Compare software

Windows Subsystem for Linux vs Hyper-V: catalog facts
Windows Subsystem for Linux	Hyper-V
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence, published by Microsoft. Included with Windows.	Free Included at no extra cost in Windows Pro, Enterprise and Windows Server editions.
Windows	Windows
Runs Linux command-line tools unmodified, with no virtual machine overhead or dual boot WSLg lets Linux graphical applications appear as ordinary Windows windows	Built into Windows with nothing extra to buy Type-1 hypervisor with near-native performance
Requires Windows virtualisation features to be enabled, which conflicts with some other software Filesystem performance across the Windows and Linux boundary is poor; keep files on the correct side	Not available on Windows Home editions Windows only
Downloadable app	Operating system
Open source	Closed source
License: MIT	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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