Windows Subsystem for Linux Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Windows Subsystem for Linux for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is Cygwin, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Windows Subsystem for Linux and ten of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Windows Subsystem for Linux are MinGW, BitNami Application Stacks, MSYS2 and MinC.

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Alternatives list

  1. Cygwin icon

    Cygwin

     228 likes

    Cygwin is a Unix-like environment and command-line interface for Microsoft Windows. Cygwin provides native integration of Windows-based applications, data, and other system resources with applications, software tools, and data of the Unix-like environment.

    28 Cygwin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Cygwin terminals running on Windows 7
     
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    1
  2. MinGW icon

    MinGW

     129 likes

    MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and GNU Binutils. It provides a complete Open Source programming toolset which is suitable for the development of native MS-Windows (x86) applications, which do not depend on any...

    23 MinGW alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Installation Manager
     
  4. BitNami Application Stacks icon

    BitNami Application Stacks

     84 likes

    BitNami Stacks make it incredibly easy to deploy your favorite open source software. BitNami Stacks include an open source application and all of the other software necessary to run it, such as Apache, MySQL, PHP or Ruby.

    48 BitNami Application Stacks alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    BitNami Application Stacks screenshot 1
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Shells icon
    Shells

    Transform any device into a powerful virtual desktop with top-end performance and security, starting at $5. Supports Windows 10 and Linux, enabling coding or creative tasks with automatic backups and robust encryption.

    https://www.shells.com
    Learn More
  6. MSYS2 icon

    MSYS2

     49 likes

    MSYS2 is an independent rewrite of MSYS, based on modern Cygwin (POSIX compatibility layer) and MinGW-w64 with the aim of better interoperability with native Windows software.

    25 MSYS2 alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MSYS2 screenshot 1
     
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    1
  7. MinC icon

    MinC

     1 like

    MinC has a tiny kernel emulation (285Kb) which runs on Windows. The rest of the software was taken verbatim from OpenBSD, version 6.1. This means that by installing MinC, you run OpenBSD on your Windows machine at native speed.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Libraries
     
  8. WSL UI icon

    WSL UI

     2 likes

    WSL UI is a lightweight desktop app for managing Windows Subsystem for Linux distributions through a modern graphical interface, replacing complex command-line administration.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Windows
    WSL UI screenshot 1
     
  10. Shells icon

    Shells

     3 likes

    Transform any device into a powerful virtual desktop with top-end performance and security, starting at $5. Supports Windows 10 and Linux, enabling coding or creative tasks with automatic backups and robust encryption.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Shells screenshot 1
     
  11. Cooperative Linux icon

    Cooperative Linux

     11 likes

    Cooperative Linux (short-named coLinux) is the first working free and open source method for optimally running Linux on Microsoft Windows natively.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Boot
     
  12. OSBoxes icon

    OSBoxes

     4 likes

    Homepage of site that offers virtual machines (VDI & VMDK & VHD) for VirtualBox and VMware. Run VMs inside VirtualBox and VMware on any host.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    OSBoxes screenshot 1
     
  13. A

    ArchWSL

     Like

    ArchLinux based WSL Distribution. Supports multiple install.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Windows
    ArchWSL screenshot 1
     
10 of 10 Windows Subsystem for Linux alternatives