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Best VirtualBox Alternatives

VirtualBox is described as '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' and is a leading Virtualization tool in the network & admin category. There are more than 50 alternatives to VirtualBox for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, BSD, Mac and AMD MxGPU. The best alternative is VMware Workstation Pro. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try QEMU or KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine). Other great apps like VirtualBox are VMware Workstation Player, Portable Virtualbox, virt-manager and Proxmox Virtual Environment.

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VirtualBox iconVirtualBox
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  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • BSD
  • Solaris

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is...

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  1. VMware Workstation Pro icon

    VMware Workstation Pro

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    • Windows
    • Linux
    39 alternatives to VMware Workstation Pro 

    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...

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    VMware Workstation Pro vs VirtualBox opinions
    Most users think VMware Workstation Pro is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
    Guest

    Its much more user friendly and pleasant to work with.

    Top positive comment• ago
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    9
    Sunmaster

    Easy to work with while it is an advanced software. I realy like it and have used it many times.

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    1
    dvdvideo123

    Virtual box is free, vmwre has 30 day trial.

    Top negative comment• ago
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    1
    Guest

    Very good but very expensive. Instead i'd reccomend VMWare Workstation Player.

    Negative comment• ago
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    6
    Guest

    Expensive. If you want the free version for personal use, go with VMware Workstation Player.

    Negative comment• ago
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    13
    Guest

    i have no words its best win app

    Positive comment• ago
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    -9
    androbuntu

    very good software for virtualization

    Positive comment• ago
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    -2
  2. QEMU icon

    QEMU

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    42 alternatives to QEMU 

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

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    1.  PortableQEMU can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
    2.  Support for scriptingQEMU supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
    3.  LightweightQEMU consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    4.  Command line interfaceQEMU either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
    Hardware Configuration of a VMware machine
    Harddisk based on a VMware vmdk-file
    QEMU vs VirtualBox opinions
    Almost everyone thinks QEMU is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
    Guest

    It runs faster than virtualbox using KVM. Also is better suited for production level.

    Positive comment• ago
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    13
    Guest

    It also performs hardware visualization

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    3
    arpeters

    It is supported by various frontends such as Virt Manager and AQEMU.

    Positive comment• ago
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    10
    Guest

    It doesn't have a GUI to manage like Virtualbox or VMware. That's problematic.

    Negative comment• ago
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    -9
  4. VMware Workstation Player icon

    VMware Workstation Player

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    • Windows
    • Linux
    38 alternatives to VMware Workstation Player 

    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.

     VMware Workstation Player has no features, suggest some!
    Screenshot
    VMware Workstation Player vs VirtualBox opinions
    Almost everyone thinks VMware Workstation Player is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
    Guest

    Free and slightly more advanced. Less user friendly than virtualbox but also much more feature rich.

    Positive comment• ago
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    8
  5. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

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    • Linux
    • Android
    39 alternatives to KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) 

    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.

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    1.  Command line interfaceKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
    2.  Container VirtualizationKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    4.  LightweightKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    5.  PortableKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
    Screenshot
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) vs VirtualBox opinions
    Almost everyone thinks KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
  6. Portable Virtualbox icon

    Portable Virtualbox

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    40 alternatives to Portable Virtualbox 

    Portable-VirtualBox is a free and open source software tool that lets you run any operating system from a usb stick without separate installation. It unpacks and adjusts the paths and configuration of VirtualBox so it will run portably.

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    1.  PortablePortable Virtualbox can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
    Discontinued

    It has not been updated since 2017 and does not work with any version of Virtualbox beyond v5.1.22.

    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Portable Virtualbox vs VirtualBox opinions
    Some users think Portable Virtualbox is a great alternative to VirtualBox, some don't.
    garnishgamer

    It is basically VirtualBox for mobile.

    Positive comment• ago
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    -19
  8. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

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    • Linux
    • BSD
    26 alternatives to virt-manager 

    The virt-manager application is a desktop user interface for managing virtual machines through libvirt. It primarily targets KVM VMs, but also manages Xen and LXC (linux containers). It presents a summary view of running domains, their live performance & resource utilization...

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    1.  Container Virtualizationvirt-manager can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
    2.  Lightweightvirt-manager consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    3.  Command line interfacevirt-manager either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    virt-manager vs VirtualBox opinions
    Almost everyone thinks virt-manager is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
    Guest

    virt-manager with kvm/libvirtd is as powerfull as virtualbox, but much much more faster.

    Positive comment• ago
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    1
    arpeters

    Fully open source alternative to VirtualBox available in Debian repository. I don't trust VirtualBox anymore since it was excluded from Debian main.

    Positive comment• ago
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    -1
    zinz

    this is not vm but a vm manager.

    Negative comment• ago
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    -10
  9. Proxmox Virtual Environment icon

    Proxmox Virtual Environment

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    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    40 alternatives to Proxmox Virtual Environment 

    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, software-defined storage and networking functionality on a single...

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    1.  Container VirtualizationProxmox Virtual Environment can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
    2.  Two-factor AuthenticationProxmox Virtual Environment supports two-factor authentication (2FA).
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
  10. Boxes icon

    Boxes

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    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    21 alternatives to Boxes 

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

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    Features
    1.  Privacy focusedBoxes is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
    2.  Container VirtualizationBoxes can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
    3.  LightweightBoxes consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    4.  Command line interfaceBoxes either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
    5.  PortableBoxes can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Boxes vs VirtualBox opinions
    Most users think Boxes is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
    Guest

    This is a virtual machine manager, not virtualization software

    Negative comment• ago
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    5
  11. Parallels Desktop icon

    Parallels Desktop

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    47 alternatives to Parallels Desktop 

    Parallels Desktop gives Mac users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as macOS. Parallels Desktop is optimized for Intel and Apple M1 chip.

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    Features
    1.  Support for Multiple MonitorsParallels Desktop supports the use of multiple displays.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Parallels Desktop vs VirtualBox opinions
    Most users think Parallels Desktop is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
  12. VMware Fusion icon

    VMware Fusion

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    39 alternatives to VMware Fusion 

    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...

     VMware Fusion has no features, suggest some!
    Screenshot
    VMware Fusion vs VirtualBox opinions
    Most users think VMware Fusion is a great alternative to VirtualBox.
Showing 10 of 58 alternatives
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