# Nine in ten VMware customers eyeing the exit

> Broadcom's licensing changes have 90% of VMware customers considering alternatives, but migration proves far harder than switching vendors.
- Title: Nine in ten VMware customers eyeing the exit · TechRadar
- Summary: Broadcom's licensing changes have 90% of VMware customers considering alternatives, but migration proves far harder than switching vendors. Ninety percent of…
- Keywords: vmware, broadcom, licensing costs, vendor switching, virtualization, enterprise software, technology, Nine, ten, customers, eyeing, exit
- Source: TechRadar — https://techradar.com/pro/nine-in-10-vmware-customer-looking-to-switch-vendors-due-to-increased-licensing-costs
- Published: 2026-10-08T13:20:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: vmware, broadcom, licensing costs, vendor switching, virtualization, enterprise software, technology
## Ninety percent want out
A study by Rimini Street found ninety percent of VMware decision-makers are considering alternatives purely based on licensing costs under Broadcom ownership.
## Broadcom's licensing changes bite
Ninety percent of those considering leaving cite higher licensing costs. Fifty-four percent are unhappy with the end of support for perpetual licenses.
## But most aren't actually leaving
Despite clear dissatisfaction, forty-eight percent of existing perpetual licence customers have no plans to move away from VMware Cloud Foundation.
## Migration barriers are real
Three in five businesses are considering multi-hypervisor strategies, but face obstacles: operational complexity at forty percent, managing multiple vendors at thirty-eight percent, and security concerns at thirty-seven percent.
## Reducing single-vendor dependency
Unisphere lead analyst Joe McKendrick said the shift reflects enterprises trying to reduce dependency on a single provider, not simply replacing one vendor with another.

> The shift for current VMware users is not simply about replacing one vendor with another.
## Third-party support gains traction
One in five VMware customers are already using third-party support instead of migrating entirely. McKendrick noted this balances support for existing environments with new investments in resilience and security.
## Key takeaway

Ninety percent of VMware customers are considering switching vendors due to Broadcom's increased licensing costs, though most face barriers to actually leaving.