KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) Alternatives for Mac

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is not available for Mac but there are some 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 nine of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) are QEMU, VMware Fusion, UTM and Multipass.

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Android Emulators or Boot Managers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives page was last updated

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

105

Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool

KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing...

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VirtualBox
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Solaris
61 VirtualBox alternatives
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as...
- - VirtualBox is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
- - VirtualBox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
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VirtualBox Features
1. LightweightVirtualBox consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Container VirtualizationVirtualBox can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
3. PortableVirtualBox can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Multiple languages
Opinions about VirtualBox as a Alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Most users think VirtualBox is a great KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternative.
QEMU
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
42 QEMU alternatives
QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
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QEMU Features
1. LightweightQEMU consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. PortableQEMU can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
3. Privacy focusedQEMU is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
4. Support for scriptingQEMU supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
5. Container VirtualizationQEMU can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
6. Command line interfaceQEMU either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
GPU Acceleration
Security focused
User mode emulation
Emulation
Comments about QEMU as a Alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Most users think QEMU is a great KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternative.
Guest
KVM is a kernel module that QEMU can use to speed up the emulation
Negative comment•
2
VMware Fusion
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Virtualization Tool
Mac
39 VMware Fusion alternatives
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...
VMware Fusion has no features, suggest some!
UTM
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
iPhone
iPad
51 UTM alternatives
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.
- - UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
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UTM Features
Multi System Emulator
Emulation
Multipass
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
55 Multipass alternatives
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.
Multipass has no features, suggest some!
Lima
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Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
55 Lima alternatives
Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.
Lima has no features, suggest some!
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Boot Camp
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Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Mac
16 Boot Camp alternatives
Boot Camp is a utility by that assists users in installing Windows 10 on Macs. Boot Camp guides users through non-destructive re-partitioning (including resizing of an existing APFS partition, if necessary) of their hard disk drive and automatically downloads Apple-provided...
Boot Camp has no features, suggest some!
Discontinued
Boot Camp has been discontinued on the M1 Macs.
PlayCover
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Mac
19 PlayCover alternatives
PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload iOS apps on macOS( currently arm, Intel support will be tested. - GitHub - Letscoder/PlayCover: PlayCover is a project that allows you to sideload iOS apps on macOS (currently arm, Intel support will be tested).
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PlayCover Features
Sideload apps
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VirtualBuddy
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
49 VirtualBuddy alternatives
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.
VirtualBuddy has no features, suggest some!