VirtualBox Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to VirtualBox for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is QEMU, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to VirtualBox and 14 are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to VirtualBox are Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, UTM and Lima.

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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

2864

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 Sep 13, 2024

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

Parallels Desktop
Virtualization software for running Windows, Linux, and other OSes on Mac. Supports Windows 11 on Apple Silicon, resource adjustments, and seamless app access and file sharing between OS environments.
53 Parallels Desktop alternatives
License model
- Paid • Proprietary
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
- Chrome OS
+6
Parallels Desktop Features
1. Support for Multiple Monitors
2. Works Offline
3. Ad-free
4. Run Windows software
5. Support for Apple M1
6. Office 365 integration
7. Drag and Drop
Show all NaN Parallels Desktop features ▾
Parallels Desktop VS VirtualBox
Is Parallels Desktop a good alternative to VirtualBox?

VMware Fusion
Seamlessly run your favorite Windows applications and devices, on any Intel-based Mac. Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion is the easiest way to switch to Mac—letting you bring all of your Windows applications with you, making the most of your Windows software...
41 VMware Fusion alternatives
License model
- Free Personal • Proprietary
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
+4
VMware Fusion VS VirtualBox
Is VMware Fusion a good alternative to VirtualBox?

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Parallels Desktop
Virtualization software for running Windows, Linux, and other OSes on Mac. Supports Windows 11 on Apple Silicon, resource adjustments, and seamless app access and file sharing between OS environments.

https://www.parallels.com
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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

Lima
Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.
54 Lima alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
Lima VS VirtualBox
Is Lima a good alternative to VirtualBox?

Multipass
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.
54 Multipass alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Multipass VS VirtualBox
Is Multipass a good alternative to VirtualBox?

86Box
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.
7 86Box alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- Wine
- Mac
86Box Features
Emulation
Hypervisor
Show all NaN 86Box features ▾
+5
86Box VS VirtualBox
Is 86Box a good alternative to VirtualBox?

VirtualBuddy
VirtualBuddy can virtualize macOS 12 and later on Apple Silicon, with the goal of offering features that are useful to developers who need to test their apps on multiple versions of macOS, especially betas.
47 VirtualBuddy alternatives
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application type
- Virtualization Tool
Platforms
- Mac
VirtualBuddy VS VirtualBox
Is VirtualBuddy a good alternative to VirtualBox?