Alternatives to VirtualBox

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

  • VMware Workstation Pro

    Type-2 hypervisor for running virtual machines on Windows and Linux desktops.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsLinux

    VMware Workstation Pro is closed source and runs on Windows and Linux only, with mature snapshots and nested virtualisation, free for personal use but paid commercially.

  • Hyper-V

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

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    Hyper-V is a closed-source type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Pro, Enterprise and Server, unavailable on Home editions and on macOS or Linux.

  • Parallels Desktop

    Runs Windows and other operating systems in a virtual machine on a Mac.

    PaidProprietarymacOS

    Parallels Desktop is a paid, closed-source Mac hypervisor with Coherence mode and good Apple silicon support, but it runs on macOS only.

  • UTM

    Runs Windows, Linux and other systems in a virtual machine on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.

    FreemiumOpen sourcemacOSiOS

    UTM is an Apache-licensed hypervisor for macOS and iOS using Hypervisor.framework, and it can emulate other architectures, but it does not run on Windows or Linux.

  • Virtual Machine Manager

    The standard desktop front end for KVM on Linux, plus the command line tools that go with it.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Virtual Machine Manager is the standard KVM front end on Linux, with remote libvirt host management over SSH, but it runs on Linux only.

  • QEMU

    The machine emulator and virtualiser that most of the Linux virtualisation stack is built on.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    QEMU emulates whole machines across processor architectures and pairs with KVM for near native speed, but raw QEMU is a complex command line tool.

  • Quickemu

    Downloads an operating system and builds a properly configured QEMU virtual machine from one short config file.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxmacOSCommand line

    Quickemu downloads guest images and builds QEMU machines from a short config file on Linux and macOS, but it is command line only.

  • Multipass

    Canonical's tool for launching a fresh Ubuntu virtual machine with one command, on Windows, macOS or Linux.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Multipass launches Ubuntu virtual machines with one command on Windows, macOS and Linux, but it is aimed at Ubuntu rather than many guest systems.

Also worth comparing

These listings name VirtualBox as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • 86Box

    A low-level emulator of vintage IBM PC-compatible hardware for running old DOS and Windows systems.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VirtualBox uses virtualization instead of low-level hardware emulation on the same three host systems and supports old guest systems, though it does not recreate period hardware as 86Box does.

  • Bochs

    A portable open source x86 PC emulator that emulates the CPU, common devices and a BIOS.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VirtualBox runs guests through virtualization with a graphical interface, snapshots and shared folders, trading Bochs' full x86 emulation and low-level debugging focus for speed.

  • GNOME Boxes

    A simple GNOME desktop app for creating and running virtual machines on Linux.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    VirtualBox runs on Windows, macOS and Linux with snapshots and shared folders, but it uses its own kernel modules on Linux that can break after system updates.

  • KVM

    The Linux kernel's built-in hypervisor for hardware-accelerated virtual machines.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    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.

  • Microsoft Hyper-V

    A type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Server and Windows for creating and running virtual machines.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    VirtualBox is a free GPL hypervisor that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, including Windows editions without Hyper-V, though 3D acceleration is weak.

  • Quickgui

    A graphical desktop front end for Quickemu that downloads operating systems and launches virtual machines.

    FreeProprietarymacOSLinux

    VirtualBox is an open-source graphical hypervisor for Windows, macOS and Linux with snapshots and shared folders, though you fetch installation images yourself.

  • Windows (dockur)

    A Docker container that downloads, installs and runs Windows inside a KVM-accelerated virtual machine.

    FreeProprietaryLinuxSelf-hosted

    VirtualBox runs Windows guests in a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux hosts without Docker or KVM, though its Extension Pack is not open source.

  • Windows Sandbox

    A disposable, isolated Windows desktop built into Windows 10 and 11 for running untrusted software.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    VirtualBox runs full Windows VMs with snapshots you can restore after testing, works on Windows, macOS and Linux, and needs a separate Windows install.

  • Windows Subsystem for Linux

    Runs unmodified Linux command-line tools and applications directly on Windows, without a virtual machine or dual boot.

    FreeOpen sourceWindows

    VirtualBox runs a full Linux guest in a window with snapshots and shared folders, adding virtual machine overhead but also working on macOS and Linux hosts.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.