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Hyper-V vs Xen Project: catalog facts
Hyper-V	Xen Project
Free Included at no extra cost in Windows Pro, Enterprise and Windows Server editions.	Free Free and open source, developed under the Linux Foundation.
Windows	Self-hosted
Built into Windows with nothing extra to buy Type-1 hypervisor with near-native performance	Type-1 hypervisor with strong isolation between guests Used in servers, embedded and safety-critical systems
Not available on Windows Home editions Windows only	Installed on bare metal, so setup is more involved than desktop VM apps Aimed at infrastructure builders rather than casual users
Operating system	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.