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Lima vs Macpine: catalog facts
Lima	Macpine
Free Free and open source under Apache 2.0, a CNCF project.	Free Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Command line
Automatic file sharing and port forwarding, so the VM feels like part of the host Runs containerd, Docker, Podman and Kubernetes, not just one of them	Creates lightweight Alpine Linux VMs Provides port forwarding and automatic file sharing
Command-line only; there is no graphical management interface Linux guests only	Requires macOS and QEMU.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

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