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KVM vs bhyve: catalog facts
KVM	bhyve
Free Part of the Linux kernel, free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free, included with FreeBSD.
Linux	Self-hosted, Command line
Part of the mainline kernel, so no third-party modules are needed Near-native CPU performance through hardware virtualization extensions	Included with FreeBSD, nothing extra to install Also available on illumos
Provides no user interface of its own; you need QEMU, libvirt or a front end Requires virtualization extensions enabled in firmware	Only runs on FreeBSD and illumos hosts Managed from the command line unless paired with a front end
Downloadable app	Operating system
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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