VMware pushes you toward vSphere 7/8. You must manually select "Older Versions" and accept that there are no official GUI updates for the free license—only CLI patches.

Absolutely not. You need vSphere 8 for security compliance.

While the ISO is free and exclusive, ESXi 6.7 U3 reached on October 15, 2022 . That means:

# Example: Installing via USB (if you had a legal ISO) 1. Write ISO to USB (Rufus, dd) 2. Boot server → F11 (Boot menu) 3. Select "ESXi 6.7.0 Installer" 4. Accept EULA → Select target disk 5. Set root password 6. After reboot, configure management network via DCUI (F2)

While Broadcom initially discontinued the free "ESXi Hypervisor" in early 2024, they reintroduced it for version 8.0 Update 3e in April 2025. There is no official "free" tier currently being promoted for version 6.7. Download Sources & Risks End of General Support for vSphere 6.5/6.7/7.0

After reboot, your host is in "Evaluation Mode" (60 days). To get the permanent free version: