The Best Open Source Parallels Desktop AlternativesTop Virtualization & Compatibility Layer Tools like Parallels Desktop

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   VirtualBox

    2969 likes

   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.

   70 VirtualBox alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application type

   • Virtualization

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • BSD
   • Oracle Solaris

   

   

   

   +5

   

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   Is VirtualBox a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

    

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   VirtualBox vs Parallels Desktop Comments

    

   John Fastman

   Positive comment•Dec 17, 2016

   8

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

   Léana

   Comment•May 13, 2022

   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 comment•Mar 26, 2021

   0

   free, lighter, even if less simple to use

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   

   

   • 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. 

   

   Wine

    775 likes

   An advanced, free open-source tool enabling Windows applications to run on Linux and other systems without emulation. It offers configuration options, supports diverse operating systems, and benefits from continuous updates and robust community support to enhance Windows app compatibility.

   51 Wine alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application type

   • Compatibility Layer

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Linux
   • Android
   • Android Tablet
   • BSD
   • Flathub

   

   

   

   +1

   

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   Wine vs Parallels Desktop Comments

    

   Kelson V

   Comment•Aug 23, 2025

   0

   Not quite the same thing. Parallels runs a whole Windows computer inside your Mac. Wine adds compatibility to run Windows apps directly on macOS. A lot of apps run great, but not everything translates between systems, and trying to match Windows is a moving target.

   

   

   • Wine is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
   • Wine is Privacy focused and LightweightParallels Desktop is not according to our users
4. 

   

   WinBoat

    76 likes

   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.

   54 WinBoat alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application types

   • Compatibility Layer
   • Virtualization

   Origin

   • Romania
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Linux
   • Docker

   

   

   

   +2

   

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   WinBoat vs Parallels Desktop Comments

    

   Victor Ferreira

   Positive comment•Sep 19, 2025

   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.

   

   

   • WinBoat is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
   • WinBoat is Privacy focusedParallels Desktop is not according to our users
5. 

   

   QEMU

    307 likes

   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.

   46 QEMU alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application type

   • Virtualization

   Origin

   • France
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • BSD

   

   

   

   +1

   

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   QEMU vs Parallels Desktop Comments

    

   Kelson V

   Comment•Aug 23, 2025

   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.

   

   

   • 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
6. 

   

   Proton

    128 likes

   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.

   45 Proton alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source

   Application type

   • Compatibility Layer

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Linux
   • Steam

   

   

   More about Proton  

   

   Is Proton a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

    
7. 

   

   virt-manager

    85 likes

   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.

   35 virt-manager alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

   Application type

   • Virtualization

   Origin

   • Australia

   Platforms

   • Linux
   • BSD
   • Flathub
   • Flatpak

   

   

   

   More about virt-manager  

   

   Is virt-manager a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

    
9. 

   

   UTM

    30 likes

   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.

   60 UTM alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

   Application type

   • Virtualization

   Origin

   • International

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • iPhone
   • iPad
   • visionOS

   

   

   

   More about UTM  

   

   Is UTM a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

    

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   UTM vs Parallels Desktop Comments

    

   Kelson V

   Positive comment•Aug 23, 2025

   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 comment•Feb 22, 2025

   0

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

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   

   

   • 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. 

    

    Boxes

     33 likes

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

    28 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

    Application type

    • Virtualization

    Origin

    • Czechia
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME

    

    

    

    +5

    

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    1comment

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    Boxes vs Parallels Desktop Comments

     

    Kelson V

    Comment•Aug 23, 2025

    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.

    

    

    • 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
11. 

    

    Darling

     17 likes

    Run macOS applications on Linux.

    29 Darling alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application type

    • Compatibility Layer

    Platforms

    • Linux

    

    Is Darling a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

     
12. 

    

    Portable Virtualbox

     45 likes

    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.

    40 Portable Virtualbox alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Virtualization

    Origin

    • Norway

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows

    

    

    More about Portable Virtualbox  

    

    Is Portable Virtualbox a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

     
13. 

    

    Vectras VM

     7 likes

    It's a Virtual Machine App for Android Which is Based on QEMU.

    15 Vectras VM alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-2.0)

    Application type

    • Virtualization

    Platforms

    • Android

    

    More about Vectras VM  

    

    Is Vectras VM a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?

     
14. 

    

    WinApps

     8 likes

    Allows use of Windows applications, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe software, directly within Linux desktops like GNOME or KDE, using background RDP virtualization and providing file right-click access, home directory mounting, and one-command setup.

    38 WinApps alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Compatibility Layer

    Platforms

    • Linux

    

    More about WinApps  

    

    Is WinApps a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?