The Best Open Source VirtualBox AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like VirtualBox

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

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

VirtualBox

2860

Virtualization Tool
Free • Open Source

VirtualBox is a 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...

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VirtualBox alternatives page was last updated Oct 19, 2023

QEMU
QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
44 QEMU alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
+1
Top QEMU Features
1. Virtualization
2. Lightweight
3. Privacy focused
4. GPU Acceleration
5. Portable
6. Command line interface
7. Support for scripting
8. Container Virtualization
9. Security focused
10. Emulation
11. User mode emulation
Show all NaN QEMU features ▾
QEMU VS VirtualBox
Is QEMU a good alternative to VirtualBox?
Comments about QEMU as an Alternative to VirtualBox

Guest
It runs faster than virtualbox using KVM. Also is better suited for production level.
Top positive comment •Jan 12, 2017
14
arpeters
It is supported by various frontends such as Virt Manager and AQEMU.
Top positive comment •Jan 25, 2020
11
ag123
it is fast to virtualize (say an iso file) you just have to run two commands
Positive comment •Oct 19, 2023
2
Guest
It doesn't have a GUI to manage like Virtualbox or VMware. That's problematic.
Negative comment •Jan 24, 2020
-10
Guest
It also performs hardware visualization
Positive comment •Jan 1, 2017
4
- Most users think QEMU is a great VirtualBox alternative.
- QEMU is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to VirtualBox.
- QEMU is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to VirtualBox.
- QEMU is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
- QEMU is Privacy focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users

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.
45 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Linux
- Android
Top KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) Features
1. Virtualization
2. Linux-based
3. Nt kernel
4. Command line interface
5. Portable
6. Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
7. Lightweight
8. Privacy focused
9. Container Virtualization
10. Security focused
11. Emulation
Show all NaN KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) features ▾
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) VS VirtualBox
Is this a good alternative to VirtualBox?
- Almost everyone thinks KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a great VirtualBox alternative.
- KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is the most popular Android alternative to VirtualBox.
- KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
- KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Privacy focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users

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...
29 virt-manager alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Linux
- BSD
Top virt-manager Features
1. VNC Viewer
2. Lightweight
3. Command line interface
4. SSH
5. Ad-free
6. No Tracking
7. Privacy focused
8. Container Virtualization
9. Customizable
10. Security focused
11. Live migration
Show all NaN virt-manager features ▾
virt-manager VS VirtualBox
Is virt-manager a good alternative to VirtualBox?
Comments about virt-manager as an Alternative to VirtualBox

Guest
virt-manager with kvm/libvirtd is as powerfull as virtualbox, but much much more faster.
Positive comment •Sep 22, 2020
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 •Jan 25, 2020
1
zinz
this is not vm but a vm manager.
Negative comment •Apr 9, 2017
-11
- Most users think virt-manager is a great VirtualBox alternative.
- virt-manager is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
- virt-manager is Privacy focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users

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.
38 Portable Virtualbox alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Windows
Portable Virtualbox Features
1. Command line interface
2. Container Virtualization
3. Lightweight
4. Portable
5. GNU/linux-libre
Show all NaN Portable Virtualbox features ▾
Discontinued
Discontinued.
Portable Virtualbox VS VirtualBox
Is Portable Virtualbox a good alternative to VirtualBox?
Comments about Portable Virtualbox as an Alternative to VirtualBox

Evan Sercombe
It is basically VirtualBox for mobile.
Positive comment •Apr 12, 2018
-20
- Most users think Portable Virtualbox is a great VirtualBox alternative.
- Portable Virtualbox is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source

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...
44 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives
License model
- Freemium • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- Android Tablet
+2
Proxmox Virtual Environment Features
1. Virtualization
2. WebUI Management
3. High Availability
4. Clustering
5. Live migration
6. Two-factor Authentication
7. Container Virtualization
8. Lightweight
9. Portable
10. Dark Mode
Show all NaN Proxmox Virtual Environment features ▾
Proxmox Virtual Environment VS VirtualBox
Is this a good alternative to VirtualBox?
- Most users think Proxmox Virtual Environment is a great VirtualBox alternative.
- Proxmox Virtual Environment is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to VirtualBox.
- Proxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open SourceVirtualBox is Free and Open Source

Boxes
A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.
23 Boxes alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Linux
- BSD
- Flathub
- GNOME
+5
Boxes Features
1. Dark Mode
2. Lightweight
3. Privacy focused
4. Security focused
5. Command line interface
6. Container Virtualization
7. Portable
8. Ad-free
9. No Tracking
10. VNC Viewer
Show all NaN Boxes features ▾
Boxes VS VirtualBox
Is Boxes a good alternative to VirtualBox?
Comments about Boxes as an Alternative to VirtualBox

Guest
This is a virtual machine manager, not virtualization software
Negative comment •Aug 12, 2019
6
- Almost everyone thinks Boxes is a great VirtualBox alternative.
- Boxes is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
- Boxes is Privacy focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users

UTM
UTM is a 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.
52 UTM alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
- visionOS
UTM Features
Ad-free
Container Virtualization
Multi System Emulator
Emulation
Show all NaN UTM features ▾
UTM VS VirtualBox
Is UTM a good alternative to VirtualBox?
Comments about UTM as an Alternative to VirtualBox

Guest
UTM Created from Quemu ; Work on ipad os under 14 ; Need jeelbreak ; not foun on apple app store ;
Positive comment •Jul 29, 2022
0
- UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to VirtualBox.
- UTM is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source

XCP-ng
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.
21 XCP-ng alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Linux
- NVIDIA vGPU
- AMD MxGPU
+4
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
Show all NaN XCP-ng features ▾
XCP-ng VS VirtualBox
Is XCP-ng a good alternative to VirtualBox?