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 12 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 Multipass.

VirtualBox alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Web Browsers or Compatibility Layer Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of VirtualBox.

VirtualBox

2824

Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is...

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QEMU
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
42 QEMU alternatives
QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that performs hardware virtualization.
- - QEMU is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to VirtualBox.
- - QEMU is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to VirtualBox.
Suggest and vote on features
QEMU Features
1. LightweightQEMU consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
2. Command line interfaceQEMU either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
3. Privacy focusedQEMU is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
4. PortableQEMU can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
5. Support for scriptingQEMU supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
6. Container VirtualizationQEMU can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
GPU Acceleration
Security focused
Emulation
User mode emulation
Comments about QEMU as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think QEMU is a great VirtualBox alternative.
arpeters
It is supported by various frontends such as Virt Manager and AQEMU.
Top positive comment •
11

Guest
It runs faster than virtualbox using KVM. Also is better suited for production level.
Top positive comment •
14

ag123
it is fast to virtualize (say an iso file) you just have to run two commands
Positive comment •
1

Guest
It doesn't have a GUI to manage like Virtualbox or VMware. That's problematic.
Negative comment •
-10

Guest
It also performs hardware visualization
Positive comment •
4
Parallels Desktop
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Virtualization Tool
Mac
47 Parallels Desktop alternatives
Parallels Desktop gives Mac users the ability to run Windows, Linux or any other operating system and their critical applications at the same time as macOS. Parallels Desktop is optimized for Intel and Apple M1 chip.
Suggest and vote on features
Parallels Desktop Features
1. Support for Multiple MonitorsParallels Desktop supports the use of multiple displays.
Run Windows software
Support for Apple M1
Office 365 integration
Opinions about Parallels Desktop as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think Parallels Desktop is a great VirtualBox alternative.
VMware Fusion
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Virtualization Tool
Mac
39 VMware Fusion alternatives
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...
VMware Fusion has no features, suggest some!

Opinions about VMware Fusion as a Alternative to VirtualBox
Most users think VMware Fusion is a great VirtualBox alternative.
UTM
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
iPhone
iPad
51 UTM alternatives
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.
- - UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to VirtualBox.
Suggest and vote on features
UTM Features
1. Container VirtualizationUTM can make use of isolated user spaces called "containers" to run applications.
Multi System Emulator
Emulation
Comments about UTM as a Alternative to VirtualBox
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
UTM Created from Quemu ; Work on ipad os under 14 ; Need jeelbreak ; not foun on apple app store ;
Positive comment •
0
Multipass
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
55 Multipass alternatives
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.
Multipass has no features, suggest some!
Lima
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Virtualization Tool
Mac
55 Lima alternatives
Lima launches Linux virtual machines on macOS, with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd.
Lima has no features, suggest some!
Add a screenshot
Karton
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Compatibility Layer Tool
Mac
Linux
19 Karton alternatives
Run Linux programs on macOS, a different Linux distro, or a different architecture.
Karton has no features, suggest some!
Add a screenshot
Boot Camp
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Mac
16 Boot Camp alternatives
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...
Boot Camp has no features, suggest some!
Discontinued
Boot Camp has been discontinued on the M1 Macs.