Portable Virtualbox vs VMware Workstation Player

Struggling to choose between Portable Virtualbox and VMware Workstation Player? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Portable Virtualbox is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like virtualization, virtual-machine, portable, open-source.

It boasts features such as Runs VirtualBox virtual machines directly from a USB drive, Does not require VirtualBox to be installed on the host computer, Supports importing and exporting VMs in OVF format, Includes VirtualBox Extension Pack for added functionality, Open source and free to use and pros including Portable and self-contained, Does not clutter host computer with VirtualBox installation, Easy to carry VMs between different computers, Good for testing software across different OS environments.

On the other hand, VMware Workstation Player is a Virtualization product tagged with virtualization, desktop-virtualization, vmware, virtual-machine.

Its standout features include Run multiple operating systems simultaneously, Isolate applications and services, Test software in different environments, Snapshot and revert virtual machine states, Drag-and-drop files across virtual machines, Virtual networking and sharing, 3D graphics acceleration, Unity mode for running Windows apps seamlessly, and it shines with pros like Free for personal non-commercial use, Easy to set up and use, Good performance, Feature-rich, Supports many operating systems and hardware configurations.

Feature	Portable Virtualbox	VMware Workstation Player
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Virtualization

Product Overview

Portable Virtualbox

Description: Portable Virtualbox is a free, open-source virtualization software that allows you to run multiple virtual machines on your Windows computer without needing to install Virtualbox. It runs directly from a USB drive for easy portability.

VMware Workstation Player

Description: VMware Workstation Player is a virtualization software that allows users to run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine. It enables testing software, running different operating systems, and consolidating physical hardware.

Key Features Comparison

Portable Virtualbox Features

• Runs VirtualBox virtual machines directly from a USB drive
• Does not require VirtualBox to be installed on the host computer
• Supports importing and exporting VMs in OVF format
• Includes VirtualBox Extension Pack for added functionality
• Open source and free to use

VMware Workstation Player Features

• Run multiple operating systems simultaneously
• Isolate applications and services
• Test software in different environments
• Snapshot and revert virtual machine states
• Drag-and-drop files across virtual machines
• Virtual networking and sharing
• 3D graphics acceleration
• Unity mode for running Windows apps seamlessly

Pros & Cons Analysis

Portable Virtualbox

Pros

• Portable and self-contained
• Does not clutter host computer with VirtualBox installation
• Easy to carry VMs between different computers
• Good for testing software across different OS environments

Cons

• Limited feature set compared to full VirtualBox
• No guest additions or shared folder support
• Potential USB performance bottlenecks
• Not officially supported by Oracle

VMware Workstation Player

Pros

• Free for personal non-commercial use
• Easy to set up and use
• Good performance
• Feature-rich
• Supports many operating systems and hardware configurations

Cons

• Limited to non-commercial use
• Less features than paid VMware Workstation Pro
• No live migration of VMs
• No remote management features

Pricing Comparison

Portable Virtualbox

• Free
• Open Source

VMware Workstation Player

• Free
• Freemium