Feed aggregator

VMware Workstation Pro is often included among the best virtual machine software, particularly for users who prioritize stability, performance, and flexibility. Its long-standing presence in professional and enthusiast environments makes it a strong alternative to more basic free tools, especially for those who need a more consistent and feature-rich virtualization experience.

VMware Workstation Pro: Plans and pricing

VMware Workstation Pro is now available free of charge, marking a significant shift from its previous licensing model. While earlier 2024 releases limited free access to personal use, subsequent updates expanded availability to a broader range of users, including commercial and educational environments.

The full Pro feature set is accessible without a license fee, although this comes with a trade-off. Free users do not receive direct technical support, and organizations that require guaranteed service levels must rely on enterprise agreements and support subscriptions.

VMware Workstation Pro: Features

(Image credit: VMWare // Future)

VMware Workstation Pro provides a comprehensive set of virtualization features designed for both development and testing scenarios. It supports a wide range of guest operating systems, including multiple versions of Windows and Linux, and allows users to allocate CPU cores, memory, and storage resources with a high degree of control.

Core functionality includes snapshots and cloning, enabling users to save system states and replicate virtual machines for testing or backup purposes. Networking capabilities are particularly strong, with support for NAT, bridged, and custom virtual network configurations, making it suitable for more advanced lab environments.

The platform also supports hardware-assisted virtualization and offers stable compatibility with modern operating systems, allowing users to run multiple environments in parallel without major limitations. These capabilities also make it a practical option for testing and sandboxing different environments, particularly when working with software that requires isolation from the host system.

VMware Workstation Pro also supports more advanced use cases, including running multiple virtual machines simultaneously and configuring more complex testing environments. This makes it particularly suitable for developers and IT professionals who need to simulate real-world scenarios across different systems.

VMware Workstation Pro: Interface and use

(Image credit: VMWare // Future)

VMware Workstation Pro uses a structured and relatively modern interface, with a central workspace for managing virtual machines and clearly organized configuration menus. Compared to more basic tools, the layout feels more polished and consistent, making it easier to navigate once familiar with the workflow.

Setting up a new virtual machine is a guided process, with predefined profiles for common operating systems that simplify configuration. In most cases, the platform automatically detects installation media and suggests appropriate settings, reducing the need for manual adjustments.

Once a virtual machine is running, interaction is smooth and responsive, with reliable mouse integration and display handling. Everyday tasks such as starting, pausing, or cloning machines are easily accessible, although the overall experience may still feel slightly complex for users without prior virtualization experience.

Accessing the software has become slightly more complicated than before, as downloads are now handled through the Broadcom support portal. This requires account registration and navigation through a less intuitive interface, which may feel unnecessary for a tool that is otherwise free to use.

VMware Workstation Pro: Performance

(Image credit: VMWare // Future)

In use, VMware Workstation Pro delivers a more consistent and responsive experience than many free alternatives. Virtual machines generally boot quickly and remain stable under typical workloads, particularly when running common Linux distributions or standard Windows environments.

Resource management is handled efficiently, allowing multiple virtual machines to run in parallel without significant slowdowns on capable hardware. While performance will always depend on the host system, VMware tends to make better use of available resources compared to simpler virtualization tools.

Graphics handling is generally more reliable than in many free alternatives, although the platform is not intended for demanding graphical workloads.

In longer sessions, VMware Workstation Pro tends to remain stable, even when running multiple virtual machines or switching between workloads. This consistency is one of its key advantages, particularly for users who rely on virtualization as part of their daily workflow rather than occasional testing.

However, the platform is not lightweight. Running multiple virtual machines or more demanding workloads can place noticeable strain on CPU and memory resources, making it less suitable for lower-end systems.

VMware Workstation Pro: Support

VMware Workstation Pro benefits from extensive documentation and a large user community, making it relatively easy to find guidance for most common issues. Official support is available through VMware’s enterprise channels, although it is primarily aimed at business users and paid support agreements.

For individual users, most troubleshooting relies on community forums, knowledge bases, and third-party resources. While this is sufficient for many scenarios, it may not match the level of direct support offered by some commercial alternatives.

VMware Workstation Pro: The competition

(Image credit: VMWare // Future)

VMware Workstation Pro operates in a competitive space that includes both free and commercial virtualization tools. Oracle VM VirtualBox remains the most direct free alternative, offering similar core functionality but with a less polished interface and more inconsistent performance.

Compared to VirtualBox, VMware Workstation Pro offers a more refined and stable experience, although it demands more system resources and may feel less accessible to beginners. VirtualBox remains a strong option for users who prioritize simplicity and open-source flexibility, but it often requires more manual configuration.

On macOS systems, Parallels Desktop continues to lead due to its tight system integration and ease of use, particularly for users who want a near-native experience when running Windows applications. VMware’s own Fusion product serves a similar role, although it typically appeals more to technical users.

Overall, VMware Workstation Pro positions itself as a middle ground, combining the accessibility of free tools with a level of polish and consistency that is closer to commercial solutions.

VMWare Workstation Pro: Final Verdict

VMware Workstation Pro remains one of the most mature desktop virtualization platforms available, combining strong performance with a well-structured and feature-rich environment. The move to a free model makes it significantly more accessible, while its overall experience continues to feel more polished than many competing tools. It may not be the simplest option for beginners, but for users who need stability and flexibility, it stands out as a reliable choice.

Watch free streams for Jakub Mensik vs Alexander Zverev in the French Open 2026 semifinal – Roland-Garros tennis TV channels, broadcasters and streams.

Plus, Serena Williams, Peabo Bryson, Kalshi and United Airlines make an appearance. Have you been paying attention?

Collecting Panini stickers is a World Cup tradition beloved in Europe and Latin America. In the U.S., interest has been building steadily, and this summer, the buzz is bigger than ever.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

After a major Supreme Court ruling, state-level voting rights acts and redistricting strategies in Democratic-led states are among the limited ways left for protecting racial-minority voters' power.

(Image credit: Mike Stewart)

Scientists are building autonomous robotic labs powered by artificial intelligence. The goal, they say, is for these robots to take over human researchers' most laborious, time-consuming tasks.

(Image credit: Jodi Hilton for NPR)

For a smooth, rewarding and drama-free couples trip, take as much stress out of the equation as you can — and get comfortable with the fact that a fight may arise (and that's OK).

A new NPR/Ipsos poll shows many teachers are using AI to save time, but a majority are also worried the technology is making it harder for students to learn to think for themselves.

Manufacturing leaders are obsessing over AI’s potential while overlooking the operational realities on factory floors.

AI systems inherit decades-old security flaws many organizations still fail to address consistently.

Senate Republicans worked overnight to try to pass ICE funding, Trump's agenda tests the limits of some lawmakers' support, John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified information.

I love my Ray-Ban smart glasses, but creeps are disabling a major safety feature, and now I’m worried they’ll get banned.

Ninja's new French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven is super versatile, but be warned that it cooks so fast, you'll need to keep an eye on your dinner.

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: one-minute review

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven is an efficient and flexible cooking appliance. It has 10 cook modes: Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Broil, Reheat, Dehydrate, Toast, and Bagel. You can quickly cook or heat up just about anything you can fit into its extra-large cooking area.

It pre-heats in seconds, and cooks your food faster than you would expect. Obviously we like fast-working appliances, but it also means you need to keep an eye on your food as it cooks. You can't just follow the directions on the prepared food box and walk away; I found that this appliance cooked some frozen items faster than the box directions indicated.

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven uses "Cyclonic Air Technology." It does allow for speedy all-over cooking and eliminates the need to rotate your food mid-cycle that many air fryer require. However, if you like to put foil and/or parchment paper down on your cook tray, make sure it's anchored down with food on all four corners. Otherwise, it will go flying up into the upper heat elements. Ask me how I know that.

Overall, I was very happy with the The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven. While some parts of the foods got blackened while other parts remained pale, the difference wasn't enough to affect taste. Everything I made came out delicious.

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: price and availability

• List price: From $279.99 (about £210 / AU$420)
• Only available in the US, unless imported

The The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven is available at many major retailers both online and in stores. Find it at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Crate & Barrel, Ninja's own website, and more. It starts at $279.99 (about £210 / AU$420) but is currently only available in the US unless your import it.

The stainless steel version retails for $279.99 while the other shades are $20 more. It comes in four colors: Stone and Gold (mostly gold,) Black (with rose gold hardware,) Stainless Steel (as seen in my photos,) and Cyberspace (dark gray with gold hardware.)

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: specifications

Price

$279.99 (about £210 / AU$390)

Cooking functions:

Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Broil, Reheat, Dehydrate, Toast, and Bagel

Size (H x W x D)

13.5 x 15.8 x 16.5 inches / 34.3 x 40.1 x 41.9cm

Weight:

22.77lbs / 10.33kg

Accessories included:

5qt air fry basket, sheet pan, broil rack, recipe booklet

Color options:

Stone and Gold, Black, Stainless Steel, and Cyberspace

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: design and features

• French doors open easily with one hand
• Spacious interior fits a pizza or whole chicken
• Simple, intuitive controls

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven looks great on the counter. The French doors give it a more upscale look and the control dials are simple and uncluttered. I feared that French doors would require two-handed opening, but that's not the case. The doors work in tandem, so pulling or pushing either door handle moves both doors. The doors are glass, and there is a lightbulb inside, so you can easily see what's cooking.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The power button is on the top left side of the control panel. On the right, a large dial spins to select mode, time, and temperature. Press that same dial to start and stop cooking. Next to the dial are four buttons: Temp/Shade, Mode, Time/Slices, and the light bulb.

The rest of the control panel is black when not in use, but lights up when you turn the oven on. It shows all of the cooking modes (Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Broil, Reheat, Dehydrate, Toast, and Bagel) and pertinent information for your current mode. For example, when you're toasting, the panel shows the number of slices and the shade you've chosen. If you're using one of the oven or air fry modes, the panel shows the time and temperature.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven does take up a fair bit of counter space, but since it replaces both a toaster oven and an air fryer, I didn't mind. It's quite spacious inside, it easily fits my favorite frozen pizza and could fit a modestly-sized chicken. Included accessories are a five-quart air fry basket, sheet pan, broil rack, and a recipe booklet. The interior cooking rack can be moved up or down to accommodate your desired foods. According to Ninja, the cooking surfaces do not contain PFAS. The crumb tray at the bottom is removable for easy cleaning.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven preheats in just 90 seconds and heats up to 450F / 232C. It cooks with cyclonic air, which does a couple of things. First of all, it cooks your food all over without you having to move your food around mid-cycle like you do with many air fryers. According to Ninja, the oven cooks up to 60% faster than conventional ovens and you can use 75% less fat than traditional frying in air fry mode.

This cyclonic air feature also means that if you like to place parchment paper or aluminum foil on your bake tray, you must use caution. The cyclonic air will suck it up into the heating element if you don't have it fully weighed down with food at every edge. Yes, I found that out the hard way. Luckily I was standing close by and cut the power before it caught fire.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven performance

I tested many of the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven's cooking modes. I had to start with toast, of course. You can adjust for the number of slices and the shade you like, so it's easy to have toast exactly the way you like it. It does take some trial and error. I first did a single slice at level three and got one very dark edge. Later, I did two slices at level four and they both came out perfect.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I tested out Air Fry mode with a number of different foods. I made frozen French fries according to the package instructions (though I did end up adding a little more time) and they came out just right, crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Another time, I made frozen crinkle French fries. There were some very dark spots, but they tasted quite good.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I also made some sweet potato fries from scratch in Air Fry mode. They don't look pretty, they are covered with dark spots, but I like them that way. They were delicious, nice and soft on the inside. I wouldn't say they were super crisp on the outside, but I barely used any oil. The more oil you use, the crisper your food turns out.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made tofu in Air Fry mode, with just a simple baking soda coating. It turned out beautifully, nice and crispy on the outside and soft inside.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made frozen veggies several times, in a number of different modes including both Air Fry and Air Roast mode. I find that the 'air' modes dried out the frozen vegetables a bit, which was what I wanted. Frozen veggies can be quite soggy when cooked in other ways, and I was very happy with how they turned out.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I also made a one-pan meal in Air Roast mode. This included a veggie burger, frozen vegetables, and fresh vegetables. This came out great and only took 15 minutes.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I didn't roast a whole chicken, but I did make a couple of chicken breasts in Whole Roast mode. They came out perfectly, nice and juicy, and I can't think of an easier and faster way to make chicken breasts.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made frozen pizza in Pizza mode. The first time, I followed the box instructions without watching, and it cooked so fast that it was nearly black at the end (though not too burnt to eat.) The second time, I watched it more closely and stopped it before the time the box indicated. This time it came out great. It's a bit dark around the edges, but it's a big, thick pizza and it was perfectly cooked in the center.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made some very simple 'bagels' in Bake mode. The dough is just Greek yogurt and self-rising flour. These came out amazing — golden brown on the outside and fluffy inside.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I tried out Reheat mode on two different restaurant leftovers: chicken parmesan and a quesadilla. Both reheated beautifully in just five minutes, without getting burnt or dried out at all.

Karen Freeman / FutureKaren Freeman / Future

I was continually surprised by how quickly the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven cooked a variety of foods. While some foods did get a bit blackened around the edges, they never tasted burnt. Everything I made was thoroughly cooked in the middle and tasted great.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven?Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven report card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

This is fairly pricey countertop appliance, though it does replace a toaster oven and air fryer.

4/5

Design

It looks nice enough on the counter and the controls are intuitive to use.

4.5/5

Performance

Baking, cooking, reheating, toasting, and air frying has never been faster or easier.

4.5/5

Overall

You do need to keep an eye on your food, but overall, I was impressed by its speed and efficiency.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You want to save counter space

While the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven does have a fairly large footprint, it eliminates the need for a separate countertop oven, toaster, and air fryer.

You want delicious food, fast

I kept being surprised by how quickly the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven cooked both prepared foods and food from scratch.

You want to cook with less oil

You can make traditionally fried foods with little or even no oil.

Don't buy it if

You're on a tight budget

You could get a traditional toaster oven plus a dedicated air fryer for a lot less money than this one appliance.

You prefer dedicated appliances

Some people really just prefer a stand-alone air fryer and a separate toaster or toaster oven.

You don't have room

This isn't the sort of appliance you can take on and off your counter to store away when not in use. It's a bit big and unwieldy for that.

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: also consider

If the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven isn't for you, here are some other options you might consider.

Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer

Another all-in-one appliance you might like is the Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer. As the name implies, you can cook two separate items in different chambers at the same time.

Learn more in our full Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer review

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer

Are you more of a dedicated air fryer enthusiast? This one has a handy touch screen for all your favorite foods and a glass-front drawer so you can keep an eye on the contents cooking.

Check out my full Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer reviewView Deal

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System

If you do want an air fryer that doesn't need to live on your counter, consider the Ninja Crispi. It's portable so you can even take it out with you to air fry or heat up food on the go. This is on our list of the best air fryers.

Read my full Ninja Crispi review

How I tested the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven

• I tested many of the different cook cycles
• I used it pretty much daily for a month
• I cleaned it as needed, which wasn't often

I cooked, heated, and reheated a variety of foods, both frozen prepared foods and fresh food from scratch. I used the Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Reheat, and Toast cycles multiple times. Over the course of a month, I used it daily, often multiple times per day. I made both fresh and frozen vegetables many, many times. I heated up frozen pizza. I made french fries, both from scratch and frozen, multiple times. I baked two-ingredient "bagels" many times. I reheated a couple of different restaurant leftovers. I air fried some tofu. I made chicken breasts and veggie burgers several times. I toasted bread just about daily.

Read more about how we test.

First reviiewed June 2026

AI writes fluently. Markets respond culturally - and that's where most enterprise content fails.

We could get our first glimpse at software features for the upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra at WWDC 26, and I'm stoked.

Digital squatting now moves money, steals login credentials, and pulls customers toward infrastructure tied to cybercrime.

From Apple Intelligence to new leadership, here's what Apple's AI strategy has looked like since WWDC 2025.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his hometown of St. Petersburg.

(Image credit: Dmitri Lovetsky)

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 5.