Multipass vs Boxes

Struggling to choose between Multipass and Boxes? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Multipass is a Development solution with tags like virtualization, ubuntu, linux, docker.

It boasts features such as Create Ubuntu VMs with a single command, CLI and GUI available, Built-in SSH access to VMs, Suspend and restart VMs while maintaining state, Share folders between host and VMs, Customizable CPU and memory allocation, VM image caching to speed up launches and pros including Simple and easy to use, Lightweight and fast VM launches, Reproducible dev environments, Native clients for Linux, macOS and Windows, Active development and maintenance.

On the other hand, Boxes is a Os & Utilities product tagged with virtualization, opensource, operating-systems.

Its standout features include Runs multiple operating systems in isolated environments, Supports many popular operating systems like Windows, Linux, Android, Easy to install and set up virtual machines, Open source and free to use, Lightweight resource usage, Live migration of virtual machines between hosts, 3D acceleration support, Snapshotting for easy restores, Shared folders for host-guest file transfers, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Simple and easy to use, Good performance, Supports many operating systems, Lightweight on system resources, Active development and community support.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Multipass

Multipass

Multipass is a lightweight virtual machine manager for Linux, Windows and macOS. It simplifies setting up virtual Ubuntu instances in just a few clicks, allowing developers to easily create reproducible development environments.

Categories:
virtualization ubuntu linux docker

Multipass Features

  1. Create Ubuntu VMs with a single command
  2. CLI and GUI available
  3. Built-in SSH access to VMs
  4. Suspend and restart VMs while maintaining state
  5. Share folders between host and VMs
  6. Customizable CPU and memory allocation
  7. VM image caching to speed up launches

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Simple and easy to use

Lightweight and fast VM launches

Reproducible dev environments

Native clients for Linux, macOS and Windows

Active development and maintenance

Cons

Only supports Ubuntu VMs currently

Limited configuration options compared to other VM managers

No snapshot or cloning support yet

No built-in orchestration features


Boxes

Boxes

Boxes is an open-source virtualization platform that allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single machine. It is designed to be simple, lightweight, and easy to set up.

Categories:
virtualization opensource operating-systems

Boxes Features

  1. Runs multiple operating systems in isolated environments
  2. Supports many popular operating systems like Windows, Linux, Android
  3. Easy to install and set up virtual machines
  4. Open source and free to use
  5. Lightweight resource usage
  6. Live migration of virtual machines between hosts
  7. 3D acceleration support
  8. Snapshotting for easy restores
  9. Shared folders for host-guest file transfers

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Free

Pros

Free and open source

Simple and easy to use

Good performance

Supports many operating systems

Lightweight on system resources

Active development and community support

Cons

Limited features compared to paid options

No commercial support

Less stable than mature virtualization platforms

Lacks advanced management features