Short answer: vSphere Express is Broadcom’s new fixed 128-core package of ESX 9 and vCenter 9, announced on 4 November 2026. It has vMotion, HA and the Distributed Switch. It has no DRS, no vSAN, no GPU and no add-ons. vSphere Standard 8 is the per-core edition that customers in the European Economic Area (EEA) can still buy until 31 October 2027. Its Extended Support runs until 31 October 2028 at the latest. However, it stays on vSphere 8.0 Update 3, which reaches End of Service on 11 October 2027. Dates and prices are as of November 2026.
What vSphere Express is
Broadcom introduced vSphere Express in the VCF portfolio update of 4 November 2026 as essential virtualization for customers with 128 cores. It is built on vSphere 9 and available now in all regions. The vSphere 9.1 documentation adds the rules:
- Maximum 128 cores per customer or site ID. One default license, no splitting, no sharing across sites, no add-ons.
- Version 9 or later only. There are no version 8 keys.
- Mandatory components: ESX, vCenter, VCF Operations (used only for licensing) and a license server. No single installer.
- Feature list: Broadcom does not publish one and refers you to your sales representative.
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| ESX Standard and vCenter Standard on vSphere 9 | DRS and Proactive HA |
| vMotion and High Availability | vSAN (external SAN or NFS storage only) |
| vSphere Distributed Switch | NVMe memory tiering, SR-IOV, GPU and vGPU |
| vCenter Quick Patch | vSphere live patching |
| TPM 2.0 and vTPM 2.0 | VCF Operations beyond licensing, VCF Automation, Private AI |
Price and eligibility (partner material via the two community blogs, not published by Broadcom). vSphere Express is one SKU on a 12-month subscription, about 9,600 USD or 9,632 EUR excluding VAT per year. You pay for the whole package, so the per-core price depends on how much of it you use: 75 USD at 128 cores, 150 USD at 64, 300 USD at 32. It is sold to new customers and to existing customers on a Broadcom-approved list. Resellers call it a transition offer towards VVF. Vladan calls it “a bridge rather than a permanent home”.
vSphere Standard 8 in the EEA: why it still exists
Standard 8 and Enterprise Plus 8 are the last standalone editions, on vSphere 8.0 Update 3 only (see my editions comparison). Standard 8 is vCenter Standard, vMotion and HA, per core, without DRS and the Distributed Switch. Outside Europe both editions ended at the end of October 2026, according to the partner listings Eric quotes. One sentence in Broadcom’s announcement makes the EEA the exception. Both editions stay on sale there until 31 October 2027. In addition, active subscriptions get Extended Support “until the earlier of the applicable subscription end date or October 31, 2028”. The background is KB 456708. It sets End of Service for vSphere 8.x, vSAN 8.x, NSX 4.x and VCF 5.2.x at 11 October 2027, with no patches and no support after that. So the EEA timeline for a Standard 8 subscription is:
- Until 31 October 2027: you can buy and extend Standard 8 and Enterprise Plus 8.
- Until 11 October 2027: ordinary support and patches.
- From then until your subscription ends, at the latest 31 October 2028: Extended Support, included. Broadcom has not said what it covers.
- After that: no announced path.
The EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway: the Czech Republic is in, the UK and Switzerland are out. Broadcom gives no reason for the carve-out. Eric Sloof spotted the sentence first. He reads it as a retention move in the region where small customers left for Proxmox and Hyper-V the fastest. That is his opinion, but I have no Broadcom source that says otherwise.
vSphere Express vs vSphere Standard 8: side by side
| Item | vSphere Express | vSphere Standard 8 (EEA) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | ESX 9.1 and vCenter 9.1 | ESXi and vCenter 8.0 Update 3 |
| Packaging | One fixed package, max 128 cores per customer, no add-ons | Per core, expandable; 16-core-per-CPU minimum on both |
| Included | vMotion, HA, Distributed Switch, Quick Patch, TPM/vTPM | vCenter Standard, vMotion, HA |
| Not included | DRS, vSAN, GPU, memory tiering, live patching | DRS and Distributed Switch (Enterprise Plus 8); vSAN separate |
| Licensing | Subscription license file, VCF Operations plus license server | Classic 25-character keys in vCenter |
| Term | 12 months | Typically 1 to 5 years |
| Price (Nov 2026) | About 9,600 USD or 9,632 EUR per year, partner listings | Per core, from your partner |
| Availability | All regions now; new or Broadcom-approved customers | EEA only, until 31 October 2027 |
| Support | Term based, vSphere 9 lifecycle | End of Service 11 October 2027, then Extended Support until subscription end, max 31 October 2028 |
| Next step | Extend to VVF or converge to VCF | Upgrade to Express 9.1.1 or later, VVF 9 or VCF 9 |
Upgrade path from vSphere 8.x
Licensing: version 9 uses subscription license files instead of 25-character keys, so the key upgrade in the support portal fails with No data available to upgrade (KB 437250). Instead, an eligible subscription gets its VVF 9 or VCF 9 license in the VCF Business Services console. You need VCF Operations 9.x to apply it.
Bits: the vSphere Express documentation upgrades vCenter 8.0 and ESXi 8.0 to Express 9.1.1 or later. The order is: vSphere Replication, VCF Operations 9.1, license server, vCenter, ESX, Distributed Switch, VMware Tools 13.1, VM compatibility. From Express you can later extend to VVF or converge to VCF with the hosts in place. More in my VCF 9 upgrade paths overview.
What I would do as a small or mid-size customer in the EEA
- On Standard 8 today, under 128 cores, no DRS or vSAN: you have time. Express only wins near 128 cores or if you need vSphere 9 now. Deciding in 2027 is fine.
- New environment under 128 cores: vSphere Express is the only small path to vSphere 9. Before signing, get the feature list in writing, confirm eligibility, and ask for the renewal and VVF prices.
- Need DRS, vSAN, GPU or more than 128 cores: Express is not for you. VVF 9 is the 9.x answer (what VVF includes); Enterprise Plus 8 is the 8.x answer in the EEA until October 2027.
- Everyone on 8.x in the EEA: diary 11 October 2027, not 2028. Ask your partner in writing what Extended Support covers and whether it applies to existing entitlements. Perpetual licenses are not mentioned in the announcement.
My take: vSphere Express is a welcome correction with a narrow fit. For the EEA the extra year on Standard 8 matters more, because it moves the decision to 2027. I will update this post when Broadcom publishes the official feature table and prices.
FAQ: vSphere Express and vSphere Standard 8
vSphere Express is a fixed 128-core package of ESX 9 and vCenter 9 with vMotion, HA, Distributed Switch, Quick Patch and TPM support. It is licensed through a VCF Operations appliance, has no add-ons and no version 8 keys.
No, according to partner material reported by Vladan Seget and Eric Sloof. Broadcom publishes no feature list, so get it in writing before you order.
Until 31 October 2027, together with Enterprise Plus 8. Outside the EEA both editions ended at the end of October 2026 per partner listings.
vSphere 8.x reaches End of Service on 11 October 2027 (KB 456708). Active EEA subscriptions then get Extended Support until the subscription ends or 31 October 2028, whichever is first. Its scope is not published.
Technically yes, from vCenter 8.0 and ESXi 8.0 to vSphere Express 9.1.1 or later. Commercially you need a new Express subscription and, as an existing customer, Broadcom’s approval.
Sources
- Broadcom: VCF portfolio update (4 November 2026), vSphere Express documentation, KB 437250, KB 456708
- Community blogs: Vladan Seget, vSphere Express for essential virtualization; Eric Sloof, What Broadcom’s new 128-core package actually delivers and Until October 2028
- On vDan: vSphere editions comparison for 9.1, VCF 9 upgrade paths, What’s included in VVF 9.x
