VirtualBox Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to VirtualBox for Linux if you are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is QEMU, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to VirtualBox and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to VirtualBox are VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player, WinBoat and virt-manager.

filter to find the best alternatives

VirtualBox alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Compatibility Layer Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Mac, Free, Open Source, Windows, Android and Windows + Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to VirtualBox.
More about VirtualBox
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
VirtualBox alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. QEMU icon

    QEMU

     298 likes

    QEMU, an open-source hypervisor, performs hardware virtualization, emulates CPUs using dynamic binary translation, and supports various architectures. It runs diverse unmodified guest OS, provides device models, and offers mixed translation modes for efficient execution.

    44 QEMU alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    QEMU with the free OS ReactOS
     
    |
    7
    83
    Comments about QEMU as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    14

    It runs faster than virtualbox using KVM. Also is better suited for production level.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Leonart
    Positive
    0

    Qemu on linux is perfect, but on windows, consider virtualbox or vmware as a better alternatives

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Nuncio Bitis
    Positive
    0

    If you want a GUI to manage QEMU machines, install AQEMU. It works like VirtualBox or VMware GUIs.

    3 of 7 comments
    VirtualBox Icon
    QEMU icon

    • Most users think QEMU is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • QEMU is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to VirtualBox.

    • QEMU is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to VirtualBox.

    • QEMU is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • QEMU is Security-focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users
  2. VMware Workstation Pro icon

    VMware Workstation Pro

     393 likes

    VMware Workstation Pro Lets You Run Multiple Operating Systems as Virtual Machines (including Windows VMs) on a Single Windows or Linux PC. VMware Workstation Pro is the industry standard for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines (VMs) on a single Linux or...

    36 VMware Workstation Pro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Pro screenshot 1
     
    |
    7
    96
    Comments about VMware Workstation Pro as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    10

    Its much more user friendly and pleasant to work with.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    16

    Expensive. If you want the free version for personal use, go with VMware Workstation Player.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    dvdvideo123
    Negative
    3

    Virtual box is free, vmwre has 30 day trial.

    3 of 7 comments
    VirtualBox Icon
    VMware Workstation Pro icon

    • Most users think VMware Workstation Pro is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • VMware Workstation Pro is Free and ProprietaryVirtualBox is Free and Open Source
  4. VMware Workstation Player icon

    VMware Workstation Player

     247 likes

    VMware Workstation Player builds on the industry leading foundation of Workstation Pro, and delivers a streamlined user interface for creating and running operating systems and applications in a virtual machine.

    40 VMware Workstation Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    VMware Workstation Player screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    54
    Comments about VMware Workstation Player as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Guest
    Positive
    9

    Free and slightly more advanced. Less user friendly than virtualbox but also much more feature rich.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    VirtualBox Icon
    VMware Workstation Player icon

    • Almost everyone thinks VMware Workstation Player is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • VMware Workstation Player is Free Personal and ProprietaryVirtualBox is Free and Open Source
  5. WinBoat icon

    WinBoat

     64 likes

    Runs Windows applications, individual apps, or full desktops inside Linux with native OS-level integration, sleek interface, advanced filesystem sharing, smartcard passthrough, and resource monitoring while supporting simple installation and ongoing feature updates.

    52 WinBoat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Docker
    WinBoat screenshot 1
     
  6. virt-manager icon

    virt-manager

     81 likes

    Comprehensive desktop tool for managing virtual machines using libvirt, supporting KVM, Xen, and Linux Containers. It offers performance stats, resource allocation and virtual hardware configuration with VNC and SPICE clients for graphical consoles.

    34 virt-manager alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    virt-manager screenshot 1
     
    |
    3
    29
    Comments about virt-manager as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    arpeters
    Positive
    1

    Fully open source alternative to VirtualBox available in Debian repository. I don't trust VirtualBox anymore since it was excluded from Debian main.

    Guest
    Positive
    2

    virt-manager with kvm/libvirtd is as powerfull as virtualbox, but much much more faster.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    zinz
    Negative
    -11

    this is not vm but a vm manager.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    VirtualBox Icon
    virt-manager icon

    • Most users think virt-manager is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • virt-manager is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • virt-manager is Security-focused and CustomizableVirtualBox is not according to our users
  7. KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) icon

    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

     119 likes

    KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). It consists of a loadable kernel module, kvm.

    41 KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) screenshot 1
     
    |
    31

    • Almost everyone thinks KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is the most popular Android alternative to VirtualBox.

    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is Security-focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users
  9. Proxmox Virtual Environment icon

    Proxmox Virtual Environment

     154 likes

    Proxmox Virtual Environment is a complete and easy to use Open Source virtualization platform for running Virtual Appliances and Virtual Machines. Proxmox VE tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers, software-defined storage and networking functionality on a single...

    45 Proxmox Virtual Environment alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    Proxmox Virtual Environment screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    7
    Comments about Proxmox Virtual Environment as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Matt
    Positive
    0

    Proxmox VE is an excellent bare-metal/type I hypervisor. It has excellent features for creating and managing virtual machines on a dedicated virtualization server.

    If you are looking for a hosted/type II hypervisor, look elsewhere.

    VirtualBox Icon
    Proxmox Virtual Environment icon

    • Most users think Proxmox Virtual Environment is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to VirtualBox.

    • Proxmox Virtual Environment is Freemium and Open SourceVirtualBox is Free and Open Source
  10. Boxes icon

    Boxes

     30 likes

    A simple GNOME application to access virtual systems. It is based on a design from Jon McCann and Jakub Steiner.

    28 Boxes alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Boxes screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    20
    Comments about Boxes as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Guest
    Negative
    6

    This is a virtual machine manager, not virtualization software

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    VirtualBox Icon
    Boxes icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Boxes is a great VirtualBox alternative.

    • Boxes is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
    • Boxes is Security-focusedVirtualBox is not according to our users
  11. Xen icon

    Xen

     74 likes

    Xen.org, home of the Xen hypervisor, the powerful open source industry standard for virtualization. It is a native (bare-metal) hypervisor providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently.

    34 Xen alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Xen screenshot 1
     
    |
    5
    17
    Comments about Xen as an Alternative to VirtualBox
    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    8

    xen appears to be a hypervisor, which is quite different than basic virtualization software...

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    Xen is hypervisor that isn't emulate but isolate.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    This is a hypervisor, not a virtual machine.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 5 comments
    VirtualBox Icon
    Xen icon

    • Some users think Xen is a great VirtualBox alternative, some don't.

    • Xen is Free and Open SourceVirtualBox is also Free and Open Source
  12. VMware vSphere Hypervisor icon

    VMware vSphere Hypervisor

     61 likes

    VMware vSphere Hypervisor ( based on ESXi ) is a free bare-metal hypervisor that virtualizes servers so you can consolidate your applications on less hardware.

    41 VMware vSphere Hypervisor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • NVIDIA vGPU
    • AMD MxGPU
    VMware vSphere Hypervisor screenshot 1
     
  13. XCP-ng icon

    XCP-ng

     46 likes

    XCP-ng is a high-performance, enterprise-level hypervisor with a rich ecosystem and is the result of massive cooperation between individuals and companies. All commercial features are enabled with no commitment required to a support agreement.

    22 XCP-ng alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • NVIDIA vGPU
    • AMD MxGPU
    Installation boot screen
     
  14. RVVM icon

    RVVM

     3 likes

    RVVM is a virtual machine / emulator for RISC-V guests, which emphasizes on performance, security, lean code and portability. It already runs a lot of guest operating systems, including Linux, Haiku, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Windows
    • Mac
    RVVM screenshot 1
     
12 of 30 VirtualBox alternatives