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 17 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.

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, Free, Open Source, Mac, Windows, 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

     296 likes
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    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.

    43 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.

    Show more comments
    3 of 7 comments
    VirtualBox Icon
    QEMU icon

    • 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 Security-focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users
  2. Parallels Desktop icon

    Parallels Desktop

     145 likes
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    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.

    57 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Parallels Desktop screenshot 1
     
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    1
    22
    Comments about Parallels Desktop as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    ushabuntu
    Positive
    0

    Pricey, but the best there is.

    VirtualBox Icon
    Parallels Desktop icon

    • Most users think Parallels Desktop is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • Parallels Desktop is the most popular commercial alternative to VirtualBox.

    • Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryVirtualBox is Free and Open Source
  4. VMware Fusion icon

    VMware Fusion

     115 likes
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    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...

    40 VMware Fusion alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    VMware Fusion screenshot 1
     
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    16
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Parallels Desktop icon
    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
    Learn More
  6. UTM icon

    UTM

     26 likes
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    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.

    57 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about UTM as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    UTM Created from Quemu ; Work on ipad os under 14 ; Need jeelbreak ; not foun on apple app store ;

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    VirtualBox Icon
    UTM icon

    • UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to VirtualBox.

    • UTM is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
  7. Lima icon

    Lima

     3 likes
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    Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.

    58 Lima alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  8. RVVM icon

    RVVM

     3 likes
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    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
     
  11. Multipass icon

    Multipass

     7 likes
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    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.

    58 Multipass alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    Multipass screenshot 1
     
  12. Veertu icon

    Veertu

     1 like
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    Run Windows and Linux on your Mac alongside OS X. Veertu is simple, light, secure virtualization software designed for Mac.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Veertu screenshot 1
     
  13. Vmtek icon

    Vmtek

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    VMTek is the Mac virtualization platform you've been waiting for. Run multiple instances and versions of macOS*, Linux and other operating systems side-by-side on your Mac with ease. High performance Mac-native virtualization designed from the ground up to take advantage of...

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Vmtek screenshot 1
     
  14. Boot Camp icon

    Boot Camp

     18 likes
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    Boot Camp is a utility by that assists users in installing Windows 10 on Macs. Boot Camp guides users through non-destructive re-partitioning (including resizing of an existing APFS partition, if necessary) of their hard disk drive and automatically downloads Apple-provided...

    16 Boot Camp alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Boot Camp screenshot 1
     
  15. lume VM icon

    lume VM

     2 likes
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    A lightweight CLI and local API server to create, run and manage macOS and Linux virtual machines (VMs) natively on Apple Silicon.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Python
    • Apple Swift
    • Homebrew
    lume VM screenshot 1
     
12 of 17 VirtualBox alternatives