Open Source VirtualBox Alternatives for Linux

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

filter to find the best alternatives

VirtualBox alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Windows, Open Source, Mac, Free, Android and Windows + Open Source. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to VirtualBox.
More about VirtualBox
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
VirtualBox alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     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
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
     
    |
    7
    Comments about QEMU as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    14

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Leonart
    Positive
    0

    Qemu on linux is perfect, but on windows, consider virtualbox or vmware as a better alternatives

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Nuncio Bitis
    Positive
    0

    If you want a GUI to manage QEMU machines, install AQEMU. It works like VirtualBox or VMware GUIs.

    3 of 7 comments
    QEMU icon
    QEMU icon
    • QEMU is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • QEMU is Security-focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users
  2. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     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)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    WinBoat screenshot 1
     
  4. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

     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
    virt-manager screenshot 1
     
    |
    3
    Comments about virt-manager as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    arpeters
    Positive
    1

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

    Guest
    Positive
    2

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    zinz
    Negative
    -11

    this is not vm but a vm manager.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    virt-manager icon
    virt-manager icon
    • virt-manager is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • virt-manager is Security-focused and CustomizableVirtualBox is not according to our users
  5. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     119 likes

    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
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1
     
  6. Proxmox Virtual Environment icon

    Proxmox Virtual Environment

     154 likes

    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...

    45 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    Proxmox Virtual Environment screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Comments about Proxmox Virtual Environment as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Matt
    Positive
    0

    Proxmox VE is an excellent bare-metal/type I hypervisor. It has excellent features for creating and managing virtual machines on a dedicated virtualization server.

    If you are looking for a hosted/type II hypervisor, look elsewhere.

    Proxmox Virtual Environment icon
    Proxmox Virtual Environment icon
    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open SourceVirtualBox is Free and Open Source
  7. Boxes icon

    Boxes

     30 likes

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

    28 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Comments about Boxes as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Guest
    Negative
    6

    This is a virtual machine manager, not virtualization software

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Boxes icon
    Boxes icon
    • Boxes is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • Boxes is Security-focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users
  9. Xen icon

    Xen

     74 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Xen screenshot 1
     
    |
    5
    Comments about Xen as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    8

    xen appears to be a hypervisor, which is quite different than basic virtualization software...

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    Xen is hypervisor that isn't emulate but isolate.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    This is a hypervisor, not a virtual machine.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 5 comments
    Xen icon
    Xen icon
    • Xen is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
  10. XCP-ng icon

    XCP-ng

     46 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • NVIDIA vGPU
    • AMD MxGPU
    Installation boot screen
     
  11. RVVM icon

    RVVM

     3 likes

    RVVM is a virtual machine / emulator for RISC-V guests, which emphasizes on performance, security, lean code and portability. It already runs a lot of guest operating systems, including Linux, Haiku, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Windows
    • Mac
    RVVM screenshot 1
     
  12. OpenVZ icon

    OpenVZ

     13 likes

    OpenVZ is container-based virtualization for Linux.

    OpenVZ creates multiple secure, isolated Linux containers (otherwise known as VEs or VPSs) on a single physical server enabling better server utilization and ensuring that applications do not conflict.

    Each container performs.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    OpenVZ screenshot 1
     
  13. Bochs icon

    Bochs

     16 likes

    Bochs is a highly portable open source IA-32 (x86) PC emulator written in C++, that runs on most popular platforms. It includes emulation of the Intel x86 CPU, common I/O devices, and a custom BIOS. Currently, Bochs can be compiled to emulate a 386, 486...

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Bochs screenshot 1
     
  14. Citrix Hypervisor icon

    Citrix Hypervisor

     22 likes

    (formerly XenServer) Citrix Hypervisor is a leading virtualization management platform optimized for application, desktop and server virtualization infrastructures.

    38 Citrix Hypervisor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • RadeonPro
    • NVIDIA vGPU
    • AMD MxGPU
    Citrix Hypervisor screenshot 1
     
12 of 26 VirtualBox alternatives