Parallels Desktop Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to Parallels Desktop for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative 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 19 are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Parallels Desktop are Wine, QEMU, CrossOver and VMware Fusion.

filter to find the best alternatives

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
  140
  • ...

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 Dec 22, 2024
  Suggest Alternatives
  1. VirtualBox icon
    VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2876 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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...

    62 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

     695 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    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

     279 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

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

    48 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.  Support for scripting
    6.  Emulation
    7.  Container Virtualization
    8.  User mode emulation
    QEMU iconParallels Desktop Icon

    QEMU VS Parallels Desktop

    Is QEMU a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    CrossOver icon

    CrossOver

    CrossOver allows you to install many popular Windows applications and games on your Intel OS X Mac or Linux computer.

    https://www.codeweavers.com
    Learn More
  6. CrossOver icon
    CrossOver icon

    CrossOver

     71 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    CrossOver allows you to install many popular Windows applications and games on your Intel OS X Mac or Linux computer.

    41 CrossOver alternatives
    CrossOver screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Chrome OS

    CrossOver Features

    1.  Compatibility Layer
    2.  Run Windows software
    CrossOver screenshot 1
    CrossOver screenshot 2
    +2
    CrossOver screenshot 3
    CrossOver iconParallels Desktop Icon

    CrossOver VS Parallels Desktop

    Is CrossOver a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     

    • Some users think CrossOver is a great Parallels Desktop alternative, some don't.

    • CrossOver is the most popular commercial alternative to Parallels Desktop.

    • CrossOver is Paid and ProprietaryParallels Desktop is also Paid and Proprietary
  7. VMware Fusion icon
    VMware Fusion icon

    VMware Fusion

     114 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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...

    44 VMware Fusion alternatives
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1
    VMWare Fusion 3 library
    +4
    VMware Fusion screenshot 3
    VMware Fusion iconParallels Desktop Icon

    VMware Fusion VS Parallels Desktop

    Is VMware Fusion a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  8. UTM icon
    UTM icon

    UTM

     19 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    54 UTM alternatives
    UTM screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

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

    UTM 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?
     

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

    • UTM is Free and Open SourceParallels Desktop is Paid and Proprietary
  10. Lima icon
    Lima icon

    Lima

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.

    55 Lima alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Lima iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Lima VS Parallels Desktop

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

    Multipass

     6 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    55 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. RVVM icon
    RVVM icon

    RVVM

     1 like
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    RVVM is a virtual machine / emulator for RISC-V guests, which emphasizes on performance, security, lean code and portability. It already runs a lot of guest operating systems, including Linux, Haiku, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.

    10 RVVM alternatives
    RVVM screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Windows
    • Mac

    RVVM Features

    1.  Emulation
    RVVM iconParallels Desktop Icon

    RVVM VS Parallels Desktop

    Is RVVM a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  13. Wineskin Winery icon
    Wineskin Winery icon

    Wineskin Winery

     19 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Wineskin is a tool used to make ports of Windows software to Mac OS X. The ports are in the form of normal Mac application bundle wrappers. It works like a wrapper around the Windows software, and you can share just the wrappers if you choose.

    32 Wineskin Winery alternatives
    Wineskin Options Window

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Wine

    Wineskin Winery Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    2.  Run Windows Games
    Software Installation Window
    Screen Options
    +2
    Advanced Configuration Window
    Discontinued

    Hasn't been updated in over 6 years and doesn't work on most modern versions of macOS: https://sourceforge.net/projects/wineskin/, https://github.com/Gcenx/WineskinServer#wineskin

    Wineskin Winery iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Wineskin Winery VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Wineskin Winery a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  14. Porting Kit icon
    Porting Kit icon

    Porting Kit

     13 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    29 Porting Kit alternatives
    Skyrim on Porting Kit

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Porting Kit Features

    1.  Run Windows software
    Porting Kit screenshot 1
    Porting Kit iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Porting Kit VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Porting Kit a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  15. Karton icon
    Karton icon

    Karton

     3 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Run Linux programs on macOS, a different Linux distro, or a different architecture.

    22 Karton alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    Karton iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Karton VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Karton a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
12 of 19 Parallels Desktop alternatives