check out this quick session which gives you a good overview of the vSphere 8