Alternatives to WinApps
Runs Windows applications from a background virtual machine as if they were native Linux apps. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
WinApps
Runs Windows applications from a background virtual machine as if they were native Linux apps.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as WinApps.
WinBoat
A Linux desktop app that runs Windows programs from a containerized Windows virtual machine.
WinBoat also runs Windows programs from a containerized Windows VM on Linux, but it provides a graphical app instead of script and Compose based setup.
CrossOver
A commercial Wine-based tool that runs Windows applications and games on macOS and Linux.
CrossOver runs Windows programs through Wine on macOS and Linux without a Windows licence or VM, but it is paid and not every program works.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Windows (dockur)
A Docker container that downloads, installs and runs Windows inside a KVM-accelerated virtual machine.
Virtual Machine Manager
The standard desktop front end for KVM on Linux, plus the command line tools that go with it.
Looking Glass
A low-latency viewer that shows a GPU-passthrough Windows virtual machine inside a Linux window.
Waydroid
Runs a full Android system in a container on Linux desktops and phones that use Wayland.
VirtualBox
The free desktop hypervisor most people start with: run Windows, Linux or BSD in a window on the machine you already have.
