VMware Fusion vs bhyve

Struggling to choose between VMware Fusion and bhyve? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

VMware Fusion is a Virtualization solution with tags like virtualization, hypervisor, macos, windows, linux.

It boasts features such as Run Windows, Linux, and other OS virtually alongside macOS, Seamless integration and full compatibility with macOS, 3D graphics support, Drag-and-drop file sharing between macOS and guest OS, Unity mode to run Windows apps seamlessly, Shared folders to access macOS files from guest OS and pros including Easy to set up and use, Good performance, Lots of customization options, Supports many guest OS versions, Can create snapshots to revert VMs, Integrates well with other VMware products.

On the other hand, bhyve is a System & Hardware product tagged with hypervisor, virtualization, virtual-machines, freebsd.

Its standout features include Supports virtualization of x86-64 guest operating systems, Utilizes hardware virtualization capabilities on AMD and Intel CPUs, Supports UEFI firmware for guest VMs, PCI passthrough allows direct access to physical hardware from guest VMs, SMP allows configuring multiple virtual CPUs for guest VMs, virtio drivers provide high performance network and disk I/O, Live migration moves running VMs between hosts, and it shines with pros like Free and open source software, Good performance and low overhead, Supports modern virtualization features, Integrated into FreeBSD for ease of use and management.

Feature	VMware Fusion	bhyve
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Virtualization	System & Hardware

Product Overview

VMware Fusion

Description: VMware Fusion is a hypervisor that allows users to run virtual machines on Mac hardware. It enables running Windows, Linux, and other operating systems virtually alongside macOS on Apple silicon or Intel-based Macs.

bhyve

Description: bhyve is an open-source hypervisor that allows users to run multiple operating systems as virtual machines on FreeBSD. It supports features like UEFI firmware, PCI passthrough, SMP, virtio drivers and more.

Key Features Comparison

VMware Fusion Features

• Run Windows, Linux, and other OS virtually alongside macOS
• Seamless integration and full compatibility with macOS
• 3D graphics support
• Drag-and-drop file sharing between macOS and guest OS
• Unity mode to run Windows apps seamlessly
• Shared folders to access macOS files from guest OS

bhyve Features

• Supports virtualization of x86-64 guest operating systems
• Utilizes hardware virtualization capabilities on AMD and Intel CPUs
• Supports UEFI firmware for guest VMs
• PCI passthrough allows direct access to physical hardware from guest VMs
• SMP allows configuring multiple virtual CPUs for guest VMs
• virtio drivers provide high performance network and disk I/O
• Live migration moves running VMs between hosts

Pros & Cons Analysis

VMware Fusion

Pros

• Easy to set up and use
• Good performance
• Lots of customization options
• Supports many guest OS versions
• Can create snapshots to revert VMs
• Integrates well with other VMware products

Cons

• Requires a paid license after trial expires
• Can be resource-intensive
• Limited remote management capabilities
• No built-in collaboration tools
• Not compatible with older Macs

bhyve

Pros

• Free and open source software
• Good performance and low overhead
• Supports modern virtualization features
• Integrated into FreeBSD for ease of use and management

Cons

• Only runs on FreeBSD hosts
• Limited management tools compared to other hypervisors
• Less extensive documentation and community support
• Fewer guest OS support than alternatives like KVM

Pricing Comparison

VMware Fusion

• Subscription-Based

bhyve

• Open Source