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 ten 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, UTM, VMware Fusion and Quickemu.

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KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Android Emulators or Boot Managers. Filter by these or use the filter bar below 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)

111

Virtualization Tool
Free • Open Source

KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). It consists of a loadable kernel module, kvm.

More about KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives page was last updated Apr 27, 2024

VirtualBox
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...
60 VirtualBox alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Oracle Solaris
+5
VirtualBox Features
1. Virtualization
2. Multiple languages
3. Container Virtualization
4. Lightweight
5. Dark Mode
6. Ad-free
7. Portable
Show all NaN VirtualBox features ▾
VirtualBox VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is VirtualBox a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?
- Most users think VirtualBox is a great KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternative.
- 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).
- VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is also Free and Open Source

QEMU
QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
44 QEMU alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
+1
Top QEMU Features
1. Virtualization
2. Lightweight
3. Privacy focused
4. GPU Acceleration
5. Portable
6. Command line interface
7. Support for scripting
8. Container Virtualization
9. Security focused
10. Emulation
11. User mode emulation
Show all NaN QEMU features ▾
QEMU VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is QEMU a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?
Comments about QEMU as an Alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

Guest
KVM is a kernel module that QEMU can use to speed up the emulation
Negative comment •Nov 12, 2015
2
- Most users think QEMU is a great KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternative.
- QEMU is Free and Open SourceKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is also Free and Open Source

UTM
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.
52 UTM alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
- visionOS
UTM Features
Ad-free
Container Virtualization
Multi System Emulator
Emulation
Show all NaN UTM features ▾
UTM VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is UTM a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?
- UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
- UTM is Free and Open SourceKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is also Free and Open Source

VMware Fusion
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...
41 VMware Fusion alternatives
License model
- Free Personal • Proprietary
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
+4
VMware Fusion VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is VMware Fusion a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?

Quickemu
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:
6 Quickemu alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Quickemu VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is Quickemu a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?

Lima
Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.
54 Lima alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
Lima VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is Lima a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?

Multipass
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.
54 Multipass alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Multipass VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is Multipass a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?

VirtualBuddy
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.
47 VirtualBuddy alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
VirtualBuddy VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is VirtualBuddy a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?

PlayCover
Welcome to PlayCover! This software is all about allowing you to run iOS apps and games on Apple Silicon devices running macOS 12.0 or newer.
19 PlayCover alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Mac
PlayCover Features
Sideload apps
Show all NaN PlayCover features ▾
PlayCover VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is PlayCover a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?

Boot Camp
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...
16 Boot Camp alternatives
License model
- Free • Proprietary
Platforms
- Mac
Discontinued
Boot Camp has been discontinued on the M1 Macs.
Boot Camp VS KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is Boot Camp a good alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)?