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

The best open source alternative to Parallels Desktop is VirtualBox. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Parallels Desktop and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Parallels Desktop are Wine, QEMU, Proton and virt-manager.

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Parallels Desktop alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Compatibility Layer Tools or Remote Desktop Tools.  Other popular filters includes Mac + Open Source and Mac + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Parallels Desktop.
Parallels Desktop iconParallels Desktop
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Virtualization tool enabling seamless operation of Windows and Linux on Mac. Support for Windows 11 on Apple Silicon with resource customization.

More about Parallels Desktop
More about Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop alternatives page was last updated Feb 22, 2025
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  1. VirtualBox icon
    VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2888 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
    VirtualBox Manager

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    Create Virtual Machine
    Setting of an OS
    +5
    Instaling Windows 10 as Virtual Machine

    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 iconParallels Desktop Icon

    VirtualBox VS Parallels Desktop

    Is VirtualBox a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
    Comments about VirtualBox as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
     
    John Fastman

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

    Positive comment •Dec 17, 2016
    8
    Léana

    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).

    Comment •May 13, 2022
    0
    ChristianFerretti

    free, lighter, even if less simple to use

    Positive comment •Mar 26, 2021
    0
    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. Wine icon
    Wine icon

    Wine

     704 likes
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    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.

    41 Wine alternatives
    Wine screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    Wine screenshot 1
    Wine screenshot 2
    +1
    Wine screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    2.  Compatibility Layer
    3.  Emulation
    4.  Ad-free
    Wine iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Wine VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Wine a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     

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

    • Wine is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Parallels Desktop.

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

    QEMU

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

    44 QEMU alternatives
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Hardware Configuration of a VMware machine
    Harddisk based on a VMware vmdk-file
    +1
    Advanced settings of a vmdk-machine

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy 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 iconParallels Desktop Icon

    QEMU VS Parallels Desktop

    Is QEMU a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  5. Proton icon
    Proton icon

    Proton

     99 likes
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    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.

    39 Proton alternatives
    Proton screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Steam
    Proton screenshot 1

    Proton Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    2.  Run Windows Games
    3.  Compatibility Layer
    4.  Emulation
    5.  Ad-free
    Proton iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Proton VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Proton a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  6. virt-manager icon
    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
    virt-manager screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    virt-manager screenshot 1
    virt-manager screenshot 2

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy 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 iconParallels Desktop Icon

    virt-manager VS Parallels Desktop

    Is virt-manager a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  7. UTM icon
    UTM icon

    UTM

     20 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
    UTM screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1
    UTM screenshot 2

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multi System Emulator
    3.  Emulation
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Container Virtualization
    UTM iconParallels Desktop Icon

    UTM VS Parallels Desktop

    Is UTM a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
    Comments about UTM as an Alternative to Parallels Desktop
     
    Guest

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

    Positive comment •Feb 22, 2025
    0
    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
  9. Boxes icon
    Boxes icon

    Boxes

     26 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.

    25 Boxes alternatives
    Boxes screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
    Boxes screenshot 2
    +5
    Boxes screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Container Virtualization
    6.  Portable
    7.  VNC Viewer
    Boxes iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Boxes VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Boxes a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  10. Portable Virtualbox icon
    Portable Virtualbox icon

    Portable Virtualbox

     44 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.

    39 Portable Virtualbox alternatives
    Portable Virtualbox screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Portable Virtualbox screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Container Virtualization
    3.  Portable
    4.  GNU/linux-libre
    Discontinued

    Discontinued.

    Portable Virtualbox iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Portable Virtualbox VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Portable Virtualbox a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  11. Multipass icon
    Multipass icon

    Multipass

     6 likes
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    Multipass is a lightweight VM manager for Linux, Windows and macOS. It's designed for developers who want a fresh Ubuntu environment with a single command. It uses KVM on Linux, Hyper-V on Windows and HyperKit on macOS to run the VM with minimal overhead.

    56 Multipass alternatives
    Multipass screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Multipass screenshot 1
    Multipass screenshot 2
    Multipass iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Multipass VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Multipass a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  12. Darling icon
    Darling icon

    Darling

     10 likes
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    Run macOS applications on Linux.

    27 Darling alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux

    Darling Features

    1.  macOS-like
    Darling iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Darling VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Darling a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  13. Vectras VM icon
    Vectras VM icon

    Vectras VM

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

    12 Vectras VM alternatives
    Vectras VM screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android

    Vectras VM Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    Vectras VM iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Vectras VM VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Vectras VM a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  14. VirtualBuddy icon
    VirtualBuddy icon

    VirtualBuddy

     1 like
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    VirtualBuddy can virtualize macOS 12 and later on Apple Silicon, with the goal of offering features that are useful to developers who need to test their apps on multiple versions of macOS, especially betas.

    49 VirtualBuddy alternatives
    VirtualBuddy screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VirtualBuddy iconParallels Desktop Icon

    VirtualBuddy VS Parallels Desktop

    Is VirtualBuddy a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
12 of 38 Parallels Desktop alternatives