Darling AlternativesCompatibility Layer Tools and other similar apps like Darling

Darling is described as 'Run macOS applications on Linux' and is a compatibility layer tool in the os & utilities category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Darling for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Wine, Flathub and Arch Linux apps. The best Darling alternative is Wine, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Darling are Proton, PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac, Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion.

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Darling alternatives are mainly Compatibility Layer Tools but may also be Virtualization Tools or Remote Desktop Tools.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Darling.
Darling iconDarling
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Run macOS applications on Linux.

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Darling alternatives page was last updated May 22, 2024
  1. Wine icon
     700 likes

    Wine is a free, open source application for running Windows software on operating systems that are normally not supported. With Wine, you can install and run these applications just like you would in Windows.

    41 Wine alternatives
    Wine screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • Flathub

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    2.  Compatibility Layer
    3.  Emulation
    4.  Ad-free
    Wine iconDarling Icon

    Wine VS Darling

    Is Wine a good alternative to Darling?
     
    • Wine is the most popular Android, Mac, Linux & Android Tablet alternative to Darling.

    • Wine is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Darling.

    • Wine is Free and Open SourceDarling is also Free and Open Source
    • Wine is LightweightDarling is not according to our users
  2. Proton icon
     99 likes

    Proton is a tool for use with the Steam client which allows games which are exclusive to Windows to run on Linux kernel operating system. It uses Wine to facilitate this.

    39 Proton alternatives
    Proton screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Steam

    Proton Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    2.  Run Windows Games
    3.  Compatibility Layer
    4.  Emulation
    Proton iconDarling Icon

    Proton VS Darling

    Is Proton a good alternative to Darling?
     
  3. PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac icon
     242 likes

    PlayOnLinux is a graphical frontend for the Wine software compatibility layer which allows Linux and Mac users to install Windows-based video games, Microsoft Office (2000 to 2010), Microsoft Internet Explorer, as well as many other applications.

    42 PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac alternatives
    PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Wine
    • FreeBSD

    PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    2.  Run Windows Games
    3.  Ad-free
    PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac iconDarling Icon

    PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac VS Darling

    Is this a good alternative to Darling?
     
  4. Parallels Desktop icon
     140 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.

    58 Parallels Desktop alternatives
    Parallels Desktop screenshot 1

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Chrome OS

    Parallels Desktop Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    4.  Run Windows software
    5.  Support for Apple M1
    6.  Drag and Drop
    7. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Microsoft Office integration
    Parallels Desktop iconDarling Icon

    Parallels Desktop VS Darling

    Is Parallels Desktop a good alternative to Darling?
     
    Comments about Parallels Desktop as an Alternative to Darling
     
    Guest

    Darling is for Mac apps to work on Linux (similar to Wine). Parallels is a virtual Machine that works on Macs only to run other Operating systems, such as windows or linux.

    Negative commentSep 15, 2020
    1
    Darling Icon
    Parallels Desktop icon
    • Parallels Desktop is the most popular commercial alternative to Darling.

    • Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryDarling is Free and Open Source
  5. VMware Fusion icon
     115 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...

    44 VMware Fusion alternatives
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VMware Fusion iconDarling Icon

    VMware Fusion VS Darling

    Is VMware Fusion a good alternative to Darling?
     
  6. CrossOver icon
     71 likes

    CrossOver allows you to install many popular Windows applications and games on your Intel OS X Mac or Linux computer.

    40 CrossOver alternatives
    CrossOver screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Chrome OS

    CrossOver Features

    1.  Compatibility Layer
    2.  Run Windows software
    CrossOver iconDarling Icon

    CrossOver VS Darling

    Is CrossOver a good alternative to Darling?
     
  7. Mythic icon
     8 likes

    An open-source Epic Games Launcher alternative and normal game launcher for macOS written in Swift. We started this project to create a GUI frontend for Legendary and to play Windows games using game porting toolkit by Apple.

    47 Mythic alternatives
    Mythic screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No registration required
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Game Launcher
    6. Discord icon  Discord integration
    Mythic iconDarling Icon

    Mythic VS Darling

    Is Mythic a good alternative to Darling?
     
  8. Windows Subsystem for Linux icon
     16 likes

    The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a new Windows 10 feature that enables you to run native Linux command-line tools directly on Windows, alongside your traditional Windows desktop and modern store apps.

    32 Windows Subsystem for Linux alternatives
    Windows Subsystem for Linux screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Linux on Windows
    Windows Subsystem for Linux iconDarling Icon

    Windows Subsystem for Linux VS Darling

    Is this a good alternative to Darling?
     
    • Windows Subsystem for Linux is the most popular Windows alternative to Darling.

    • Windows Subsystem for Linux is Free and ProprietaryDarling is Free and Open Source
    • Windows Subsystem for Linux is LightweightDarling is not according to our users
  9. WineBottler icon
     28 likes

    WineBottler is an App to manage and wrap your Windows apps into convenient OS X apps. WineBottler helps you with running Windows programs on OS X.

    34 WineBottler alternatives
    WineBottler screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Wine

    WineBottler Features

    1.  Run in existing prefix
    Discontinued

    The application has not been updated for almost three years: https://bitbucket.org/winebottler/winebottler/src/master/, https://bitbucket.org/winebottler/winebottler/src/master/It also does not support the latest versions of macOS: https://www.reddit.com/r/winehq/comments/j43ziq/comment/g7gqpk5/

    WineBottler iconDarling Icon

    WineBottler VS Darling

    Is WineBottler a good alternative to Darling?
     
  10. Goldberg Emulator icon
     5 likes

    Steam emulator that emulates steam online features. Lets you play games that use the steam multiplayer APIs on a LAN without steam or an internet connection.

    30 Goldberg Emulator alternatives
    Goldberg Emulator screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Steam

    Goldberg Emulator Features

    1.  Local multiplayer
    2.  LAN
    Goldberg Emulator iconDarling Icon

    Goldberg Emulator VS Darling

    Is Goldberg Emulator a good alternative to Darling?
     
  11.  2 likes

    This is my build of Proton with the most recent bleeding-edge Proton Experimental WINE.

    39 Proton GE alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Wine
    Darling Icon

    Proton GE VS Darling

    Is Proton GE a good alternative to Darling?
     
  12. ProtonPlus icon
     2 likes

    A simple Wine and Proton-based compatibility tools manager.

    39 ProtonPlus alternatives
    ProtonPlus screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Arch Linux
    • Flathub
    • Fedora
    • Wine
    • Flatpak
    • Proton
    • Vala
    • Nix Package Manager

    ProtonPlus Features

    1.  Gtk
    ProtonPlus iconDarling Icon

    ProtonPlus VS Darling

    Is ProtonPlus a good alternative to Darling?
     
12 of 27 Darling alternatives