The Best Free VMware Workstation Pro AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like VMware Workstation Pro

The best free alternative to VMware Workstation Pro is VirtualBox, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to VMware Workstation Pro and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to VMware Workstation Pro are QEMU, WinBoat, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and VMware Workstation Player.

filter to find the best alternatives

VMware Workstation Pro alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools or Operating Systems you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux and Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to VMware Workstation Pro.
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Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2936 likes

    Open source VirtualBox offers powerful x86/AMD64 virtualization available freely under GNU GPL v2. Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris hosts. Supports a vast array of guest OS like Windows, Linux, Solaris. Portable, lightweight, ad-free, with dark mode.

    65 VirtualBox alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    VirtualBox Manager
     
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    5
    Comments about VirtualBox as an Alternative to VMware Workstation Pro
    Top Positive Comment
    ushabuntu
    0

    Free and works really well.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    VMware cannot work well.Imay be love this

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    5

    It works and crashes less then some of the virtualisation software I have used and it's free.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 5 comments
    VirtualBox icon
    VirtualBox icon
    • VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceVMware Workstation Pro is Free and Proprietary
    • VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedVMware Workstation Pro is not according to our users
  2. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     300 likes

    QEMU, an open-source hypervisor, performs hardware virtualization, emulates CPUs using dynamic binary translation, and supports various architectures. It runs diverse unmodified guest OS, provides device models, and offers mixed translation modes for efficient execution.

    44 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
     
  4. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     67 likes

    Runs Windows applications, individual apps, or full desktops inside Linux with native OS-level integration, sleek interface, advanced filesystem sharing, smartcard passthrough, and resource monitoring while supporting simple installation and ongoing feature updates.

    52 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    WinBoat screenshot 1
     
  5. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     119 likes

    KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). It consists of a loadable kernel module, kvm.

    41 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1
     
  6. VMware Workstation Player icon

    VMware Workstation Player

     247 likes

    VMware Workstation Player builds on the industry leading foundation of Workstation Pro, and delivers a streamlined user interface for creating and running operating systems and applications in a virtual machine.

    40 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Player screenshot 1
     
  7. UTM icon

    UTM

     26 likes

    UTM is a full featured system emulator and virtual machine host for iOS and macOS. It is based off of QEMU. In short, it allows you to run Windows, Linux, and more on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

    59 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1
     
  9. VMware Fusion icon

    VMware Fusion

     117 likes

    Seamlessly run your favorite Windows applications and devices, on any Intel-based Mac. Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion is the easiest way to switch to Mac—letting you bring all of your Windows applications with you, making the most of your Windows software...

    41 VMware Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1
     
  10. Boxes icon

    Boxes

     30 likes

    A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.

    28 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
     
  14. Portable Virtualbox icon

    Portable Virtualbox

     45 likes

    Portable-VirtualBox is a free and open source software tool that lets you run any operating system from a usb stick without separate installation. It unpacks and adjusts the paths and configuration of VirtualBox so it will run portably.

    39 Portable Virtualbox alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Portable Virtualbox screenshot 1
     
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