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 many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Parallels Desktop are Wine, QEMU, VMware Fusion and CrossOver.

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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.
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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
Parallels Desktop alternatives page was last updated Feb 3, 2025
  1. PCE icon
     4 likes

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

    27 PCE alternatives
    PCE screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    PCE iconParallels Desktop Icon

    PCE VS Parallels Desktop

    Is PCE a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  2. WinOnX 64 icon
     4 likes

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

    31 WinOnX 64 alternatives
    A list of installed Windows programs

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac

    WinOnX 64 Features

    1.  Emulation
    2.  Run Windows software
    Discontinued

    The application has not been updated for almost three years, and also, judging by the reviews, does not work on the latest versions of macOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/winonx-64/id421346233

    WinOnX 64 iconParallels Desktop Icon

    WinOnX 64 VS Parallels Desktop

    Is WinOnX 64 a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  3.  4 likes

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

    17 JavaQemu alternatives
    JavaQemu screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    JavaQemu Features

    1.  Emulation
    Discontinued

    Website states: "This project is no longer active because I stopped playing with Java since a long time."

    Parallels Desktop Icon

    JavaQemu VS Parallels Desktop

    Is JavaQemu a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  4. VirtualBuddy icon
     1 like

    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

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VirtualBuddy iconParallels Desktop Icon

    VirtualBuddy VS Parallels Desktop

    Is VirtualBuddy a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  5. Veertu icon
     1 like

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

    10 Veertu alternatives
    Veertu screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    Discontinued

    Discontinued virtualization product.

    Veertu iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Veertu VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Veertu a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  6. Turbo.net for Mac icon
     1 like

    Turbo.net for Mac runs PC apps on your Mac without having to install a Virtual Machine.

    16 Turbo.net for Mac alternatives
    Run IE and PC browsers on Mac

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Turbo.net for Mac Features

    1.  Cross browser testing
    Turbo.net for Mac iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Turbo.net for Mac VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Turbo.net for Mac a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  7. lume VM icon
     1 like

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

    31 lume VM alternatives
    lume VM screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Python
    • Apple Swift
    • Homebrew

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No Tracking
    lume VM iconParallels Desktop Icon

    lume VM VS Parallels Desktop

    Is lume VM a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
  8. Vmtek icon
     Like this app

    VMTek is the Mac virtualization platform you've been waiting for. Run multiple instances and versions of macOS*, Linux and other operating systems side-by-side on your Mac with ease. High performance Mac-native virtualization designed from the ground up to take advantage of...

    7 Vmtek alternatives
    Vmtek screenshot 1

    License model

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Vmtek iconParallels Desktop Icon

    Vmtek VS Parallels Desktop

    Is Vmtek a good alternative to Parallels Desktop?
     
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