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.

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.

VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion

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.

Categories:
virtualization hypervisor macos windows linux

VMware Fusion Features

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

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

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

bhyve

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.

Categories:
hypervisor virtualization virtual-machines freebsd

Bhyve Features

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

Pricing

  • Open Source

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