AWS is one of the most capable destinations for VMware workloads, but "migrate to AWS" hides three very different projects. Pick the wrong one and you either overpay (keeping VMware licensing you no longer need) or overspend on rework you did not have to do. This guide walks the three paths, the tooling for each, and the budget reality.
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The three migration paths
| Path | What it is | Effort | VMware licensing after? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rehost to VMware Cloud on AWS | Lift-and-shift vSphere VMs into a managed VMware SDDC running on AWS bare metal | Low | Yes, you still license VMware |
| Rehost to native EC2 | Convert VMs to EC2 instances with AWS MGN; vSphere is left behind | Medium | No |
| Replatform / refactor | Re-architect onto managed services (RDS, ECS/EKS, Lambda, S3) | High | No |
Most mid-market migrations are a blend: rehost the bulk to EC2, replatform the few workloads where managed services pay off quickly (databases to RDS, file shares to FSx or S3), and leave nothing on VMware unless there is a hard reason to.
The tools that do the work
- AWS Application Migration Service (MGN). The primary free rehost tool. It installs a lightweight agent, replicates each VM at the block level continuously, then cuts over to EC2 with minimal downtime. This is the default for native rehosting.
- VMware HCX. Bundled with VMware Cloud on AWS for large-scale lift-and-shift, including bulk migration and vMotion-style live moves into the cloud SDDC.
- AWS Migrate / Migration Hub. Discovery, dependency mapping, and a single pane to track wave progress.
- AWS Database Migration Service (DMS). For moving SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL into RDS or Aurora with minimal downtime.
What it actually costs
The migration project itself follows the same per-VM math as any replatform (see our migration cost guide). The bigger variable with AWS is the recurring run cost, which you control through purchasing decisions:
| Cost lever | Impact | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Savings Plans / Reserved Instances | Up to ~50–72% off on-demand | 1- or 3-year commit; the single biggest lever on EC2 cost |
| Right-sizing | 20–40% typical | VMware VMs are often over-provisioned; MGN cutover is the moment to fix it |
| Data egress | Watch closely | Outbound transfer is billed; chatty hybrid apps can erase savings |
| VMware Cloud on AWS licensing | Material | Only on the VMC path; this is the cost native EC2 removes |
The comparison nobody runs: staying on VMware for less
Before committing to a hyperscaler, it is worth pricing the boring option. Moving to a managed VMware provider (a VCSP partner) keeps vSphere intact, so workloads move with HCX rather than being converted, and the savings against a Broadcom-direct renewal arrive fast with almost no project risk. For some shops AWS is the right answer; for many, it is more migration than the cost problem requires. Our VMware vs. VMware Cloud on AWS comparison and the full alternatives matrix lay the options side by side.
How to decide
Frame it as 3-year TCO, not migration sticker price: status quo (Broadcom renewal × 3 plus hardware) versus each AWS path (one-time migration plus run cost × 3). Run your inventory through the free cost calculator, or get a priced, advisor-built comparison across AWS, the other hyperscalers, and managed VMware with a free assessment.