VMware Fusion AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion is described as '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' and is a very popular Virtualization tool in the network & admin category. There are more than 25 alternatives to VMware Fusion for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, Android and BSD apps. The best VMware Fusion alternative is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like VMware Fusion are WinBoat, VMware Workstation Pro, Parallels Desktop and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).

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Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2938 likes

    Open source VirtualBox offers powerful x86/AMD64 virtualization available freely under GNU GPL v2. Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris hosts. Supports a vast array of guest OS like Windows, Linux, Solaris. Portable, lightweight, ad-free, with dark mode.

    65 VirtualBox alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    VirtualBox Manager
     
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    4
    VirtualBox vs VMware Fusion Comments
    Hans
    Positive
    0

    VirtualBox is a free alternative

    vb078
    Positive
    -1

    Open source and free with nearly the same options.

    ByteRanger
    Negative
    0

    While VirtualBox has never failed me on a Linux host, I have never been able to get VirtualBox working reliably on MacOS. The free/opensource part of VirtualBox doesn't even hold a candle to VMware feature wise. The added extensions module that makes it more comparable to VMware is only free for personal use, and the commercial license is priced like VMware's server offerings, many times more expensive than VMware Fusion Pro.

    3 of 4 comments
    • VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceVMware Fusion is Free and Proprietary
    • VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedVMware Fusion is not according to our users
  2. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     67 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.

    52 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    WinBoat screenshot 1
     
  4. VMware Workstation Pro icon

    VMware Workstation Pro

     393 likes

    VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Pro is the industry standard for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines (VMs) on a single Linux or...

    36 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Pro screenshot 1
     
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    1
    VMware Workstation Pro vs VMware Fusion Comments
    ByteRanger
    Negative
    0

    Does not run on MacOS. VMware Fusion is the equivalent of VMware Workstation for MacOS.

    • VMware Workstation Pro is Free and ProprietaryVMware Fusion is also Free and Proprietary
  5. Ad
  6. Parallels Desktop icon

    Parallels Desktop

     146 likes

    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.

    58 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Parallels Desktop screenshot 1
     
  7. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     119 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.

    41 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1
     
  8. VMware Workstation Player icon

    VMware Workstation Player

     247 likes

    VMware Workstation Player builds on the industry leading foundation of Workstation Pro, and delivers a streamlined user interface for creating and running operating systems and applications in a virtual machine.

    40 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Player screenshot 1
     
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    1
    VMware Workstation Player vs VMware Fusion Comments
    ByteRanger
    Negative
    0

    Does not run on MacOS. VMware has released Fusion Player as the MacOS equivalent of Workstation Player.

    • VMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and ProprietaryVMware Fusion is Free and Proprietary
  10. UTM icon

    UTM

     27 likes

    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.

    59 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1
     
  11. Boxes icon

    Boxes

     30 likes

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

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
     
  14. Darling icon

    Darling

     15 likes

    Run macOS applications on Linux.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  15. QEMU Manager icon

    QEMU Manager

     8 likes

    Qemu Manager is an easy to use management tool for the open-source QEMU emulator. It has a wealth of features for creating, managing and running multiple virtual machines.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    QEMU Manager screenshot 1
     
12 of 41 VMware Fusion alternatives