KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is not available for Mac but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on macOS with similar functionality. The best Mac alternative is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and 12 are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) are QEMU, UTM, VMware Fusion and RVVM.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
Allows native execution of iOS apps and games on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 12 or newer, featuring advanced mouse, keyboard, and controller support, custom keymapping options resembling Bluestacks, open source code, and support for a wide range of mobile applications.
Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.
A lightweight CLI and local API server to create, run and manage macOS and Linux virtual machines (VMs) natively on Apple Silicon.
VirtualBuddy can virtualize macOS 12 and later on Apple Silicon, with the goal of offering features that are useful to developers who need to test their apps on multiple versions of macOS, especially betas.
Need to try out old versions of macOS for your software? Want to try a script or piece of software without breaking your Mac?
MacMulator is the computer emulator for your Mac! It engages the power of Qemu, together with a nice, easy to use UI, to let you create any kind of Virtual Machines in a few clicks. Whatever OS you need to run on your Mac, MacMulator is the tool for you!.
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KVM is a kernel module that QEMU can use to speed up the emulation