Broadcom rewrote the VMware partner program, and many customers lost the partner who handled their renewal. We take over existing renewals as well as quoting new VCF, VVF and vSphere subscriptions. Send your expiration date and core count; the quote comes back within 24 business hours.
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AceMQ was recognized by Broadcom as the VMware Expert Advantage Partner of the Year — Americas. This isn't a participation award — it reflects the depth of our licensing expertise and the outcomes we deliver for clients navigating Broadcom's changes.
How the entire VMware portfolio maps to VCF and VVF — plus the pricing mechanics that determine your VMware renewal quote.
Compute Tier
The compute-focused tier. Ideal when you need vSphere and basic operations without the full private cloud stack.
Includes
Not included
vSAN: 0.25 TiB included per licensed core
Full Private Cloud
The complete stack. Required if you use NSX, HCX, SDDC Manager, or Aria Automation — any of those moves you to VCF.
Everything in VVF, plus
Note: Cannot downgrade from VCF to a legacy SKU at renewal
Broadcom list pricing, per physical core, per year, before any discounting.
| Metric | vSphere Foundation (VVF) | Cloud Foundation (VCF) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year term | ~$138 / core / year | ~$344 / core / year |
| 3-year termabout 12% lower per year | ~$121 / core / year | ~$303 / core / year |
| Minimum order | 72 cores | 72 cores |
| Billing floor | 16 cores per CPU | 16 cores per CPU |
Term length is the lever most buyers miss. Committing to three years typically takes about 12% per year off the one-year rate, and that is before volume and account-level discounting. Your actual number still depends on core count, edition, and how the quote is structured — AceMQ clients routinely close below these figures.
Broadcom bills physical cores, not hosts. Enter your host count to price a VMware renewal at list, and to see how the 16-core floor and the 72-core order minimum change the number you are actually licensed for.
Billable cores
72
VVF estimate, 1-year term
$8,446–$11,426
per year, at ~$138 / core
No commitment · Takes 2 minutes · Quote in 24 business hours
Every physical CPU core is licensed annually. Perpetual licenses are retired — there is no buy-once option.
Each processor bills at a minimum of 16 cores. A two-socket host with 8-core CPUs is billed as 32 — regardless of actual core count.
Since April 2025, Broadcom requires a minimum of 72 licensed cores per order line. Small estates must buy beyond their deployed count.
Broadcom retired 160+ SKUs. Here is where each one maps under the new portfolio.
| Legacy Product | Maps To | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| vSphere Enterprise Plus | Standalone + included in both VVF and VCF | VVF + VCF |
| vSphere Standard | Still sold standalone | VVF + VCF |
| vSphere Essentials Plus Kit | Retired — move to Standard or above | Retired |
| vCenter Server Standard | Included in VVF and VCF | VVF + VCF |
| vSAN Enterprise | Per-core capacity entitlement in both tiers | VVF + VCF |
| Aria Suite Standard (Operations, Logs) | Included in VVF and VCF | VVF + VCF |
| Aria Suite Enterprise (Automation, Networks) | VCF only | VCF only |
| NSX networking | VCF only | VCF only |
| HCX Enterprise | VCF only | VCF only |
| SDDC Manager | VCF only | VCF only |
| Tanzu Kubernetes Grid / vSphere K8s | Included in VVF and VCF | VVF + VCF |
| vCloud Suite / vSphere+ / vSAN ROBO | End of availability | Retired |
| Horizon / EUC | Divested — no longer VMware | Retired |
Key insight: If you use NSX, HCX, or Aria Automation at all, your renewal is a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) quote — not a vSphere quote. That is the mechanism behind most of the cost increases organizations are seeing at renewal.
VMware pricing is not published. Every VMware renewal quote and new VMware license quote is negotiated through an authorized Broadcom partner. AceMQ returns itemized VMware pricing — core count, tier, term, and discounts — within 24 business hours.
Deep dive: VMware Licensing Cost — How Pricing Actually Works in 2026Customer names withheld. Both started the same way: an expiring contract and no partner left to quote it.
A commodities trading firm was still running perpetual vSphere 7 when Broadcom sent a formal notice about its unlicensed use. We mapped the estate the day the notice landed, confirmed the 72-core minimum that vSphere Foundation now carries, and had one-year and three-year quotes back from Broadcom before the day ended, with the account discounts applied.
A municipal water agency in the Midwest came to us with its VMware support due to lapse the following week and no reseller left to handle it. We identified the Broadcom account owner that morning, escalated the request the same day, and had the renewal quote in production ahead of the expiration date rather than after it.
Lost your VMware partner in the Broadcom cuts? What changed and what it means for your renewal
Expert VMware renewal quotes, VCF pricing, and licensing guidance for the Broadcom era.
Fast vSphere and VCF renewal quotes with detailed entitlement analysis and term-length savings modeling.
Competitive VMware Cloud Foundation pricing for new deployments, with architect-led core-count sizing.
VMware licensing consulting on moving from perpetual vSphere licences to VCF or vSphere Foundation subscription SKUs.
Licensing consultants model your core count against the 16-core and 72-core minimums before the quote is raised.
Right-size your VCF bundle across Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise editions to reduce total cost of ownership.
Consulting on Broadcom SKUs, Partner of Record (PoR) transitions, and subscription compliance.
Ready to streamline your VMware licensing?
We support renewals and net-new quotes across the full VMware portfolio, including:
Need a quote on any of these products?
Broadcom has fundamentally changed how VMware is purchased. We're here to help you translate these changes into a strategy that works.
Renewals can see significant cost increases without proper optimization and bundle selection.
Uncertainty about which bundle contains the necessary features for your specific hardware.
“Our team has helped over 100+ enterprises navigate this transition in the last quarter alone.”
We specialize in serving organizations at every stage of the VMware lifecycle
We aren't just a reseller. We are a specialized consultancy focused exclusively on maximizing your VMware investment through the Broadcom era.
Get your VMware quote in as little as 24 hours
Provide your existing contract ID or new project requirements.
We audit your environment and map it to the new Broadcom bundles.
Get a fully transparent, ready-to-sign quote within 24 hours.
Answers to the most common questions about VMware licensing, renewals, and the Broadcom transition.
Since Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware in November 2023, all VMware renewals must go through an authorized Broadcom Expert Advantage Partner. Perpetual licenses with active SnS contracts are honored until expiration, after which you must transition to Broadcom's subscription-based VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) or standalone subscription SKUs. AceMQ is an authorized Broadcom Expert Advantage Partner and can manage the full renewal process — from core-count auditing to contract negotiation — with quotes delivered within 24 hours.
Broadcom discontinued VMware perpetual licenses in 2024. All VMware products — including vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and vCenter — are now sold exclusively as subscriptions, primarily bundled under VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). VCF bundles the full VMware stack (compute, storage, networking, and management) into a single per-core subscription. Standalone subscription SKUs are available in some cases but Broadcom's preferred path is VCF. Existing perpetual license holders are not forced to migrate immediately but must move to subscriptions upon renewal.
VMware Cloud Foundation pricing is based on the number of CPU cores in your environment and varies by edition (Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise). List pricing typically runs about $138 per core per year for vSphere Foundation (VVF) and about $344 per core per year for VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) on a one-year term, with a three-year commitment usually taking around 12% per year off those figures. However, actual pricing is negotiated through authorized partners like AceMQ, and significant discounts are available based on volume, term commitment (1, 3, or 5 years), and strategic account classification. Contact AceMQ for a custom quote — we typically return pricing within 24 hours.
Yes. This page includes a free VMware pricing calculator that estimates your licensed core count and your annual VMware licensing cost. Enter your host count, CPUs per host and cores per CPU, choose vSphere Foundation (VVF) or VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), and pick a one-year or three-year term. The VMware license cost calculator applies Broadcom's 16-core-per-CPU billing floor and 72-core order minimum before pricing, so the core count it returns is the number you are actually licensed for rather than the number of cores you own. It prices at list, so treat the result as a sizing estimate and request a quote for your exact figure, which AceMQ returns within 24 business hours.
The Broadcom Expert Advantage program is Broadcom's top-tier partner designation for VMware. Expert Advantage Consulting Services partners — like AceMQ — have demonstrated deep technical expertise, completed rigorous certification requirements, and have a proven track record of successful VMware deployments. This designation is required to access the best pricing tiers, participate in deal registration, and serve as Partner of Record for VMware customers. AceMQ was recognized as the VMware Expert Advantage Partner of the Year 2025 for the Americas region.
A Partner of Record (PoR) is the authorized Broadcom partner officially associated with your VMware account for renewals, support, and licensing. Having the right PoR matters because it determines which partner can access your renewal data, submit quotes on your behalf, and advocate for pricing with Broadcom. Many organizations found themselves without a PoR after smaller VMware resellers lost their authorization under Broadcom's restructured partner program. AceMQ specializes in PoR transitions and can quickly take over management of your VMware account.
Broadcom has significantly consolidated the VMware product portfolio. Most standalone products — vSphere, vSAN, NSX, vCenter — are now primarily available as part of VMware Cloud Foundation bundles. Some standalone subscription SKUs exist for specific scenarios, but Broadcom's commercial model strongly incentivizes the VCF bundle. The right licensing path depends on your environment size, existing entitlements, and workload type. AceMQ can audit your current environment and recommend the most cost-effective path forward.
AceMQ delivers VMware renewal and new license quotes within 24 business hours in most cases. Complex environments requiring a detailed core-count audit may take 48 hours. To begin, we need your current VMware contract details, core-count information, and the products in scope. You can start the process by submitting your email and quote type on this page — a dedicated account rep will reach out the same business day.
Existing VMware SnS (Support and Subscription) contracts are honored by Broadcom through their expiration date at the original contracted support level. After expiration, you must renew under Broadcom's new subscription licensing model. Support is now bundled into VCF subscriptions — there is no separate SnS purchase. Broadcom has also restructured support tiers; Production support is included in base subscriptions, with Premier support available at an additional cost. AceMQ can review your current support entitlements and advise on the best renewal path.
Many small and mid-size VMware resellers lost their Broadcom authorization in 2024 as Broadcom restructured its partner program to focus on a smaller set of high-competency partners. If your current partner lost authorization or is unresponsive, your renewals and support access may be at risk. AceMQ can execute a Partner of Record transfer on your behalf, which typically takes 5–10 business days with Broadcom's approval. We've completed dozens of PoR transitions for organizations left without a qualified partner.
Yes. AceMQ is an authorized Broadcom Expert Advantage Consulting Services partner and was recognized by Broadcom as the VMware Expert Advantage Partner of the Year 2025 for the Americas region. We are fully authorized to quote, sell, and support VMware Cloud Foundation and all current VMware subscription products. Our team holds active Broadcom and VMware technical certifications and we maintain direct relationships with Broadcom's channel and licensing teams.
Yes. A VMware renewal has to go through an authorized Broadcom partner, and when a reseller loses authorization its customers lose their route to renew. AceMQ is a Broadcom Expert Advantage Partner and takes over existing renewals through a Partner of Record transfer, which typically completes in 5–10 business days with Broadcom's approval. Send your contract or entitlement number and expiration date and we start the transfer while the quote is prepared.
Every quote carries a stated validity date, and Broadcom adjusts list pricing periodically, so a quote left for months can lapse. The practical rule is to start 90 days or more before your expiration: that leaves time for the quote, a Partner of Record transfer if you need one, and a term decision without a gap in support. AceMQ prints the validity date on every quote.
Renewal is the point where you choose the edition you subscribe to, so yes: an organization that does not use NSX, vSAN or the Aria management stack can often renew onto vSphere Foundation instead of VCF and pay the lower per-core rate. AceMQ reviews your current entitlements and quotes both editions so the comparison is on paper before you commit.
Broadcom subscriptions are sold on one-, three- and five-year terms. Multi-year commitments are priced below the one-year rate; on list pricing a three-year term usually takes around 12% per year off the one-year figure. The right term depends on how long you expect to stay on VMware, which is why the quote form asks for it.
Three things: your current contract or entitlement number, the expiration date, and your core count (hosts × CPUs per host × cores per CPU). If you have them, the products in scope help too. With those, AceMQ returns a renewal quote within 24 business hours; environments that need a detailed core-count audit can take 48.
Commercial, education, and state and local government organizations in the United States. Accounts that Broadcom manages directly — typically the largest global enterprises and some federal agencies — are referred to their Broadcom account team rather than quoted by a partner. If you are unsure which you are, submit the form and we tell you the same business day.
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