The Best Free VirtualBox AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like VirtualBox

The best free alternative to VirtualBox is QEMU, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to VirtualBox and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to VirtualBox are VMware Workstation Player, virt-manager, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and Proxmox Virtual Environment.

VirtualBox alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Web Browsers or Compatibility Layer Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of VirtualBox.

VirtualBox

2824

Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool

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

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QEMU
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
42 QEMU alternatives
QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
- - QEMU is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to VirtualBox.
- - QEMU is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to VirtualBox.
Suggest and vote on features
QEMU Features
1. Privacy focusedQEMU is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
2. LightweightQEMU consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Command line interfaceQEMU either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
4. PortableQEMU can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Support for scriptingQEMU supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
6. Container VirtualizationQEMU can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
GPU Acceleration
Security focused
Emulation
User mode emulation
Comments about QEMU as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think QEMU is a great VirtualBox alternative.
arpeters
It is supported by various frontends such as Virt Manager and AQEMU.
Top positive comment •
11

Guest
It runs faster than virtualbox using KVM. Also is better suited for production level.
Top positive comment •
14

ag123
it is fast to virtualize (say an iso file) you just have to run two commands
Positive comment •
1

Guest
It doesn't have a GUI to manage like Virtualbox or VMware. That's problematic.
Negative comment •
-10

Guest
It also performs hardware visualization
Positive comment •
4
VMware Workstation Player
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Virtualization Tool
Windows
Linux
38 VMware Workstation Player alternatives
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!

Comments about VMware Workstation Player as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Almost everyone thinks VMware Workstation Player is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Guest
Free and slightly more advanced. Less user friendly than virtualbox but also much more feature rich.
Positive comment •
9
virt-manager
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Linux
BSD
26 virt-manager alternatives
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...
Suggest and vote on features
virt-manager Features
1. Command line interfacevirt-manager either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. Container Virtualizationvirt-manager can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
3. Lightweightvirt-manager consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
4. Privacy focusedvirt-manager is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
VNC Viewer
SSH
Customizable
Security focused
Live migration
Comments about virt-manager as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think virt-manager is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Guest
virt-manager with kvm/libvirtd is as powerfull as virtualbox, but much much more faster.
Positive comment •
2

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 •
0

zinz
this is not vm but a vm manager.
Negative comment •
-11
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Linux
Android
40 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives
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.
- - KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is the most popular Android alternative to VirtualBox.
Suggest and vote on features
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) Features
1. PortableKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. Command line interfaceKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
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. Privacy focusedKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
6. Container VirtualizationKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
Nt kernel
Linux-based
Security focused
Emulation
Opinions about KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Almost everyone thinks KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Proxmox Virtual Environment
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Windows
Linux
Android
Android Tablet
42 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives
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...
- - Proxmox Virtual Environment is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to VirtualBox.
Suggest and vote on features
Proxmox Virtual Environment Features
1. Two-factor AuthenticationProxmox Virtual Environment supports two-factor authentication (2FA).
2. Container VirtualizationProxmox Virtual Environment can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
3. LightweightProxmox Virtual Environment consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
4. PortableProxmox Virtual Environment can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Dark ModeProxmox Virtual Environment supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
WebUI Management
High Availability
Clustering
Live migration
Opinions about Proxmox Virtual Environment as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think Proxmox Virtual Environment is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Parallels Desktop
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Virtualization Tool
Mac
47 Parallels Desktop alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Parallels Desktop Features
1. Support for Multiple MonitorsParallels Desktop supports the use of multiple displays.
Run Windows software
Support for Apple M1
Office 365 integration
Opinions about Parallels Desktop as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think Parallels Desktop is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Portable Virtualbox
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Windows
40 Portable Virtualbox alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Portable Virtualbox Features
1. PortablePortable Virtualbox can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
GNU/linux-libre
Discontinued
It has not been updated since 2017 and does not work with any version of Virtualbox beyond v5.1.22.

Comments about Portable Virtualbox as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think Portable Virtualbox is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Evan Sercombe
It is basically VirtualBox for mobile.
Positive comment •
-20
VMware Fusion
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Virtualization Tool
Mac
39 VMware Fusion alternatives
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!

Opinions about VMware Fusion as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think VMware Fusion is a great VirtualBox alternative.