Parallels Desktop AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Virtualization Tools

The best Virtualization alternative to Parallels Desktop is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Parallels Desktop and many of them are Virtualization Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Virtualization Tool alternatives to Parallels Desktop are WinBoat, QEMU, VMware Workstation Pro and VMware Workstation Player.

filter to find the best alternatives

Parallels Desktop alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools or Operating Systems you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Free, Mac, Open Source, Mac + Open Source, Virtualization and Mac + Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Parallels Desktop.
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Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2926 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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    VirtualBox Manager
     
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    34
    Comments about VirtualBox as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
    John Fastman
    Positive
    8

    Unlike Parallels, Virtualbox is free, open source and runs natively on Windows, Mac and Linux. What's not to like?

    Léana
    0

    I 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).

    ChristianFerretti
    Positive
    0

    free, lighter, even if less simple to use

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Parallels Desktop Icon
    VirtualBox icon

    • Most users think VirtualBox is a great Parallels Desktop alternative.

    • 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 is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
    • VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedParallels Desktop is not according to our users
  2. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     60 likes
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    Runs Windows applications, individual apps, or full desktops inside Linux with native OS-level integration, sleek interface, advanced filesystem sharing, smartcard passthrough, and resource monitoring while supporting simple installation and ongoing feature updates.

    50 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    WinBoat screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about WinBoat as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
    Victor Ferreira
    Positive
    0

    I think WinBoat is the best alternative to Parallels Desktop because it works the same way, with a similar workflow and an interface that's just as beautiful and user-friendly.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Parallels Desktop Icon
    WinBoat icon
    • WinBoat is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
    • WinBoat is Privacy focusedParallels Desktop is not according to our users
  4. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     296 likes
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    QEMU, an open-source hypervisor, performs hardware virtualization, emulates CPUs using dynamic binary translation, and supports various architectures. It runs diverse unmodified guest OS, provides device models, and offers mixed translation modes for efficient execution.

    44 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
     
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    1
    Comments about QEMU as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
    Kelson V
    0

    QEMU by itself is built into macOS, but it's a pain to run (it's all command-line) unless you use a GUI wrapper like UTM. It's also slower than Parallels due to limited support for hardware accelleration.

    Parallels Desktop Icon
    QEMU icon
    • QEMU is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
    • QEMU is Lightweight, Privacy focused and Security-focusedParallels Desktop is not according to our users
  5. VMware Workstation Pro icon

    VMware Workstation Pro

     393 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...

    35 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Pro screenshot 1
     
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    9
  6. 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.

    38 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Player screenshot 1
     
  7. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

     82 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.

    32 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    virt-manager screenshot 1
     
  9. UTM icon

    UTM

     24 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.

    56 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about UTM as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
    Kelson V
    Positive
    0

    Not as many bells and whistles, and not as fast, but it's cheap/free, open source, and easier to set up emulation of different chip architectures (ex. running an x86_64 VM on your M2 Mac)

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Its Open Source Unlike Parallels Desktop Its Also Open Source So Its More Trustable

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Parallels Desktop Icon
    UTM icon

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

    • UTM is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
    • UTM is Privacy focused and LightweightParallels Desktop is not according to our users
  10. 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...

    40 VMware Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about VMware Fusion as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
    Kelson V
    Negative
    0

    I used this on my old Intel Mac, but ever since Broadcom bought them, it's been hard to even find the download for the installer.

    Parallels Desktop Icon
    VMware Fusion icon
    • VMware Fusion is Free and ProprietaryParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
  11. Boxes icon

    Boxes

     29 likes
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    A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.

    26 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Boxes as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
    Kelson V
    0

    I'm not sure you can actually run Boxes on macOS, but from my experience running it on Linux, it's more comparable to UTM than to Parallels, and UTM is built specifically to run on macOS.

    Parallels Desktop Icon
    Boxes icon
    • Boxes is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
    • Boxes is Lightweight, Privacy focused and Security-focusedParallels Desktop is not according to our users
  14. Portable Virtualbox icon

    Portable Virtualbox

     45 likes
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    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.

    38 Portable Virtualbox alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Portable Virtualbox screenshot 1
     
12 of 31 Parallels Desktop alternatives