UTM AlternativesVirtualization Tools and other similar apps like UTM

UTM is described as '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' and is a Virtualization tool in the network & admin category. There are more than 50 alternatives to UTM for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, BSD and Web-based apps. The best UTM alternative is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like UTM are WinBoat, QEMU, BlueStacks and VMware Workstation Pro.

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Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon
     2938 likes

    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.

    65 VirtualBox alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
     
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    1
    VirtualBox vs UTM Comments
    edmundlaugasson
    0

    Does not work with Apple M1 CPU, hopefully yet....

    • VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceUTM is also Free and Open Source
  2. WinBoat icon
     67 likes

    Runs Windows applications, individual apps, or full desktops inside Linux with native OS-level integration, sleek interface, advanced filesystem sharing, smartcard passthrough, and resource monitoring while supporting simple installation and ongoing feature updates.

    52 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
     
  3. QEMU icon
     300 likes

    QEMU, an open-source hypervisor, performs hardware virtualization, emulates CPUs using dynamic binary translation, and supports various architectures. It runs diverse unmodified guest OS, provides device models, and offers mixed translation modes for efficient execution.

    44 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
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    1
    QEMU vs UTM Comments
    Kelson V
    Positive
    0

    UTM is mainly a wrapper around QEMU (or Apple Virtualization). So all the technical capabilities are the same, it's just that UTM makes it possible to do the basics without looking up all the commandline options every time.

    • QEMU is Free and Open SourceUTM is also Free and Open Source
    • QEMU is Security-focusedUTM is not according to our users
  4. BlueStacks icon
     413 likes

    BlueStacks enables running Android apps on Windows PCs and Mac, without requiring a reboot. It supports virtualization for zero configuration, allowing seamless integration between Android and Windows systems, with apps appearing as icons or in a full environment. Ideal for personal and enterprise use.

    27 BlueStacks alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Bundleware

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
     
  5. VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Pro is the industry standard for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines (VMs) on a single Linux or...

    36 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  6. KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). It consists of a loadable kernel module, kvm.

    41 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
     
  7. Virtualization software for running Windows, Linux, and other OSes on Mac. Supports Windows 11 on Apple Silicon, resource adjustments, and seamless app access and file sharing between OS environments.

    58 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
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    1
    Parallels Desktop vs UTM Comments
    Kelson V
    Positive
    0

    More expensive, doesn't easily support emulating different hardware. But it's also a lot faster, has better guest/host integration, and supports things like snapshots.

    • Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryUTM is Free and Open Source
  8. VMware Workstation Player builds on the industry leading foundation of Workstation Pro, and delivers a streamlined user interface for creating and running operating systems and applications in a virtual machine.

    40 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  9. virt-manager icon
     81 likes

    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.

    34 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  10. VMware Fusion icon
     117 likes

    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...

    41 VMware Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
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    1
    VMware Fusion vs UTM Comments
    Kelson V
    Negative
    0

    VMWare's always had a clunky web store, but Broadcom's made it worse. I tried to set this up on my current Mac and simply could not find a way to download the installer. I ended up trying UTM and Parallels instead.

    • VMware Fusion is Free and ProprietaryUTM is Free and Open Source
  11. Boxes icon
     30 likes

    A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
     
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    1
    Boxes vs UTM Comments
    Kelson V
    Positive
    0

    Not sure it'll run on macOS, but Boxes on Linux/BSD is pretty close to what UTM is on macOS. They're both GUI wrappers around QEMU and native virtualization, and they both make it easy to do the basics to get a guest OS running.

    • Boxes is Free and Open SourceUTM is also Free and Open Source
    • Boxes is Security-focusedUTM is not according to our users
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