Multipass vs virt-manager

Struggling to choose between Multipass and virt-manager? 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, virt-manager is a Network & Admin product tagged with virtualization, kvm, xen, libvirt, open-source.

Its standout features include Graphical interface to manage virtual machines, Supports KVM and Xen hypervisors, Create, start, pause, and stop VMs, Live migration of VMs between hosts, Remote connection via SSH/TLS, VM console access, Storage and network management, VM snapshots, and it shines with pros like Open source and free, Simple and easy to use GUI, Good for managing multiple VMs, Active development and community support.

Feature	Multipass	virt-manager
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Network & Admin

Product Overview

Multipass

Description: 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.

virt-manager

Description: virt-manager is an open-source graphical tool for managing virtual machines using libvirt. It provides a simple way to view, control, and manage guest virtual machines running on the KVM and Xen hypervisors.

Key Features Comparison

Multipass Features

• 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

virt-manager Features

• Graphical interface to manage virtual machines
• Supports KVM and Xen hypervisors
• Create, start, pause, and stop VMs
• Live migration of VMs between hosts
• Remote connection via SSH/TLS
• VM console access
• Storage and network management
• VM snapshots

Pros & Cons Analysis

Multipass

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

virt-manager

Pros

• Open source and free
• Simple and easy to use GUI
• Good for managing multiple VMs
• Active development and community support

Cons

• Limited features compared to paid solutions
• Steep learning curve for beginners
• No native support for other hypervisors like VMware
• Buggy release sometimes

Pricing Comparison

Multipass

• Free
• Open Source

virt-manager

• Open Source