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, Proxmox Virtual Environment and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).

filter to find the best alternatives

VirtualBox alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools or Server Management Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Windows, Free, Open Source, Mac, Android and Windows + Free. 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.
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Alternatives list

  1. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     313 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.

    47 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
    Good alternative?
     
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    8
  2. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     85 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.

    53 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    • RO flagRomania
    • European Union flagEU
    WinBoat screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  4. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

     87 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.

    35 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • AU flagAustralia
    virt-manager screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    3
  5. Proxmox Virtual Environment icon

    Proxmox Virtual Environment

     170 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...

    52 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Debian
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • AT flagAustria
    • European Union flagEU
    Proxmox VE 9.1 - Node Summary
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  6. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     124 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.

    43 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  8. Boxes icon

    Boxes

     34 likes

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

    29 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • CZ flagCzechia
    • European Union flagEU
    Boxes screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  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.

    36 Xen alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • US flagUnited States
    Xen screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    5
  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
    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU
    Installation boot screen
    Good alternative?
     
  11. RVVM icon

    RVVM

     5 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
    Good alternative?
     
  12. 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.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • RadeonPro
    • NVIDIA vGPU
    • AMD MxGPU
    • US flagUnited States
    Citrix Hypervisor screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  13. Multipass icon

    Multipass

     9 likes

    Multipass is a lightweight VM manager for Linux, Windows and macOS. It's designed for developers who want a fresh Ubuntu environment with a single command. It uses KVM on Linux, Hyper-V on Windows and HyperKit on macOS to run the VM with minimal overhead.

    64 Multipass alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • GB flagUnited Kingdom
    Multipass screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  14. 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
    • US flagUnited States
    OpenVZ screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 29 VirtualBox alternatives