If you cannot afford vCenter, you can download VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) for free.

The free license key is: VMW-6.7-FREE-KEY-001

VMware officially ended General Support for vSphere 6.7 on October 15, 2022 , and Technical Guidance ended on November 15, 2023 . Because the product is EOL, Broadcom has removed many direct download links and no longer issues new license keys for this version. 2. Legitimate "Free" or Low-Cost Alternatives

If you need a more comprehensive license key with full features, you can use an evaluation license key, which is valid for 60 days.

The VMware User Group (VMUG) offers an "Advantage" membership for roughly $200/year. This gives you a legitimate 365-day license for vCenter and ESXi. It is valid for personal use, perfect for learning and homelabs. You get to run the latest versions legally.