Open Source VirtualBox Alternatives

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, Proxmox Virtual Environment and Portable Virtualbox.

VirtualBox alternatives page was last updated

VirtualBox

2807

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. LightweightQEMU consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. PortableQEMU can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
3. Privacy focusedQEMU is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
4. Support for scriptingQEMU supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
5. Container VirtualizationQEMU can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
6. Command line interfaceQEMU either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
GPU Acceleration
Security focused
User mode emulation
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.
Positive comment•
11

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

Guest
It also performs hardware visualization
Positive comment•
4

Guest
It doesn't have a GUI to manage like Virtualbox or VMware. That's problematic.
Negative comment•
-10
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. 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. LightweightKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
4. PortableKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Privacy focusedKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
6. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsKVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
Linux-based
Nt kernel
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.
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. 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.
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
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. LightweightProxmox Virtual Environment consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. PortableProxmox Virtual Environment can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
4. Container VirtualizationProxmox Virtual Environment can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
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.
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
Boxes
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Linux
BSD
Flathub
21 Boxes alternatives
A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.
Suggest and vote on features
Boxes 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.
VNC Viewer
Security focused
Comments about Boxes as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Almost everyone thinks Boxes is a great VirtualBox alternative.
Guest
This is a virtual machine manager, not virtualization software
Negative comment•
6
XCP-ng
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Linux
NVIDIA vGPU
AMD MxGPU
17 XCP-ng alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
XCP-ng Features
1. DRM FreeNo Digital rights management (DRM), i.e. no copy protection.
Live migration
Unlimited resource usage
Hypervisor
Clustering
Live VDI-Migration
Replication
High Availability
Disaster Recovery
Compatible with xen
Xen
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Linux
30 Xen alternatives
Xen.org, home of the Xen hypervisor, the powerful open source industry standard for virtualization. It is a native (bare-metal) hypervisor providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently.
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Xen Features
Hypervisor
Comments about Xen as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Some users think Xen is a great VirtualBox alternative, some don't.
Guest
This is a hypervisor, not a virtual machine.
Top negative comment•
1

Guest
Xen is hypervisor that isn't emulate but isolate.
Negative comment•
2

Guest
This is a bare-metal hypervisor, not a software virtualization platform.
Negative comment•
2

Guest
Hypervisor != Virtualization Desktop
Negative comment•
4

Guest
xen appears to be a hypervisor, which is quite different than basic virtualization software...
Negative comment•
8
MobaLiveCD
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Windows
23 MobaLiveCD alternatives
MobaLiveCD is a freeware that will run your Linux LiveCD on Windows thanks to the excellent emulator called "Qemu".
Suggest and vote on features
MobaLiveCD Features
1. PortableMobaLiveCD can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Comments about MobaLiveCD as a Alternative to VirtualBox
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
is mounting iso app like poweriso
Negative comment•
1