Parallels Desktop Alternatives

Parallels Desktop is described as 'Virtualization tool enabling seamless operation of Windows and Linux on Mac. Support for Windows 11 on Apple Silicon with resource customization' and is a very popular compatibility layer tool in the network & admin category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Parallels Desktop for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, 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, WinBoat, QEMU and Proton.

filter to find the best alternatives

Parallels Desktop alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools or Remote Desktop Tools 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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Parallels Desktop alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. lume VM icon
     3 likes

    A lightweight CLI and local API server to create, run and manage macOS and Linux virtual machines (VMs) natively on Apple Silicon.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Python
    • Apple Swift
    • Homebrew
     
  2. Porting Kit icon
     14 likes

    Using Wineskin technology, Porting Kit is a PaulTheTall.com app that can install games and apps compiled for Microsoft Windows® in Mac OS X. It has access to a server where we store WSI files for more than 300 games, which can be installed by any Porting Kit user.

    31 Porting Kit alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  3. Veertu icon
     1 like

    Run Windows and Linux on your Mac alongside OS X. Veertu is simple, light, secure virtualization software designed for Mac.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  4.  4 likes

    JavaQemu is a Graphical User Interface Front End for QEMU, written in Java.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  5. CheerpX icon
     1 like

    CheerpX is an x86 virtualization technology for running executables and operating systems entirely client-side. It’s an always available, zero-cost virtual machine with guaranteed data privacy, powered by a WebAssembly JIT engine.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • WebAssembly
     
  6. WinOnX 64 icon
     4 likes

    Run your Windows applications on OSX without the need of buying a Windows license.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  7. Karton VM icon
     2 likes

    A Libvirt-based Virtual Machine Manager for KDE.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • KDE Plasma
     
  8. PCE icon
     5 likes

    PCE is a collection of microcomputer emulators. At the moment it contains three emulators:

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  9.  1 like

    Tool for running and packaging Windows apps or games on macOS 10.15.4+ with Wine, enabling users to choose DirectX backends such as Metal, Vulkan, D3DMetal, VKD3D, DXVK, DXMT, and experimental D9VK for broad compatibility and enhanced performance.

    33 Sikarugir alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  10. Cassowary icon
     3 likes

    Run Windows Applications on Linux as if they are native. Use Linux applications to launch files located in Windows WM without needing to install applications on WM. With easy to use configuration GUI. TEST.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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