AQEMU AlternativesVirtualization Tools and other similar apps like AQEMU

AQEMU is described as 'Cross-platform GUI virtual machine manager using QEMU as backend. Support Linux/BSD/Windows 8/10/11' and is a Virtualization tool in the development category. There are more than 10 alternatives to AQEMU for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, BSD and Flathub apps. The best AQEMU alternative is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like AQEMU are WinBoat, Parallels Desktop, VMware Workstation Player and virt-manager.

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AQEMU alternatives page was last updated Sep 2, 2025

VirtualBox
2932 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.
64 VirtualBox alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Oracle Solaris
+5
Is VirtualBox a good alternative to AQEMU?
VirtualBox is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to AQEMU.
VirtualBox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to AQEMU.
VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceAQEMU is also Free and Open Source
VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedAQEMU is not according to our users
WinBoat
63 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.
51 WinBoat alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
Compatibility Layer Tool
Virtualization Tool
Origin
Romania
EU
Platforms
Linux
Docker
+2
Is WinBoat a good alternative to AQEMU?
Parallels Desktop
145 likes
Virtualization software for running Windows, Linux, and other OSes on Mac. Supports Windows 11 on Apple Silicon, resource adjustments, and seamless app access and file sharing between OS environments.
57 Parallels Desktop alternatives
Cost / License
Subscription
Proprietary
Application types
Virtualization Tool
Compatibility Layer Tool
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
+6
Is Parallels Desktop a good alternative to AQEMU?
Parallels Desktop is the most popular commercial alternative to AQEMU.
Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryAQEMU is Free and Open Source
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Parallels Desktop
Virtualization software for running Windows, Linux, and other OSes on Mac. Supports Windows 11 on Apple Silicon, resource adjustments, and seamless app access and file sharing between OS environments.

https://www.parallels.com
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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.
39 VMware Workstation Player alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Proprietary
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
United States
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Windows
Linux
Is this a good alternative to AQEMU?
virt-manager
81 likes
Comprehensive desktop tool for managing virtual machines using libvirt, supporting KVM, Xen, and Linux Containers. It offers performance stats, resource allocation and virtual hardware configuration with VNC and SPICE clients for graphical consoles.
33 virt-manager alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
Australia
Platforms
Linux
BSD
Flathub
Flatpak
Is virt-manager a good alternative to AQEMU?

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1comment
Comments about virt-manager as an Alternative to AQEMU

Guest
Positive commentApr 28, 2023
0
It can run as a service without the need to have a desktop, has a fully featured CLI interface, and overall is more feature complete than aqemu.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
virt-manager is Free and Open SourceAQEMU is also Free and Open Source
virt-manager is Lightweight, Privacy focused, Security-focused and CustomizableAQEMU is not according to our users
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.
57 UTM alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
International
Platforms
Mac
iPhone
iPad
visionOS
Is UTM a good alternative to AQEMU?
UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to AQEMU.
UTM is Free and Open SourceAQEMU is also Free and Open Source
UTM is Privacy focused and LightweightAQEMU is not according to our users
Boxes
30 likes
A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.
27 Boxes alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
Czechia
EU
Platforms
Linux
BSD
Flathub
GNOME
+5
Is Boxes a good alternative to AQEMU?
Windows Sandbox
20 likes
a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.
56 Windows Sandbox alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Platforms
Windows
Is Windows Sandbox a good alternative to AQEMU?
Quickemu
10 likes
Quickly create and run highly optimised desktop virtual machines for Linux, macOS and Windows; with just two commands. You decide what operating system you want to run and Quickemu will figure out the best way to do it for you. For example:
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Linux
Is Quickemu a good alternative to AQEMU?
Microsoft Hyper-V Server
40 likes
Microsoft Hyper-V Server is a free product that delivers enterprise-class virtualization for your datacenter and hybrid cloud.
54 Microsoft Hyper-V Server alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Origin
United States
Platforms
Windows
Is this a good alternative to AQEMU?
Lima
3 likes
Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.
58 Lima alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Virtualization Tool
Platforms
Mac
Is Lima a good alternative to AQEMU?
Multipass
7 likes
Multipass is a lightweight VM manager for Linux, Windows and macOS. It's designed for developers who want a fresh Ubuntu environment with a single command. It uses KVM on Linux, Hyper-V on Windows and HyperKit on macOS to run the VM with minimal overhead.
58 Multipass alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Snapcraft
Is Multipass a good alternative to AQEMU?