Windows Sandbox AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Virtualization Tools

The best Virtualization alternative to Windows Sandbox is VirtualBox, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Windows Sandbox and many of them are Virtualization Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Virtualization Tool alternatives to Windows Sandbox are WinBoat, QEMU, Sandboxie Plus and VMware Workstation Pro.

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Most Windows Sandbox alternatives are Virtualization Tools, but you can also narrow the list to Compatibility Layer Tools or Firewalls.
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Alternatives
Windows Sandbox alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. VirtualBox icon
     3013 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.

    75 VirtualBox alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Oracle Solaris
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  2. WinBoat icon
     93 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.

    56 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2025

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  3. QEMU icon
     317 likes

    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.

    50 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
  4. Sandboxie Plus icon
     402 likes

    Sandboxie Plus creates a sandbox-like isolated operating environment in which applications can be run or installed without permanently modifying the local or mapped drive.

    23 Sandboxie Plus alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  5. 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...

    40 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  6. 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.

    43 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2012

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    Good alternative?
     
  7. virt-manager icon
     88 likes

    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.

    40 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2013

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Good alternative?
     
  8. 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.

    63 Parallels Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Good alternative?
     
  9. UTM icon
     36 likes

    An open-source QEMU-based host for creating, configuring, and running virtual machines on Macs, iOS, and visionOS. It supports full-system emulation across multiple processor architectures, plus hardware-assisted virtualization and macOS guests on ARM-based Macs.

    65 UTM alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2020

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • visionOS
    • US flagUnited States
    UTM screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  10. SwiftVM icon
     11 likes

    Native macOS app for running macOS and Linux virtual machines, built with Swift and Apple's Virtualization framework.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • New

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Homebrew
    Good alternative?
     
  11. 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.

    45 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  12. Boxes icon
     34 likes

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

    32 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2013

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 47 Windows Sandbox alternatives