Alternatives to Microsoft Hyper-V
A type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Server and Windows for creating and running virtual machines. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Microsoft Hyper-V
A type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Server and Windows for creating and running virtual machines.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Microsoft Hyper-V.
Hyper-V
Microsoft's type-1 hypervisor built into Windows and Windows Server for running Windows and Linux virtual machines.
Hyper-V is the same built-in Windows type-1 hypervisor listed separately, so moving to it changes nothing about platforms, price or guest support.
VMware Workstation Pro
Type-2 hypervisor for running virtual machines on Windows and Linux desktops.
VMware Workstation Pro is a type-2 hypervisor for Windows and Linux desktops, free for personal use, while commercial use needs a paid licence and a Broadcom account.
VirtualBox
The free desktop hypervisor most people start with: run Windows, Linux or BSD in a window on the machine you already have.
VirtualBox is a free GPL hypervisor that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, including Windows editions without Hyper-V, though 3D acceleration is weak.
VMware ESXi Free
Industry-standard bare-metal hypervisor with a free tier for small setups.
VMware ESXi Free runs directly on dedicated bare-metal hardware rather than inside Windows, and its free edition lacks centralized management features.
Proxmox VE
A bare-metal server platform that runs KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from one web interface.
Proxmox VE is an open-source bare-metal platform for KVM virtual machines and LXC containers, managed from a web interface, with backup and clustering included.
XCP-ng
Open-source bare-metal hypervisor built on Xen, managed through Xen Orchestra.
XCP-ng is an open-source bare-metal hypervisor built on Xen, managed through Xen Orchestra, with no features locked behind a licence key but narrower hardware compatibility.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Windows Subsystem for Linux
Runs unmodified Linux command-line tools and applications directly on Windows, without a virtual machine or dual boot.
Vagrant
Builds reproducible development virtual machines from a single file.
Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition
A free edition of Veeam Backup & Replication for backing up virtual machines and physical servers.
Multipass
Canonical's tool for launching a fresh Ubuntu virtual machine with one command, on Windows, macOS or Linux.
Windows Sandbox
A disposable, isolated Windows desktop built into Windows 10 and 11 for running untrusted software.
Windows Admin Center
Browser-based remote management tool for Windows Server and PCs, included with Windows Server at no extra cost.
