VMware Workstation Player AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like VMware Workstation Player

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

filter to find the best alternatives

VMware Workstation Player alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools or Web Browsers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Open Source, Free and Mac. 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 VMware Workstation Player.
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VMware Workstation Player alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon

    VirtualBox

     2926 likes
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    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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    VirtualBox Manager
     
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    27
    Comments about VirtualBox as an Alternative to VMware Workstation Player
    ph soft
    Positive
    0

    Open source but problems with 3D accelerations (works better in VMWare for me).

    Felippe Henrique Diniz de Castro
    Positive
    -1

    Way better than VMware and Open Source.

    Guest
    Negative
    -10

    Windows guest sound are crackle.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    VMware Workstation Player Icon
    VirtualBox icon

    • Most users think VirtualBox is a great VMware Workstation Player alternative.

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

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

    • VirtualBox is Free and Open SourceVMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • VirtualBox is Lightweight and Privacy focusedVMware Workstation Player is not according to our users
  2. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     60 likes
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    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.

    50 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    WinBoat screenshot 1
     
  4. 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.

    44 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
     
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  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. VMware Workstation Pro icon

    VMware Workstation Pro

     393 likes
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    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...

    35 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Pro screenshot 1
     
  7. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     118 likes
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    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.

    40 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1
     

    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is the most popular Android alternative to VMware Workstation Player.

    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Free and Open SourceVMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Security-focused, Lightweight and Privacy focusedVMware Workstation Player is not according to our users
  8. 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.

    56 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Chrome OS
    Parallels Desktop screenshot 1
     

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

    • Parallels Desktop is Paid and ProprietaryVMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and Proprietary
  10. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

     82 likes
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    Comprehensive desktop tool for managing virtual machines using libvirt, supporting KVM, Xen, and Linux Containers. It offers performance stats, resource allocation and virtual hardware configuration with VNC and SPICE clients for graphical consoles.

    32 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    virt-manager screenshot 1
     
  11. 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
     
  12. UTM icon

    UTM

     25 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.

    56 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    UTM screenshot 1
     

    • UTM is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to VMware Workstation Player.

    • UTM is Free and Open SourceVMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and Proprietary
    • UTM is Privacy focused and LightweightVMware Workstation Player is not according to our users
  14. Boxes icon

    Boxes

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

    26 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
     
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