VirtualBox

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.

VirtualBox alternatives ➤

What is VirtualBox?

Oracle VM VirtualBox, commonly referred to as VirtualBox, is a powerful and open-source virtualization platform developed by Oracle. It allows users to create and manage virtual machines (VMs) on a host machine, enabling the simultaneous execution of multiple operating systems on a single physical system.

Key Features:

Cross-Platform Support: VirtualBox is a cross-platform virtualization solution available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and other host operating systems. This allows users to create and run VMs on different platforms.

Guest OS Support: VirtualBox supports a wide range of guest operating systems, including various versions of Windows, Linux distributions, macOS, and others. This flexibility makes it suitable for testing, development, and running diverse software environments.

Snapshotting: One of VirtualBox's notable features is the ability to take snapshots of VMs at specific points in time. Snapshots capture the VM's state, allowing users to revert to a previous state if needed. This is valuable for testing, experimentation, and ensuring system stability.

Virtual Networking: VirtualBox provides flexible networking options for VMs, including NAT, bridged networking, and host-only networking. This allows VMs to communicate with each other and the host system while maintaining network isolation.

Shared Folders: VirtualBox allows users to set up shared folders between the host and guest operating systems. This simplifies the exchange of files and data between the virtualized environment and the host system.

USB Device Support: VirtualBox supports USB passthrough, enabling VMs to access USB devices connected to the host machine. This is useful for using external storage devices, webcams, and other USB peripherals within VMs.

Extension Pack: VirtualBox provides an Extension Pack that adds additional features, including support for USB 2.0 and 3.0 devices, VirtualBox Remote Desktop Protocol (VRDP), and more. The Extension Pack enhances the capabilities of the virtualization platform.

Command-Line Interface (CLI): VirtualBox includes a command-line interface (VBoxManage) that allows users to manage VMs, configure settings, and automate tasks. This is beneficial for scripting and integrating VirtualBox into automated workflows.

Open Source: VirtualBox is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and is free to use. The open-source nature of VirtualBox encourages community contributions, and it is actively maintained and updated by Oracle.

VirtualBox is commonly used by developers, IT professionals, and enthusiasts for various purposes, including software testing, application development, running legacy applications, and creating isolated environments for different projects.

Official Links

Official Website
www.virtualbox.org

The Best VirtualBox Alternatives

Top Apps like VirtualBox

QEMU, Parallels Desktop, VMware Workstation Pro, Proxmox Virtual Environment, Limbo PC Emulator, Windows Sandbox, Portable Virtualbox, VMware Workstation Player, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), virt-manager, QEMU Manager, VMware Fusion, AQEMU, Multipass, Bochs, UCS Virtual Machine Manager, Boxes, PCem, MobaLiveCD, XCP-ng, JavaQemu, VMWare Disk Mount, QtEmu, 86Box, Mojopac, JPCSIM, VMLite Workstation, Qemu Simple Boot, bhyve, GreenVBox, VirtualBuddy, Veertu, xhypervisor, FAUMachine, pcemu, Virtual PC, GNURoot Debian, Parallels Workstation, VMLite XP Mode, OpenVZ, PetiteCloud, SysInfoTools Virtual Disk Machine Recovery Tool, MokaFive Player, VMX Builder, USBFastBoot are some alternatives to VirtualBox.

Sugggest an alternative ❐

QEMU

QEMU is a free and open source hypervisor and machine emulator. It emulates a complete computer system, including the processor, memory, storage, network interfaces and peripherals. This allows you to run software and operating systems written for one machine on a different machine.Some key features of QEMU include:Full...

Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop is a popular virtualization solution specifically designed for macOS, enabling users to run multiple operating systems on their Mac computers. It is known for its user-friendly interface, performance optimizations, and seamless integration of virtual machines with the macOS environment. Key Features: Cross-Platform Virtualization: Parallels Desktop supports a wide...

VMware Workstation Pro

VMware Workstation Pro is a Type 2 hypervisor developed by VMware for desktop virtualization on x64 versions of Windows and Linux. It allows users to set up multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine and run different operating systems and applications in each VM without rebooting.Key features include:Ability...

Proxmox Virtual Environment

Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) is an open-source server virtualization management solution based on QEMU/KVM virtualization and LXC containers. It allows you to manage virtual machines and containers using a web-based GUI. Key features include:Hypervisor built on Linux Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) technology for virtualizationLinux Containers (LXC) for...

Limbo PC Emulator

Limbo PC Emulator is an open-source emulator that allows you to run Windows software on Linux, macOS, and other platforms. It uses Wine and QEMU virtualization to provide compatibility with Windows applications.Some key features of Limbo include:Full compatibility with most Windows software without needing an actual Windows license...

Windows Sandbox

Windows Sandbox is a virtualized desktop environment included in recent versions of the Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems. It allows users to run untrusted or unreliable software applications in an isolated environment without risking damage to the host device or operating system.Sandbox provides a lightweight virtual machine that shares...

Portable Virtualbox

Portable Virtualbox is a free, open-source virtualization software that allows you to run multiple guest operating systems on your Windows host computer without needing to go through a lengthy install process. It runs directly off a USB thumb drive, making it easy to take your virtual machines with you wherever...

VMware Workstation Player

VMware Workstation Player is a Type 2 hypervisor developed by VMware for desktop virtualization. It allows users to set up multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical machine and run them simultaneously.Key features of VMware Workstation Player include:Ability to run production environments and test software on different operating...

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is an open-source virtualization technology built into Linux. It allows you to create and run virtual machines (VMs) on any Linux server or desktop with hardware virtualization capabilities.KVM is implemented as a kernel module that leverages the virtualization extensions of modern CPUs like Intel VT...

Virt-manager

virt-manager is an open-source graphical application for managing virtual machines using the libvirt toolkit and related technologies. It provides a simple way to view, control, and manage guest virtual machines running on the KVM and Xen hypervisors as well as other libvirt-supported technologies such as LXC, QEMU, and VirtualBox.Some...

QEMU Manager

QEMU Manager is an open-source graphical front-end application for managing QEMU virtual machines. It provides an intuitive interface for creating, running, stopping, deleting, and monitoring QEMU VMs without needing to use the QEMU command line.Key features of QEMU Manager include:Create new QEMU VMs with customizable hardware configurations such...

VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion is a Type 2 hypervisor developed by VMware for Mac users. It allows you to create and run virtual machines that emulate other operating systems on your Mac hardware. Fusion provides a simple user interface to set up, manage, and use virtual machines.Some key features and capabilities of...

AQEMU

AQEMU is an open-source machine emulator and virtualizer. It can emulate a variety of guest hardware platforms and allows you to run operating systems and software within virtual machines on your existing host operating system.Some key features of AQEMU include:Processor emulation including x86, ARM, SPARC and PowerPC architecturesVirtualized...

Multipass

Multipass is an open source virtual machine manager developed by Canonical for Linux, Windows and macOS operating systems. It allows users to easily create, manage and run Ubuntu virtual machines.Some key features of Multipass include:Simple command line interface to launch, delete and manage Ubuntu VMsLightweight and fast VM...

Bochs

Bochs is an open source emulator for the x86 architecture, allowing you to run operating systems like Windows, Linux, BSD and others on your computer without needing virtualization support from the CPU. It emulates common x86 hardware, including the CPU, memory, disks, network cards, graphics and more.Some key features...

UCS Virtual Machine Manager

UCS Virtual Machine Manager (UCS VMM) is a comprehensive virtualization management platform designed specifically for Cisco UCS environments. It enables IT administrators to centrally manage their entire virtual infrastructure from one simple web-based interface.Key capabilities and benefits of UCS VMM include:Automated provisioning of virtual machines on UCS serversMonitoring...

Boxes

Boxes is an open-source and free virtualization application for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. It allows users to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single machine. Boxes creates virtual machines that act like real computers, on which users can install operating systems like Windows, Linux, etc.Some key features...

PCem

PCem is an open-source emulator for x86-based PCs. It enables you to emulate old PCs with various CPUs, graphics cards, sound cards and other peripherals. The goal of PCem is to be a highly compatible and customizable PC emulator.Some key features of PCem include:Accurate emulation of IA-...

MobaLiveCD

MobaLiveCD is a bootable live Linux distribution that is tailored for mobile broadband usage and troubleshooting. It can be run directly from a CD or USB drive without needing to install anything on the computer's hard drive.Some key features of MobaLiveCD include:Comes preloaded with various applications like speedtest-cli...

XCP-ng

XCP-ng is an open-source hypervisor platform based on the Xen Project Hypervisor. It originated as a community-driven fork of Citrix XenServer and allows users to manage virtual machines and storage resources for compute provisioning.Some key features of XCP-ng include:Provides an enterprise-grade hypervisor and tools for virtual machine management...

JavaQemu

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VMWare Disk Mount

VMWare Disk Mount is a free, standalone utility from VMWare that allows you to mount virtual disks on a Windows machine without needing to run VMware or Hyper-V hypervisors. It supports mounting VMDK and VHD format virtual disks and provides read-only access to files and folders stored on those disks...

QtEmu

QtEmu is an open-source, cross-platform emulator that can emulate a variety of older computer systems and classic games consoles. It provides a user-friendly graphical interface to emulate systems like DOS, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and more.Some key features of QtEmu...

86Box

86Box is an open-source emulator specifically designed for recreating the software and hardware environment of PCs from the 80s and early 90s, the era dominated by DOS and early versions of Windows such as Windows 3.x.As an emulator focused on DOS and early Windows versions, 86Box provides highly accurate...

Mojopac

Mojopac is a portable application suite developed by Emurasoft that allows you to carry various software, files, settings, and even an entire operating system on a USB flash drive. It creates a self-contained virtual computer on any Windows PC without needing installation or administrative rights.When launched from the USB...

JPCSIM

JPCSIM is an open-source, Java-based, discrete event simulation software designed specifically for modeling manufacturing systems like production lines, assembly operations, supply chains, and more. It provides a graphical modeling interface that allows users to quickly build simulations by adding and connecting functional blocks that represent individual processes or operations.Some...

VMLite Workstation

VMLite Workstation is a powerful, free system virtualization platform for desktop computers. It allows you to simultaneously run multiple operating systems as virtual machines on a single physical host system. VMLite Workstation works on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X host operating systems.Some key features of VMLite Workstation include...

Qemu Simple Boot

Qemu Simple Boot is an open-source emulator that allows you to create and run virtual machines on your computer without going through a lengthy boot process. It is part of the Qemu project for machine virtualization.Some key features of Qemu Simple Boot:Allows you to quickly test operating systems...

Bhyve

Bhyve is an open-source Type 2 hypervisor that runs on FreeBSD. It allows users to run multiple guest operating systems (called virtual machines or VMs) simultaneously on a single FreeBSD host system. Bhyve supports hardware virtualization features like Intel VT-x and AMD-V to improve the performance of guest VMs.Some key...

GreenVBox

GreenVBox is an open-source and free virtualization software that allows users to run multiple guest operating systems on a single host machine. It utilizes hypervisor technology to create isolated virtual machines that share hardware resources from the host.Some key features of GreenVBox include:Lightweight and fast performance - It...

VirtualBuddy

VirtualBuddy is an advanced virtual assistant software powered by artificial intelligence and natural language processing. It is designed to help individuals and teams improve productivity and efficiency by automating administrative tasks and providing useful information on demand.Users can interact with VirtualBuddy completely hands-free using natural voice commands. It can...

Veertu

Veertu is a virtualization software developed specifically for Mac computers. It allows Mac users to virtually run Windows operating system on their Macs without having to reboot or partition the hard drive.Some key features of Veertu include:Seamless Windows experience - Users can run Windows software, play Windows games...

Xhypervisor

XHypervisor is an open-source, lightweight Type-1 hypervisor designed for enterprise virtualization. As a bare-metal hypervisor, XHypervisor installs directly onto server hardware to control the hardware and manage guest operating systems.Some key features of XHypervisor include:Efficient resource management using dynamic memory and storage allocationLive migration of virtual machines between...

FAUMachine

FAUMachine is an open-source, cross-platform application for designing, visualizing, and simulating finite automata. It allows users to create nondeterministic and deterministic finite automata (NFAs and DFAs), convert them into state diagrams, minimize DFAs, and test them with input strings.Some key features of FAUMachine include:Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating...

Pcemu

pcemu is an open-source emulator for classic x86-based PCs. It allows you to play old PC games and run legacy applications on modern computers and operating systems.Some key features of pcemu include:Accuracy - pcemu aims to faithfully reproduce the functionality of older PCs in order to maintain...

Virtual PC

Virtual PC is virtualization software from Microsoft that allows you to run multiple operating systems as virtual machines on a Windows host computer. It provides an easy way to set up isolated environments for testing software, running alternate operating systems, or compartmentalizing different tasks.Some key features of Virtual PC...

GNURoot Debian

GNURoot Debian is an application for Android that provides a chrooted Debian GNU/Linux environment that runs directly on top of the Android kernel, without the need for device root access or installation of a custom ROM.It sets up a minimal Debian filesystem with access to most Android hardware...

Parallels Workstation

Parallels Workstation is a desktop virtualization software that enables users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical computer. It utilizes hypervisor technology to create isolated virtual machines where different operating systems can be installed and used simultaneously.Some key features of Parallels Workstation include:Ability to run Windows...

VMLite XP Mode

VMLite XP Mode is a free virtualization software that allows users to run Windows XP as a virtual machine on modern Windows operating systems. It utilizes lightweight virtualization technology to provide an integrated XP virtual machine without slowing down the host system.Some key features of VMLite XP Mode include...

OpenVZ

OpenVZ is an open source container-based virtualization platform for Linux operating systems. It provides operating system-level virtualization that allows multiple isolated virtual containers, called Virtual Private Servers (VPSs), to run on a single physical server.With OpenVZ, each VPS runs its own operating system and applications separate from the other...

PetiteCloud

PetiteCloud is an open source platform-as-a-service (PaaS) designed for hosting web applications and services. It provides developers with on-demand infrastructure to deploy, scale, and manage their apps without managing servers.Key features of PetiteCloud include:Supports popular languages like Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, JavaBuilt-in support for databases like MySQL...

SysInfoTools Virtual Disk Machine Recovery Tool

SysInfoTools Virtual Disk Machine Recovery Tool is a comprehensive utility designed to recover deleted, corrupted, or inaccessible virtual machine disk files. It supports recovering data from major virtual disk formats such as VMDK, VHD, and VHDX used in VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, and other virtualization platforms.The tool provides an intuitive...

MokaFive Player

MokaFive Player is a virtual desktop application that delivers Windows or Linux virtual machines to any device, while keeping sensitive data securely stored in the cloud. It provides a seamless desktop experience across devices.Key features include:Separates the end user desktop environment from the underlying operating system for enhanced...

VMX Builder

VMX Builder is a Windows desktop application designed to simplify the creation and configuration of VMware virtual machine definition files with the .vmx extension. Instead of manually editing the text-based .vmx files, VMX Builder provides a graphical user interface to set up and configure all aspects of a VM.Key...

USBFastBoot

USBFastBoot is a lightweight and portable Windows application that provides a quick way to reboot your computer directly into the BIOS or boot menu screen. It works by temporarily emulating a USB device being plugged in, which triggers most PCs to open the boot options menu on the next restart...