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.

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


virt-manager

virt-manager

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.

Categories:
virtualization kvm xen libvirt open-source

Virt-manager Features

  1. Graphical interface to manage virtual machines
  2. Supports KVM and Xen hypervisors
  3. Create, start, pause, and stop VMs
  4. Live migration of VMs between hosts
  5. Remote connection via SSH/TLS
  6. VM console access
  7. Storage and network management
  8. VM snapshots

Pricing

  • Open Source

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