KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) Alternatives for Windows

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is not available for Windows but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Windows with similar functionality. The best Windows 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 16 are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) are QEMU (Free, Open Source), VMware Workstation Pro (Paid), VMware Workstation Player (Free Personal) and VMware vSphere Hypervisor (Paid).

    This page was last updated May 17, 2021
    1. VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use.
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      Most users think VirtualBox is a great alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
    2. QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
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      QEMU vs KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) opinions
      Some users think QEMU is a great alternative to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), some don't.
      KVM is a kernel module that QEMU can use to speed up the emulation
      Negative comment • over 5 years ago

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    4. VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC.
    5. 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.

    6. VMware vSphere Hypervisor

      • Windows
      • Linux
      • NVIDIA vGPU
      • AMD MxGPU
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      VMware vSphere Hypervisor ( based on ESXi ) is a free bare-metal hypervisor that virtualizes servers so you can consolidate your applications on less hardware.
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    8. Portable-VirtualBox is a free and open source software tool that lets you run any operating system from a usb stick without separate installation. It unpacks and adjusts the paths and configuration of VirtualBox so it will run portably.
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    9. Windows Sandbox has the following properties: Part of Windows – everything required for this feature ships with Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. No need to download a VHD!
    10. Qemu Manager is an easy to use management tool for the open-source QEMU emulator. It has a wealth of features for creating, managing and running multiple virtual machines.

      Discontinued

      The official website is no longer available. Last version, 7.0, released in April 2010, can be still downloaded from Download.com

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    11. bochs

      • Free • Open Source
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Android
      • AmigaOS
      • MorphOS
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      Bochs is a highly portable open source IA-32 (x86) PC emulator written in C++, that runs on most popular platforms. It includes emulation of the Intel x86 CPU, common I/O devices, and a custom BIOS.
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    12. Citrix Hypervisor

      • Freemium • Open Source
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • RadeonPro
      • NVIDIA vGPU
      • Nvidia Grid
      • AMD MxGPU
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      (formerly XenServer) Citrix Hypervisor is a leading virtualization management platform optimized for application, desktop and server virtualization infrastructures.
    Showing 10 of 16 alternatives