Alternatives to KVM

The Linux kernel's built-in hypervisor for hardware-accelerated virtual machines. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as KVM.

  • XCP-ng

    Open-source bare-metal hypervisor built on Xen, managed through Xen Orchestra.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    XCP-ng is an open-source bare-metal hypervisor built on Xen and managed through Xen Orchestra, with narrower hardware compatibility than KVM.

  • VMware ESXi Free

    Industry-standard bare-metal hypervisor with a free tier for small setups.

    FreemiumProprietarySelf-hosted

    VMware ESXi Free is a closed-source bare-metal hypervisor with a free tier, installed on dedicated hardware instead of being part of the Linux kernel.

  • Hyper-V

    Microsoft's type-1 hypervisor built into Windows and Windows Server for running Windows and Linux virtual machines.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    Hyper-V is Microsoft's closed-source type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Pro, Enterprise and Server, so it replaces a Linux host with a Windows one.

  • VirtualBox

    The free desktop hypervisor most people start with: run Windows, Linux or BSD in a window on the machine you already have.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VirtualBox is a GPL desktop hypervisor with its own interface on Windows, macOS and Linux, though its Linux kernel modules can break after system updates.

  • Xen Project

    An open source type-1 hypervisor that runs several isolated operating systems on the same hardware.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hosted

    Xen Project is an open source type-1 hypervisor installed on bare metal rather than built into the Linux kernel, with strong guest isolation for servers and embedded systems.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.