QEMU

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

FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line
Official websiteqemu.orgDownload pageqemu.orgSource codegitlab.comDocumentationqemu.org

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About QEMU

QEMU does three separate jobs. It emulates whole machines, so you can boot an operating system built for one processor architecture on another. It runs single programs built for another Linux or BSD target. And, paired with KVM or Xen, it runs virtual machines at close to native speed.

On its own it is a command line tool with a lot of flags, and most desktop users meet it through a front end such as virt-manager, GNOME Boxes or UTM. It is also the engine underneath a great deal of cloud infrastructure.

Strengths

  • Emulates whole machines across processor architectures, not just same-architecture VMs
  • Near native performance when paired with KVM or Xen
  • User-mode emulation runs a single foreign binary without a full guest OS
  • The foundation under virt-manager, GNOME Boxes, UTM and most Linux cloud hosting

Limitations

  • Raw QEMU is a command line tool with a large and unfriendly option surface
  • Cross-architecture emulation is far slower than virtualisation on matching hardware
  • Windows builds come from third parties rather than the project itself

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source, with no paid edition.
License
GPL-2.0
Developer
The QEMU project
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Virtualisation on Linux, and booting other architectures anywhere
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Virtualization); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 5 sources on file.

Alternatives to QEMU

Compare all

Software that can replace QEMU for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • 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 offers a graphical interface with snapshots and shared folders on Windows, macOS and Linux, but it does not emulate other processor architectures.

  • VMware Workstation Pro

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

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsLinux

    VMware Workstation Pro is a closed-source desktop hypervisor for Windows and Linux with mature snapshots and virtual networking, free only for personal use.

  • UTM

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

    FreemiumOpen sourcemacOSiOS

    UTM is built on QEMU and wraps it in a native interface for macOS and iOS, keeping cross-architecture emulation, but it does not run on Windows or Linux.

  • 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, with no cross-architecture emulation and no Home edition support.

  • 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 guided Windows 11 setup on Apple silicon, but it is macOS only.

  • Firecracker

    Run isolated workloads inside lightweight Linux microVMs.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    Firecracker runs lightweight Linux microVMs for container and function workloads on Linux, a narrower scope than QEMU's full machine emulation.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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