Free Proxmox Virtual Environment AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like Proxmox Virtual Environment

The best free alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment is VirtualBox, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Proxmox Virtual Environment and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Proxmox Virtual Environment are XCP-ng, OpenStack, oVirt and SmartOS.

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Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Cloud Computing Services or Cloud Hosting Services you can filter on that. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Proxmox Virtual Environment.
Proxmox Virtual Environment iconProxmox Virtual Environment
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Proxmox Virtual Environment is a complete and easy to use Open Source virtualization platform for running Virtual Appliances and Virtual Machines. Proxmox VE tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers,...

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Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives page was last updated Jun 4, 2025
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  1. VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2899 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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    VirtualBox Manager

    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.  No Tracking
    9.  Hypervisor

    VirtualBox VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
    Comments about VirtualBox as an Alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment
    Comment summary: Proxmox VE and VirtualBox are often compared, but they serve different purposes; Proxmox is a bare metal hypervisor ideal for server-based virtualization, while VirtualBox is a type 2 hypervisor suitable for desktop environments. Comments noted Proxmox's complexities in configuration, especially with ZFS, leading some to prefer VirtualBox for simplicity. The two do not directly replace each other due to different infrastructure requirements and use cases.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Oct 22, 2020
    16

    Use cases have practically no overlap. Proxmox requires dedicated server hardware and is of no use to casual users with desktops, whereas VirtualBox is controlled manually with a GUI and would be highly inconvenient and inefficient for the kind of infrastructure Proxmox is designed for

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative Dec 2, 2024
    1

    Server based hypervisor and desktop hypervisor are not the same

    Centaro
    Negative Aug 7, 2024
    0

    It is a Type 2 Hypervisor, not Type 1.

    Show more comments
    3 of 15 comments
    Proxmox Virtual Environment Icon
    VirtualBox icon

    • This alternative is disputed. VirtualBox is a legitimate Proxmox Virtual Environment alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    • VirtualBox is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment.

    • VirtualBox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment.

    • VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceProxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open Source
    • VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedProxmox Virtual Environment is not according to our users
  2. XCP-ng icon

    XCP-ng

     44 likes
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    XCP-ng is a high-performance, enterprise-level hypervisor with a rich ecosystem and is the result of massive cooperation between individuals and companies. All commercial features are enabled with no commitment required to a support agreement.

    24 XCP-ng alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • NVIDIA vGPU
    • AMD MxGPU
    Installation boot screen

    XCP-ng Features

    1.  Live migration
    2.  Hypervisor
    3.  High Availability
    4.  Disaster Recovery
    5.  Unlimited resource usage
    6.  Replication
    7.  DRM Free
    8.  Clustering
    9.  Live VDI-Migration
    10.  Compatible with xen

    XCP-ng VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
    Comments about XCP-ng as an Alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment
    Guest
    Positive Apr 7, 2020
    1

    Works like Citrix hypervisor, and could be managed for free by XCP console for many platforms and you may adopt Xen Orchestra for automation and WEB management (freemium also). Both products came from same company so it works seamlessly.

    Proxmox Virtual Environment Icon
    XCP-ng icon

    • Almost everyone thinks XCP-ng is a great Proxmox Virtual Environment alternative.

    • XCP-ng is Free and Open SourceProxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open Source
  4. OpenStack icon

    OpenStack

     61 likes
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    OpenStack OpenStack is a global collaboration of developers and cloud computing technologists producing the ubiquitous open source cloud computing platform for public and private clouds. The project aims to deliver solutions for all types of clouds by being simple to implement...

    75 OpenStack alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    OpenStack screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Multiple Account support
    2.  Decentralized
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Two-factor Authentication
    5.  Cloud IDE
    6.  Dashboard

    OpenStack VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
    Comments about OpenStack as an Alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment
    Misha Knarg
    Negative Mar 21, 2019
    4

    Openstack is for global companies, this solution is too expensive compare to Proxmox. Openstack is googd alternative to VMware vCloud Director for example.

    Proxmox Virtual Environment Icon
    OpenStack icon

    • Most users think OpenStack is a great Proxmox Virtual Environment alternative.

    • OpenStack is the most popular Web-based & Self-Hosted alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment.

    • OpenStack is Free and Open SourceProxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open Source
    • OpenStack is Privacy focused and DecentralizedProxmox Virtual Environment is not according to our users
  5. oVirt icon

    oVirt

     24 likes
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    oVirt is a virtualization management application. That means that you can use the oVirt management interface ( the oVirt engine) to manage hardware nodes, storage and network resources, and to deploy and monitor virtual machines running in your data center.

    24 oVirt alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    oVirt screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  User friendly

    Features

    1.  Cluster management
    2.  High Availability

    oVirt VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
    Comments about oVirt as an Alternative to Proxmox Virtual Environment
    Guest
    Positive Oct 28, 2020
    0

    Fully featured, actively developed, good high availability featureset

    Proxmox Virtual Environment Icon
    oVirt icon

    • Almost everyone thinks oVirt is a great Proxmox Virtual Environment alternative.

    • oVirt is Free and Open SourceProxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open Source
  6. SmartOS icon

    SmartOS

     17 likes
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    SmartOS is a hypervisor lean enough to run entirely in memory, powerful enough to run as much as you want to throw at it. Provisioning is blindingly fast, thanks to zones and ZFS file system creation.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    SmartOS screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Command line interface
    3.  Rolling Release
    4.  Container Virtualization
    5.  No Tracking
    6.  Hypervisor

    SmartOS VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  7. Microsoft Hyper-V Server icon

    Microsoft Hyper-V Server

     40 likes
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    Microsoft Hyper-V Server is a free product that delivers enterprise-class virtualization for your datacenter and hybrid cloud.

    51 Microsoft Hyper-V Server alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    sconfig

    Microsoft Hyper-V Server Features

    1.  Hypervisor
    2.  VPS

    Microsoft Hyper-V Server VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  9. Harvester icon

    Harvester

     6 likes
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    Harvester is the next generation of open-source hyperconverged infrastructure solutions designed for modern cloud-native environments.

    14 Harvester alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    Harvester screenshot 1

    Harvester Features

    1.  Hypervisor

    Harvester VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  10. Lima icon

    Lima

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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac

    Lima VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  11. OpenNebula icon

    OpenNebula

     2 likes
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    The Simplest Cloud Management Experience Simple yet Powerful Turnkey Solution to Build Clouds and Manage Data Center Virtualization.

    7 OpenNebula alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    OpenNebula screenshot 1

    OpenNebula VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  12. bhyve icon

    bhyve

     11 likes
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    bhyve (pronounced "bee hive", formerly written as BHyVe) is a type-2 hypervisor that runs FreeBSD 9+, OpenBSD, Linux and MS Window desktop (versions Vista, 7, 8/8.1/8.2 and 10), as well as MS Windows Server (versions 2008/2008R2, 2012/2012R2 and 2016 Technical Preview...

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • BSD
    • FreeBSD

    bhyve Features

    1.  Hypervisor

    bhyve VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  13. Danube Cloud icon

    Danube Cloud

     4 likes
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    Danube Cloud is a cloud management software used for deploying, maintaining and automating cloud data centers and their processes.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • SK flagSlovakia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Server console

    Danube Cloud Features

    1.  Incremental Backup
    2.  Container Virtualization
    3.  Hardware virtualization
    4.  Server Monitoring
    5.  Multi-Tenant

    Danube Cloud VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
  14. Multipass icon

    Multipass

     7 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.

    57 Multipass alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    Multipass screenshot 1

    Multipass VS Proxmox Virtual Environment

     
12 of 26 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives