Parallels Desktop AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop is described as 'Gives Mac users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as macOS. Parallels Desktop is optimized for Intel and Apple M1 chip' and is a very popular Virtualization tool in the network & admin category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Parallels Desktop for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, BSD and Android apps. The best Parallels Desktop alternative is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Parallels Desktop are Wine, QEMU, Proton and VMware Workstation Pro.
Parallels Desktop alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Compatibility Layer Tools or Cloud Computing Services. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Parallels Desktop.- 61 VirtualBox alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Solaris
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 Parallels Desktop.
- - VirtualBox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Parallels Desktop.
VirtualBox Features
- Container Virtualization
- Lightweight
- Dark Mode
- Ad-free
- Portable
Comments about VirtualBox as a Alternative to Parallels Desktop
John FastmanUnlike Parallels, Virtualbox is free, open source and runs natively on Windows, Mac and Linux. What's not to like?
8LéanaI like it because it's FOSS, however, it's really glitchy. It has a lot of display issues with my guest OSs (screen flickering, black screen).
0ChristianFerrettifree, lighter, even if less simple to use
0 - 39 Wine alternatives
- Compatibility Layer Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Linux
- Android
- Android Tablet
- BSD
- Flathub
Wine is a free, open source application for running Windows software on operating systems that are normally not supported. With Wine, you can install and run these applications just like you would in Windows.
- - Wine is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Parallels Desktop.
Wine Features
- Ad-free
- Lightweight
Opinions about Wine as a Alternative to Parallels Desktop
- 46 QEMU alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
QEMU Features
- Lightweight
- Privacy focused
- Portable
- Command line interface
- Support for scripting
- Container Virtualization
- 36 Proton alternatives
- Compatibility Layer Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- Steam
Proton is a tool for use with the Steam client which allows games which are exclusive to Windows to run on Linux kernel operating system. It uses Wine to facilitate this.
Proton Features
- 38 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free Personal • Proprietary
- Windows
- Linux
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...
VMware Workstation Pro Features
- Container Virtualization
Opinions about VMware Workstation Pro as a Alternative to Parallels Desktop
- 36 VMware Workstation Player alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free Personal • Proprietary
- Windows
- Linux
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.
VMware Workstation Player Features
- Container Virtualization
DiscontinuedWorkstation Player has been pashed out now that VMware Workstation Pro is free for personal use: VMware makes Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro free for personal use
- 29 virt-manager alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- BSD
The virt-manager application is a desktop user interface for managing virtual machines through libvirt. It primarily targets KVM VMs, but also manages Xen and LXC (linux containers). It presents a summary view of running domains, their live performance & resource utilization...
virt-manager Features
- Container Virtualization
- Lightweight
- Command line interface
- Privacy focused
- 37 CrossOver alternatives
- Compatibility Layer Tool
- Paid • Open Source
- Mac
- Linux
- Android
- Chrome OS
CrossOver allows you to install many popular Windows applications and games on your Intel OS X Mac or Linux computer.
- - CrossOver is the most popular commercial alternative to Parallels Desktop.
CrossOver Features
Opinions about CrossOver as a Alternative to Parallels Desktop
- 40 VMware Fusion alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free Personal • Proprietary
- Mac
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...
- 22 Boxes alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- BSD
- Flathub
- GNOME
A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.
Boxes Features
- Privacy focused
- Container Virtualization
- Lightweight
- Portable
- Command line interface
- 52 UTM alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
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 Parallels Desktop.
UTM Features
- Ad-free
- Container Virtualization
- 53 Windows Sandbox alternatives
- Virtualization Tool
- Free • Proprietary
- Windows
a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.
Windows Sandbox Features
- Container Virtualization
- Lightweight