Boxes AlternativesVirtualization Tools and other similar apps like Boxes

Apps similar to Boxes include VirtualBox, which is free and open source. Other options are WinBoat, VMware Workstation Pro, virt-manager and UTM. Virtualization Tools like Boxes are a crowded field, with more than 25 alternatives for Mac, Linux, Windows, self-hosting and iPad.

Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Alternatives
Boxes alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon
     3008 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.

    73 VirtualBox alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    Good alternative?
     
  2. WinBoat icon
     91 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.

    56 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    Good alternative?
     
  3. VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Pro is the industry standard for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines (VMs) on a single Linux or...

    37 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    1
  4. virt-manager icon
     88 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.

    38 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    1
  5. UTM icon
     35 likes

    An open-source QEMU-based host for creating, configuring, and running virtual machines on Macs, iOS, and visionOS. It supports full-system emulation across multiple processor architectures, plus hardware-assisted virtualization and macOS guests on ARM-based Macs.

    63 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    • US flagUnited States
    UTM screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  6. 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.

    60 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Good alternative?
     
  7. SwiftVM icon
     10 likes

    Native macOS app for running macOS and Linux virtual machines, built with Swift and Apple's Virtualization framework.

    39 SwiftVM alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Homebrew
    Good alternative?
     
  8. 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.

    44 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  9. VMPal icon
     7 likes

    Fast macOS, Windows and Linux virtual machines for Apple Silicon. VMPal downloads and installs each system for you, in minutes, in the VM's own window.

    39 VMPal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • US flagUnited States
    VMPal screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  10. VMware Fusion icon
     121 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...

    45 VMware Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Quickemu icon
     11 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:

    10 Quickemu alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 31 Boxes alternatives