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 Windows, Linux, Mac, 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 VMware Workstation Pro, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), VMware Workstation Player and Parallels Desktop.

filter to find the best alternatives

VMware Fusion alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools but may also be Compatibility Layer Tools or Remote Desktop 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 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...

More about VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion alternatives page was last updated Nov 12, 2024
  1. VirtualBox icon
     2883 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.

    63 VirtualBox alternatives
    VirtualBox Manager

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multiple languages
    3. Zalando icon  Zalando integration
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Container Virtualization
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Portable
    8.  Hypervisor
    VirtualBox iconVMware Fusion Icon

    VirtualBox VS VMware Fusion

    Is VirtualBox a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
    Comments about VirtualBox as an Alternative to VMware Fusion
     
       
    Hans

    VirtualBox is a free alternative

    Positive commentNov 14, 2018
    0
    vb078

    Open source and free with nearly the same options.

    Positive commentJun 4, 2018
    -1
    ByteRanger

    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.

    Negative commentMar 26, 2021
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    VMware Fusion Icon
    VirtualBox icon
    • Almost everyone thinks VirtualBox is a great VMware Fusion alternative.

    • VirtualBox is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to VMware Fusion.

    • VirtualBox is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to VMware Fusion.

    • 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. VMware Workstation Pro icon
     383 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...

    37 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives
    VMware Workstation Pro screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux

    VMware Workstation Pro Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multiple languages
    3.  Container Virtualization
    4.  Support for Android Things
    5.  Bundled with macOS
    VMware Workstation Pro iconVMware Fusion Icon

    VMware Workstation Pro VS VMware Fusion

    Is this a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
    Comments about VMware Workstation Pro as an Alternative to VMware Fusion
     
    ByteRanger

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

    Negative commentMar 26, 2021
    0
    VMware Fusion Icon
    VMware Workstation Pro icon
    • VMware Workstation Pro is Free and ProprietaryVMware Fusion is also Free and Proprietary
  3. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon
     115 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.

    45 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Linux-based
    3.  Nt kernel
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Portable
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Container Virtualization
    8.  Emulation
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) iconVMware Fusion Icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) VS VMware Fusion

    Is this a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is the most popular Android alternative to VMware Fusion.

    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Free and Open SourceVMware Fusion is Free and Proprietary
    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Lightweight and Privacy focusedVMware Fusion is not according to our users
  4. VMware Workstation Player icon
     246 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.

    36 VMware Workstation Player alternatives
    VMware Workstation Player screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free PersonalProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux

    VMware Workstation Player Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    Discontinued

    Workstation Player has been pashed out now that VMware Workstation Pro icon VMware Workstation Pro is free for personal use: VMware makes Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro free for personal use

    VMware Workstation Player iconVMware Fusion Icon

    VMware Workstation Player VS VMware Fusion

    Is this a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
    Comments about VMware Workstation Player as an Alternative to VMware Fusion
     
    ByteRanger

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

    Negative commentMar 26, 2021
    0
    VMware Fusion Icon
    VMware Workstation Player icon
    • VMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and ProprietaryVMware Fusion is Free and Proprietary
  5. Parallels Desktop icon
     140 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
    Parallels Desktop screenshot 1

    License model

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Chrome OS

    Parallels Desktop Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Support for Multiple Monitors
    4.  Run Windows software
    5.  Support for Apple M1
    6.  Drag and Drop
    7. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Microsoft Office integration
    Parallels Desktop iconVMware Fusion Icon

    Parallels Desktop VS VMware Fusion

    Is Parallels Desktop a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
    • Almost everyone thinks Parallels Desktop is a great VMware Fusion alternative.

    • Parallels Desktop is the most popular commercial alternative to VMware Fusion.

    • Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryVMware Fusion is Free and Proprietary
  6. UTM icon
     20 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.

    55 UTM alternatives
    UTM screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Virtualization
    2.  Multi System Emulator
    3.  Emulation
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Container Virtualization
    UTM iconVMware Fusion Icon

    UTM VS VMware Fusion

    Is UTM a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
    • UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to VMware Fusion.

    • UTM is Free and Open SourceVMware Fusion is Free and Proprietary
    • UTM is Privacy focused and LightweightVMware Fusion is not according to our users
  7. Windows Sandbox icon
     19 likes

    a new lightweight desktop environment tailored for safely running applications in isolation.

    54 Windows Sandbox alternatives
    Windows Sandbox screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Sandbox
    2.  Container Virtualization
    Windows Sandbox iconVMware Fusion Icon

    Windows Sandbox VS VMware Fusion

    Is Windows Sandbox a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
  8. Boxes icon
     26 likes

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

    25 Boxes alternatives
    Boxes screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Command line interface
    5.  Container Virtualization
    6.  Portable
    7.  VNC Viewer
    Boxes iconVMware Fusion Icon

    Boxes VS VMware Fusion

    Is Boxes a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
  9. Portable Virtualbox icon
     44 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
    Portable Virtualbox screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Container Virtualization
    3.  Portable
    4.  GNU/linux-libre
    Discontinued

    Discontinued.

    Portable Virtualbox iconVMware Fusion Icon

    Portable Virtualbox VS VMware Fusion

    Is Portable Virtualbox a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
  10. Vectras VM icon
     3 likes

    It's a Virtual Machine App for Android Which is Based on QEMU.

    12 Vectras VM alternatives
    Vectras VM screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android

    Vectras VM Features

    1.  Container Virtualization
    Vectras VM iconVMware Fusion Icon

    Vectras VM VS VMware Fusion

    Is Vectras VM a good alternative to VMware Fusion?
     
10 of 43 VMware Fusion alternatives