Open Source VirtualBox Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to VirtualBox for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Windows alternative is QEMU. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to VirtualBox and 14 are open source and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Windows alternatives to VirtualBox are Proxmox Virtual Environment, Portable Virtualbox, RVVM and Citrix Hypervisor.

filter to find the best alternatives

VirtualBox alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools Other popular filters include Linux, Windows, Mac, Open Source, 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.
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Alternatives list

  1. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     299 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
     
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    7
    83
    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

    • Most users think QEMU is a great VirtualBox alternative.

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

    • Most users think Proxmox Virtual Environment is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open SourceVirtualBox is Free and Open Source
  4. Portable Virtualbox icon

    Portable Virtualbox

     45 likes

    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.

    39 Portable Virtualbox alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Portable Virtualbox screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    38
    Comments about Portable Virtualbox as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Evan Sercombe
    Positive
    -20

    It is basically VirtualBox for mobile.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Portable Virtualbox icon
    Portable Virtualbox icon

    • Most users think Portable Virtualbox is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • Portable Virtualbox is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
  5. 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
     
  7. Bochs icon

    Bochs

     15 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...

    39 Bochs alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Bochs screenshot 1
     
    |
    9
  10. Multipass icon

    Multipass

     7 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.

    59 Multipass alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    Multipass screenshot 1
     
  11. MobaLiveCD icon

    MobaLiveCD

     27 likes

    MobaLiveCD is a freeware that will run your Linux LiveCD on Windows thanks to the excellent emulator called "Qemu".

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main window
     
    |
    1
    Comments about MobaLiveCD as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    is mounting iso app like poweriso

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    MobaLiveCD icon
    MobaLiveCD icon
    • MobaLiveCD is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
  12. QtEmu icon

    QtEmu

     7 likes

    QtEmu is a graphical user interface for QEMU.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    QtEmu screenshot 1
     
  13. PCem icon

    PCem

     8 likes

    PCem emulates an IBM 5150 PC, several models of clones and successors, along with various graphics adapters, sound devices, and peripherals.

    9 PCem alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    King's Quest, running on an emulated Tandy 1000.
     
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    1
    Comments about PCem as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Alexandre ZANNI
    Negative
    1

    virtualization vs emulation

    PCem icon
    PCem icon
    • PCem is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
  14. 86Box icon

    86Box

     2 likes

    86Box is a hypervisor and IBM PC system emulator that specializes in running old operating systems and software designed for IBM PC systems and compatibles from 1981 through fairly recent system designs based on the PCI bus.

    9 86Box alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Wine
    • Mac
    86Box screenshot 1
     
12 of 14 VirtualBox alternatives