VirtualBox vs Multipass

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

VirtualBox is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like virtualization, vm, oracle.

It boasts features such as Emulated virtual machines for multiple guest operating systems, Snapshots to save VM state, Shared folders for host-guest file system integration, Virtual networking and NAT, Remote machine display, Command line interaction, Headless operation and pros including Free and open source, Cross-platform, Easy to set up and use, Good performance, Lots of configuration options.

On the other hand, Multipass is a Development product tagged with virtualization, ubuntu, linux, docker.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like Simple and easy to use, Lightweight and fast VM launches, Reproducible dev environments, Native clients for Linux, macOS and Windows, Active development and maintenance.

Feature	VirtualBox	Multipass
Overall Score	1	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Development

Product Overview

VirtualBox

Description: Oracle VM VirtualBox is a free and open-source virtualization platform that enables users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine. Widely used for development, testing, and virtualized environments, VirtualBox supports a variety of guest operating systems and provides features like snapshotting, shared folders, and networking options.

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.

Key Features Comparison

VirtualBox Features

• Emulated virtual machines for multiple guest operating systems
• Snapshots to save VM state
• Shared folders for host-guest file system integration
• Virtual networking and NAT
• Remote machine display
• Command line interaction
• Headless operation

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

VirtualBox

Pros

• Free and open source
• Cross-platform
• Easy to set up and use
• Good performance
• Lots of configuration options

Cons

• Limited support options
• Less features than paid solutions
• Resource intensive

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

Pricing Comparison

VirtualBox

• Free
• Open Source

Multipass

• Free
• Open Source