Lima AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Virtualization Tools

The best Virtualization alternative to Lima is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Lima and many of them are Virtualization Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Virtualization Tool alternatives to Lima are QEMU, VMware Workstation Pro, Proxmox Virtual Environment and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).

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Lima alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Web Browsers or Compatibility Layer 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 Lima.
Lima iconLima
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Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.

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Lima alternatives page was last updated Jul 11, 2023
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Alternatives
  1. VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2892 likes
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    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.

    63 VirtualBox alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    VirtualBox Manager

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multiple languages
    3. Zalando icon  Zalando integration
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Container Virtualization
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Portable
    8.  Hypervisor

    VirtualBox VS Lima

     

    • VirtualBox is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Lima.

    • VirtualBox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Lima.

    • VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceLima is also Free and Open Source
    • VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedLima is not according to our users
  2. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     286 likes
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    QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.

    43 QEMU alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Security-focused

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  GPU Acceleration
    3.  Portable
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Container Virtualization
    6.  Support for scripting
    7.  User mode emulation
    8.  Emulation

    QEMU VS Lima

     
  4. VMware Workstation Pro icon

    VMware Workstation Pro

     385 likes
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    VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Pro is the industry standard for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines (VMs) on a single Linux or...

    37 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Pro screenshot 1

    VMware Workstation Pro Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multiple languages
    3.  Container Virtualization
    4.  Support for Android Things
    5.  Bundled with macOS

    VMware Workstation Pro VS Lima

     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Parallels Desktop icon
    Parallels Desktop

    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.

    https://www.parallels.com
    Learn More
  6. Proxmox Virtual Environment icon

    Proxmox Virtual Environment

     131 likes
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    Proxmox Virtual Environment is a complete and easy to use Open Source virtualization platform for running Virtual Appliances and Virtual Machines. Proxmox VE tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers, software-defined storage and networking functionality on a single...

    47 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • AT flagAustria
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    Proxmox Virtual Environment screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  WebUI Management
    3.  High Availability
    4.  Clustering
    5.  Live migration
    6.  Two-factor Authentication
    7.  Container Virtualization
    8.  Portable
    9.  Dark Mode

    Proxmox Virtual Environment VS Lima

     

    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Lima.

    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open SourceLima is Free and Open Source
    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is LightweightLima is not according to our users
  7. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     116 likes
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    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.

    43 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Security-focused

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Linux-based
    3.  Nt kernel
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Portable
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Container Virtualization
    8.  Emulation

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) VS Lima

     
  8. VMware Workstation Player icon

    VMware Workstation Player

     247 likes
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    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.

    36 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    License model

    • Free Personal • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Player screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Workstation Player has been pashed out now that VMware Workstation Pro icon VMware Workstation Pro is free for personal use: VMware makes Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro free for personal use

    VMware Workstation Player Features

    1.  Container Virtualization

    VMware Workstation Player VS Lima

     
  10. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

     78 likes
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    Comprehensive desktop tool for managing virtual machines using libvirt, supporting KVM, Xen, and Linux Containers. It offers performance stats, resource allocation and virtual hardware configuration with VNC and SPICE clients for graphical consoles.

    29 virt-manager alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    virt-manager screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Customizable
    4.  Security-focused

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  VNC Viewer
    3.  Command line interface
    4.  SSH
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No Tracking
    7.  Container Virtualization
    8.  Live migration

    virt-manager VS Lima

     
  11. Parallels Desktop icon

    Parallels Desktop

     140 likes
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    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.

    56 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Chrome OS
    Parallels Desktop screenshot 1

    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 VS Lima

     

    • Parallels Desktop is the most popular commercial alternative to Lima.

    • Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryLima is Free and Open Source
  12. UTM icon

    UTM

     21 likes
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    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.

    55 UTM alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multi System Emulator
    3.  Emulation
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Container Virtualization

    UTM VS Lima

     

    • UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to Lima.

    • UTM is Free and Open SourceLima is also Free and Open Source
    • UTM is Privacy focused and LightweightLima is not according to our users
  13. VMware Fusion icon

    VMware Fusion

     115 likes
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    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 • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1

    VMware Fusion VS Lima

     
  14. Windows Sandbox icon

    Windows Sandbox

     19 likes
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    a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.

    54 Windows Sandbox alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Windows Sandbox screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Sandbox
    2.  Container Virtualization

    Windows Sandbox VS Lima

     
  15. Xen icon

    Xen

     74 likes
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    Xen.org, home of the Xen hypervisor, the powerful open source industry standard for virtualization. It is a native (bare-metal) hypervisor providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently.

    34 Xen alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Xen screenshot 1

    Xen Features

    1.  Hypervisor

    Xen VS Lima

     
12 of 43 Lima alternatives