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Macpine vs UTM: catalog facts
Macpine	UTM
Best for: Mac users who need small Linux VMs for testing or container workloads	Best for: Running Windows or Linux on Apple hardware without paying for Parallels
Free Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.	Free + paid options Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence. A paid Mac App Store listing exists purely to… Full pricing details for UTM Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence. A paid Mac App Store listing exists purely to support development; the same build is free from the website.
macOS, Command line	macOS, iOS
Creates lightweight Alpine Linux VMs Provides port forwarding and automatic file sharing All 3 strengths for Macpine Creates lightweight Alpine Linux VMs Provides port forwarding and automatic file sharing Supports aarch64 and x86_64 emulation	Hardware-accelerated virtualisation on macOS through Hypervisor.framework Full emulation of more than thirty architectures when you need a different one All 4 strengths for UTM Hardware-accelerated virtualisation on macOS through Hypervisor.framework Full emulation of more than thirty architectures when you need a different one Boots macOS guests on macOS 12 and later Interface designed for macOS and iOS rather than ported from elsewhere
Requires macOS and QEMU.	Emulating a different architecture is slow The iOS version needs a jailbreak or a workaround for full speed All 4 limitations for UTM Emulating a different architecture is slow The iOS version needs a jailbreak or a workaround for full speed Graphics performance in guests is modest compared with a native install The App Store edition is UTM SE, which interprets code without JIT compilation; the full iOS edition uses a separate installation method.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: Apache-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Offline features available
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Macpine beringresearch.github.io/macpine Catalog checked October 8, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for UTM github.com/utmapp/UTM apps.apple.com/us/app/utm-se-retro-pc-emulator/id1564628856 docs.getutm.app/installation/ios Catalog checked September 21, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.