- 2 мин. чтения
- 31 мая 2024
Виртуальные машины позволяют запускать различные операционные системы на одном физическом компьютере, что удобно для тестирования, разработки и обучения. Рассмотрим наиболее популярные виртуальные машины для Windows, их преимущества и недостатки.
VirtualBox
Детище компании Oracle является одной из самых популярных виртуальных машин. Это бесплатное ПО, которое поддерживает широкий спектр операционных систем и предоставляющее богатый набор функций.
Преимущества:
- Бесплатная версия и открытый исходный код. VirtualBox распространяется под лицензией GPL, что делает его бесплатным для всех пользователей.
- Поддержка множества операционных систем. Продукт поддерживает широкий спектр операционных систем, включая Windows, Linux, macOS и даже DOS.
- Простота использования. Интерфейс VirtualBox интуитивно понятен, что делает его отличным выбором для начинающих пользователей.
- Активное сообщество и регулярные обновления. Большое сообщество пользователей и разработчиков обеспечивает постоянное развитие и обновление программы.
Недостатки:
- Производительность. В некоторых случаях VirtualBox может уступать конкурентам в производительности, особенно при работе с графически интенсивными приложениями.
- Ограниченные функции интеграции. Виртуальные машины VirtualBox иногда испытывают сложности с интеграции хостовой системой, особенно по сравнению с платными альтернативами.
VMware Workstation
VMware Workstation — это мощное и надежное программное обеспечение для виртуализации, разработанное компанией VMware. Оно широко используется в корпоративной среде благодаря своим продвинутым функциям и высокой производительности.
Преимущества:
- Высокая производительность. VMware Workstation известен своей высокой производительностью и стабильностью работы.
- Широкий функционал. Поддержка функции снапшотов, клонов и других возможностей, которые полезны для разработки и тестирования.
- Интеграция с хост-системой. VMware Workstation предлагает глубокую интеграцию с хостовой системой, включая поддержку 3D-графики и USB-устройств.
- Поддержка корпоративных функций. VMware Workstation Pro поддерживает функции, необходимые для корпоративного использования, такие как управление группами виртуальных машин.
Недостатки:
- Цена. Основной минус VMware Workstation — его высокая стоимость, что может быть препятствием для домашних пользователей и небольших компаний.
- Сложность. Из-за широкого набора функций интерфейс может показаться сложным для новичков.
Hyper-V
Hyper-V — это средство виртуализации, разработанное Microsoft, и встроенное в некоторые версии Windows. Программа предоставляет мощные возможности виртуализации и интеграции, особенно для пользователей Windows 10 Pro и Windows Server.
Преимущества:
- Интеграция с Windows. Hyper-V является встроенной функцией Windows 10 Pro и Windows Server, что обеспечивает отличную совместимость и интеграцию с системой.
- Высокая производительность. Будучи детищем Microsoft, Hyper-V оптимизирован для работы на Windows, что обеспечивает высокую производительность.
- Цена. Hyper-V доступен бесплатно для пользователей соответствующих версий Windows.
Недостатки:
- Ограниченная поддержка ОС. Hyper-V в первую очередь ориентирован на работу с Windows и ограниченно поддерживает другие операционные системы.
- Сложность настройки. Hyper-V может быть сложным в настройке и использовании, особенно для новичков, поскольку требует знания командной строки и управления через PowerShell.
Вывод
Выбор лучшей виртуальной машины для Windows зависит от ваших конкретных потребностей. Для пользователей, которым важна бесплатность и открытость, отличным выбором станет VirtualBox. Если приоритет — высокая производительность и глубокая интеграция с системой, стоит рассмотреть VMware Workstation. Hyper-V идеально подходит для пользователей Windows 10 Pro и Windows Server, нуждающихся в бесплатном и мощном решении.
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Summary: Virtual machine software has made it easier for businesses to build, scale, and optimize their virtual machines. Find the best software you can use for this purpose below.
Manually managing on-premises infrastructure makes it difficult for businesses to scale and optimize them. Further, managing these workloads requires a huge maintenance cost. However, virtual machines have made it easier to manage the physical infrastructure and resolve these issues.
With Virtual Machine for Windows, you can divide your physical servers, allocate resources, and easily optimize and scale them when required. Virtual machines allow you to emulate the functionalities of one physical computer on another.
Additionally, these machines can also be used to test and deploy applications on your cloud environment. If you want to learn more about how virtual machines work, read more.
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization is the procedure through which a single computer component like processor and storage are divided into virtual computers, called virtual machines. Virtual machine software mimics the features of physical hardware for running multiple VMs on an individual physical machine. With virtualization, business can effectively manage their resources and improve their ROI.
Managing physical servers needs electricity, a lot of storage space, and maintenance. However, through virtualization, your hardware infrastructure is divided into virtual machines that can be managed via software. Therefore, making it easier to manage and optimize your hardware infrastructure through the web.
What is a Virtual Machine?
A virtual machine is a type of machine that emulates the features of a physical server or computer. These machines are often defined as “Guest” and the physical machine on which they run is called the “host”.
Each virtual machine has its own operating system and applications running on an individual physical machine. The virtual machine does not directly interact with the physical server. Rather, it requires software known as a “hypervisor” to interact with the physical hardware.
This hypervisor helps in allocating computing resources like processors, memory, storage, etc., to every virtual machine. Further, it keeps virtual machines separate from each other, so they do not interfere with other virtual machines.
List of 11 Best Virtual Machine for Windows in 2025
- VMware ESXi
- Virtualbox
- VMware Workstation Pro and Workstation Player
- Microsoft Hyper-V
- VMware Fusion Pro and Fusion Player
- QEMU
- Gnome Boxes
- Red Hat Virtualization
- Oracle VM
- Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine
- Virtualization Manager
There are several virtual machines that you can use for dividing and managing your physical infrastructure. Here are the top VMs you can consider for this purpose:
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VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi bare metal hypervisor is used to divide a physical server into various virtual machines to easily manage and optimize them.
With it, you can consolidate hardware resources, improve workload efficiency, manage workload from a centralized database, and migrate them to the cloud environment. It also offers built-in VM management tools to develop and provision your virtual machines.
VMware ESXi License: Proprietary
CPU Usage Host/Guest: Amazon Linux 2, AlmaLinux OS 9.x, macOS 10.12.x, etc.
Features of VMware ESXi
- Optimizes and boosts the performance of workloads
- Minimizes hardware resources for running the hypervisor
- Sets up the virtual machines for up to 128 virtual CPU storage
- Manages the host configuration via vSphere Configuration profiles on a cluster level
- Allocates resources to run workloads
Pros and Cons of VMware ESXi
- You can improve AI and ML workloads with it.
- It lets you run Tanzu Kubernetes Grid service to manage Kubernetes on-premises directly via software through
integration.
- Users have faced issues while passing workload from GPUs to VMs.
Free Trial: Not available
Price of VMware ESXi: Free plan available | Paid plan starts from INR 16,327.37/CPU/year
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Virtualbox
VirtualBox is an x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization software designed for enterprise and home usage to develop and manage virtual machines. You can use it to run various operating systems together, develop and test several-node networked services on VMs, and consolidate different VMs into a single host.
Virtualbox License: GNU General Public License (GPL)
CPU Usage Host/Guest: Linux, Mac, Windows, Solaris, OpenSolaris
Features of Virtualbox
- Let’s you run any application on your system
- Runs multiple guest windows simultaneously on the same machine
- Runs macOS and Windows applications together via seamless mode
- Organizes and monitors virtual machines in group
- Offers Remote Desktop Extension (VRDE) to access any virtual machine running remotely.
Virtualbox Pros and Cons
- The software supports 3D virtualization.
- It supports remote booting via Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
- You cannot run macOS Mojave on a VM through this software if you do not have a Mac.
Free Trial: NA | Free to use
Price: It’s a free virtual machine software for Windows
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VMware Workstation Pro and Workstation Player
VMware Workstation Pro and Workstation Player are VM software that you can use to create and manage your virtual machines. Once created, you can easily transfer files and data among various guests and hosts.
This software has made it easier to run complicated local virtual environments and also simulate various operating systems, clouds, platforms, etc., from a single solution.
License: Proprietary and commercial license
CPU Usage Host/Guest: Windows 8, Ubuntu, CentOS, Oracle Linux, OpenSUSE, etc.
Features of VMware Workstation
- Manages network configurations for various virtual machines
- Supports 200+ instances for Windows
- Offers snapshot module to develop various instances of a virtual machine
- Provides 100+ guests and host operating systems
- Transforms data from VM to the software or computer
Pros and Cons of VMware Workstation
- With it, you can create and run OCI container images via vctl command line utility.
- You can easily shift from SSH to Linux through VMware Workstation Pro.
- Its free version works slowly when you add a new host to your virtual machine.
Free Trial: NA | Free virtual machine software for Windows
Price of VMware Workstation Pro and Workstation Player: Free for personal use | Paid for commercial use, starting from INR 16,330.68
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Microsoft Hyper-V
Microsoft Hyper-V is a hardware virtualization product to develop and run virtual machines. Hyper-V can help you with establishing virtual cloud environment, developing and testing applications, allocating resources for virtualization, creating applications backup, etc.
Microsoft Hyper-V License: Proprietary
CPU Usage Host/Guest: FreeBSD, Windows, Linux
Features of Microsoft Hyper-V
- Offers VM templates to create virtual machines
- Clubs multiple servers and workloads
- Recreates various computing environments to manage VMS
- Minimizes scheduled and unscheduled impact downtime for workloads
- Creates copies of virtual machines
Pros and Cons of Microsoft Hyper-V
- With it, you can migrate your workloads in real-time.
- You get a remote connection tool to connect your VMs remotely.
- Its servers consume more resources as compared to physical servers to manage virtual machines.
Free Trial: NA | Free to use
Price of Microsoft Hyper-V: It’s a free virtual machine
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VMware Fusion Pro and Fusion Player
VMware Fusion Pro and Fusion Player are virtual machine software to run VMs with different operating systems like Windows and Linux in the host macOS operating system.
With it, you can test and develop apps for the Arm ecosystem via arm64 VMS on Apple Silicon. VMware Fusion Unity View Mode lets you use several OS simultaneously in your virtual machines.
VMware Fusion License: Subscription based
VMware Fusion CPU Usage Host/Guest: macOS 13.0.x, macOS 12.0.x, Windows, Linux, and NetWare
Features of VMware Fusion
- Connects to vSphere and ESXi for managing remote workloads
- Supports Windows 11 on Intel and Apple Silicon
- Supports eGPU to improve the game performance
- Runs Virtual Machines, Kubernetes Clusters, and Containers
- Changes Virtual Networking topology
Pros and Cons of VMware Fusion
- You get high resolution display with it.
- It supports almost 200+ instances of Windows.
- Users have reported that app testing takes a lot of time.
Free Trial: 30 days
Price of VMware Fusion: No free available | Paid plan starts from INR 12,226.87
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QEMU
QEMU virtual emulator is used to create and emulate various virtual environments. This free virtual machine software lets you run multiple operating systems of one machine on different virtual machines. It can also run applications for Linux, BSD, Windows, and similar supported architecture.
License of QEMU: GNU General Public License
QEMU CPU Usage Host/Guest: Linux, Mac, Windows, Open BSD, FreeBSD, Solaris host OS
Features of QEMU
- Runs several operating systems on a single system
- Executes the guest code on the host CPU directly
- Runs KVM and Xen VMs with near native performance
- Does not have any restrictions on the host operating system
- Supports hardware virtualization
Pros and Cons of QEMU
- Offers user mode emulation for executing processes of one CPU on different CPU.
- You can use this software on any operating system.
- It has a steep learning curve.
Free Trial: NA | Free virtualization software for windows
QEMU Price: Free to use
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Gnome Boxes
Gnome Boxes, a free virtual machine software that helps manage virtual machines that are running locally and remotely.
With it, you can create boxes for all the virtual machines to manage them, troubleshoot them, or revert them to the previous position. Gnome Boxes also lets you give an individual name to the virtual machine to search quickly.
Gnome Boxes License: GNU LGPL-2.1+
Gnome Boxes CPU Usage Host/Guest: CentOS Stream, Fedora, Debian, Windows, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, etc.
Features of Gnome Boxes
- Configures machine preferences and administers their performance
- Easily connects with the remote virtual machine
- Manages and provides access to virtual machines
- Saves the setup of the virtual machine with snapshots
- Adjusts the requirements of virtual machines
Pros and Cons of Gnome Boxes
- Enables you to provide USB device access to your virtual applications.
- With it, you can view and access both virtual and physical machines.
- Managing multiple virtual machines sometimes slows down the system.
- Users find the software a bit complicated to use.
Free Trial: Available
Gnome Boxes Price: Free to use
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Red Hat Virtualization
Red Hat Virtualization helps in automating, managing, and upgrading the virtualized workloads. With it, you can manage workloads for resource intensive and important applications that are developed on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and KVM.
You can use this software to virtualize all your resources, procedures, and applications from a single solution.
Red Hat Virtualization License: Open source
Red Hat Virtualization CPU Usage Host/Guest: Linux and Windows.
Features of Red Hat Virtualization
- Supports cloud-native virtualization
- Offers containerized environment to manage virtual machines
- Manages workloads for resource intensive applications
- Provides high performing Linux, cloud, and Kubernetes environment
Pros and Cons of Red Hat Virtualization
- With it, you can migrate VMS to different hosts in real-time.
- It also provides antivirus to protect your workloads.
- It takes a lot of time to retrieve virtual machine details when it is migrated to a different host.
Free Trial: 60 days
Price of Red Hat Virtualization: Price is available on request on its official website
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Oracle VM
Oracle VM is developed to build and optimize the performance of several Linux, Oracle Solaris, and Windows workloads.
It comes with capabilities for configuring server pools, managing storage repositories, managing resources and workloads, cloning and migrating virtual machines, etc. Oracle VM can also create snapshots of virtual machines to bring them back to the previous state.
Oracle VM License: Oracle VM Server, GPLv2
CPU Usage Host/Guest: Windows, Linux, Solaris host OS
Oracle VM Features
- Supports guest multiprocessing
- Provide USB supports to connect USB devices to VMs
- Supports multiple screen resolutions
- Organizes and manages VMs in groups
- Offers Remote Desktop Extension (VRDE) to manage VMs remotely
Pros and Cons of Oracle VM
- It performs load balancing of VMs in various server pools.
- Develops and manages Oracle VM Server’s logical networks like NIC port bonding.
- The VMs’ responsiveness is very slow.
Free Trial: Free virtualization software for windows
Price of Oracle VM: Free virtual machine for windows
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Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine
Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine is a VM software that lets you test and run your virtual machines. With it, you can manage almost 1500 VM/hour/month with the free azure account.
Further, it supports Windows Server 2012+, Ubuntu 16.04 LTs, and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS host OS to manage VMs.
Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine License: Proprietary
CPU Usage Host/Guest: Windows and Linux
Features of Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine
- Supports various guest operating systems
- Offers 750 hours for B1 Standard Linux virtual machine
- Provides 750 hours for B1 Standard Windows virtual machine
- Scales virtual machines through orchestration module
Pros and Cons of Microsoft Virtual Machine
- Provides various presets to create new instances that match your workload.
- You can manage VM Firewall and security rules directly via Azure interface.
- Migrating VM data takes longer than expected.
Free Trial: Not available
Price of Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine: Microsoft Azure users can use it for free
Azure Linux Virtual Machine Pricing: Starts from INR 0.33/hour
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Virtualization Manager
Virtualization Manager is a VM monitoring and management software to boost and optimize VM performance. It offers AppStack™ dashboard, to view and manage relationship between multiple servers, applications, data stores, and hosts.
Some of the major features you get with it include VM sprawl management, optimal VM size and placement, virtual migration cost calculator, VSAN performance monitoring, snapshot monitoring, etc.
Virtualization Manager License: Subscription and perpetual licensing
Virtualization Manager CPU Usage Host/Guest: Windows
Features of Virtualization Manager
- Manages VMs for on-premises, cloud, and hybrid applications
- Provides visibility into the entire application stack
- Offers recommendations to optimize the virtual environment
- Provides past performance analysis for improving troubleshooting
- Offers virtualization capacity planning tools for resource optimization
Pros and Cons of Virtualization Manager
- It offers sprawl management to resize your virtual machines.
- You can even test virtualization capacity with various modeling scenarios.
- At times, it does not completely remove idle VMs to free up space.
Free Trial: 30 days
Price of Virtualization Manager: No free plan available | Paid plan offered with one-time payment of INR 1,40,842.33
How to Setup a Virtual Machine in Windows?
To set up a virtual machine in Windows, follow the given steps:
Step 1: Install and configure virtualization software for windows
Step 2: Choose the operating system that will work on your virtual machine.
Step 3: Download the .iso file of the operating system that will run in the virtual machine
Step 4: Configure the settings for your virtual machine and click on “Create”
Step 5: After that, your virtual machine will be created
Step 6: Next, add the .iso file of the operating system to load the operating system
Step 7: Once done, the created virtual machine will start working on your selected operating system.
Conclusion: Which Virtual Machine to Choose?
Consolidating your physical infrastructure into a virtual environment can help you to easily scale and optimize your physical resources in a hassle-free manner.
Based on a detailed comparison, Microsoft Hyper-V, Virtualbox, and Oracle VM are the best virtual machines that you can use for managing your physical hardware.
FAQs
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What is the best virtual machine to run Windows?
Some of the best virtual machines that you can run on Windows are Oracle VirtualBox 7.x, VMware Workstation Player 17, Microsoft Hyper-V, Hardware emulation, etc.
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Is Windows virtual machine free?
Yes, there are multiple Windows virtual machines that you can use for free including Oracle VM, Microsoft Free Account Virtual Machine, Red Hat Virtualization, etc.
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Can I get a virtual machine for free?
Yes, you can get a virtual machine for free through a free virtual machine platform. There are several options like Microsoft Hyper-V, Oracle VM, and Virtualbox that you can use to build and manage your virtual machines.
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Do I need a windows license for each virtual machine?
Yes, VMs running on different versions of Windows need valid licenses. Whether you build a new VM or transport your PC to virtual machine, you require a different Windows license to use a VM.
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How to get a virtual machine window 10?
To create a virtual machine for window 10, you can use virtual machine software. Some of the best software you can use includes VirtualBox,VMware, Hyper-V, VMware Workstation, Parallels Desktop, and so on.
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How to install virtual machine for windows 10?
First, develop a new VM and choose an OS like windows 10. After that, configure and start the virtual machine. Next, install the operating system on the machine. After that, your virtual machine will be activated.
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What virtual machine should I use?
There are several virtual machines that you can use for dividing and operating your physical servers. Some of the best machines you can consider for this purpose include VMware Workstation Player, VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop, QEMU, etc.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
Virtual Machines are instanced computers that allow for experimentation, emulation of other operating systems, and even dangerous activity like malware analysis to happen within a temporary and confined environment. WSL on Windows is a great way to integrate a Linux workflow into your existing experience, but it doesn’t provide you with a full desktop OS with a GUI.
If you’re looking for an enterprise solution, you will likely need to pay for the licensed versions of the most popular VM software to avoid terms of use issues. However, if you’re looking for some personal use options there are a handful of great VMs that work great and are easy to setup.
Oracle VirtualBox
Open-source VMs for all
Reasons to buy
+
Free and open-source
+
Good performance
+
Supports basically everything
+
Official extension for USB pass-through and RDP
Reasons to avoid
—
Dated UI
—
VM setup could be cleaner
Oracle’s VirtualBox is open-source, and it works on even old versions of Windows, should you be clinging to some ancient hardware. Performance-wise in our use, it’s not quite on par with VMware, which is why it takes a runner-up spot, but for many, it will definitely be a better choice.
Nothing is hidden behind a paywall, and Oracle still supports VirtualBox even to this day. If you spin up VMs often, it’s a solid tool to have in your arsenal, supporting both Windows and Linux VMs (only Mac users can install a Mac VM in VirtualBox.)
Oracle also supplies a range of pre-built virtual machines targeted at developers and there’s an official plugin pack that adds some useful extras like USB pass-through, RDP, and disk encryption. It’s a shame it looks a little dated, and sometimes it feels like setting up a VM takes a few steps too many. But you can’t argue with the quality, especially when it will always be completely free.
VMware Workstation Pro
Free and feature-packed
Reasons to buy
+
Free for personal use
+
GPU virtualization
+
Easy to use
+
Reasonably low hardware requirements
Reasons to avoid
—
Requires a Broadcom account to even download it.
You’ve probably heard of VMware, and you probably assume it comes with some fairly hefty price attached. That isn’t totally untrue, but it’s far from being true. VMware Workstation Pro is a completely free-to-use version of its desktop VM software, which is now only paid for enterprise use. Broadcom recently acquired VMWare and one of the moves it made was to kill off the previous free offering, Workstation Player, and allow folks to use Workstation Pro instead.
Perhaps surprisingly, VMware Workstation Pro also doesn’t command particularly high-end hardware to run. Naturally, the more resources you have, the better your VMs will run, but even on a lower-spec machine, you’re not excluded. You may run into some compatibility issues on some hardware if you’re trying to virtualize Windows (nested virtualization), but it’s still absolutely possible, alongside any Linux distribution you can think of.
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Workstation Pro also provides additional tools like GPU virtualization, USB pass-through, and the VMware Tools plugins allow you to seamlessly shut down and suspend VMs without having to have them open. At its heart, VMware Workstation Pro is really easy to use, with some more advanced features if you want to dive a bit deeper. Performance is also really good. However, the one big downside to it is that since Broadcom’s acquisition, you now need a Broadcom account to even download VMWare Workstation Pro. If this doesn’t sit right with you, then you’ll be better off with Oracle’s Virtualbox.
Microsoft Hyper-V
Basic but built right into Windows
Reasons to buy
+
Integrated into Windows 10 and 11
+
Easy to use
+
Solid support for Linux VMs
Reasons to avoid
—
Requires Pro or Windows Server editions
—
Basic feature set
If you’re in need of a simple solution, and you’d rather not tinker with additional software, there is of course Hyper-V, which is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. Or it is if you’re using the Pro version or Windows Server. Unfortunately, on Windows 10 Home and Windows 11 Home, you simply cannot use Hyper-V.
That’s probably the biggest negative, in that it’s hidden (sort of) behind a paywall. But while Hyper-V is fairly basic, it’s user-friendly, and assuming you’re not looking for advanced features like GPU acceleration, it’s a perfectly good tool to use.
Guest OS support extends to Windows, Windows Server, and Linux, and while you might run into some compatibility issues with some Linux distros, on the whole you can expect to have a good experience.
Which should you choose?
While the free version of VMware Workstation Pro is one of the more extensive VM services with a ton of features, the requirement to have a Broadcom account now to get it may well be a dealbreaker.
VirtualBox is a bit antiquated in its look and feel, that being said, it is open-source and Oracle continues to support it. It has the great benefit of being able to say «It just works» and there is pretty low stress when using it. If you’re not enjoying VMware Workstation Player, give VirtualBox a try and see if it meshes better with you.
Hyper-V doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of Virtual Box or VMware Workstation Player. That being said it’s integrated into some versions of Windows and is basically the Microsoft Notepad of VM options, so it works for something quick and dirty, but if you want to get some real work done you should open up Microsoft Word.
Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you’ll find him steering the site’s coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine
With working from home becoming more prevalent, problems have arisen for some employees as a result of their operating system. Not all applications work on both Windows and Mac. As a result, employees must use virtualization software to get certain applications working.
Currently, Windows dominates the operating system scene with a 77.74% market share compared to macOS at only 17.07%. This means many programs are written exclusively to work in Windows.
This is normally not an issue since most offices use Windows. But if employees are working from home on a Mac, problems arise.
Of course, there are cases where the software will only work on the macOS, so the opposite is true. Thus, it is imperative to have the best virtualization software as an employee working from home.
Virtualization software allows your computer to emulate a computer running on a different operating system. As a result, you can run all of the software and apps that exclusively work on that operating system.
In the majority of cases, this is used by macOS users to gain access to their favorite program or a more current version of that software. After all, sometimes updates can lag behind by months in some cases.
Of course, it would be wrong to assume that the opposite isn’t true as well.
There are many examples of software that only work on macOS, so Windows users may need to utilize it as well. As such, it is important to find the best virtualization software to match your needs. It is also important that the performance employees are getting makes them usable.
After all, if you’re using a program that is running slower than normal, it can cost you more time.
1. Oracle VM VirtualBox
Oracle VM VirtualBox might be the most well-known virtualization software in the world for one simple reason. It’s completely free to use regardless of how many installs you need, and it supports a variety of operating systems.
As a result, it can power an entire business for no extra cost.
You may be expecting it to have fewer features due to its price, but that simply isn’t the case. The VirtualBox allows you to emulate Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris x86 platforms and they are all equally easy to install.
One thing that is worth mentioning is that it does not get as much support as other premium virtualization software. Thus, it is very possible for an OS update to cause fatal mistakes with a fix taking some time.
But, it is free, after all.
Benefits of Using Oracle VM VirtualBox
- It offers unlimited free installs
- Supports Windows, macOS, Solaris, and Linux
- Install is simple and it’s easy to switch OS
Price of Oracle VM VirtualBox
- It’s free even for enterprise
2. Azure Virtual Machines
Without a doubt, virtualizing Windows is the most popular use of these types of software. And there is no better way to do this than from Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines. Azure is the best server for virtualization and it’s from Microsoft, the makers of Windows.
It is the best option for businesses looking for server virtualization software.
This is a cloud-based computing option that will save your company money from buying multiple computers with specific specs. All of the heavy lifting is done by the Azure servers, which are some of, if not the, best in the world.
Their reliability is unmatched.
Unlike other services on this list, Azure Virtual Machines offers a pay as you go pricing model. This is ideal for businesses that may only need to do this a handful of times in a year. It also offers more traditional packages, but prices can get high.
Benefits of Azure Virtual Machines
- Pay As you go pricing model
- The Azure servers are the best in the world
- A full cloud-based solution
Price of Azure Virtual Machines
- Burstable VMs—B1S starts at $0.008 per hour and is free for up to 12 months
- Computer-optimized—Fsv2 starts at $0.085 per hour
- General purpose—Dv3 starts at $0.096 per hour
- Memory-optimized—Ev3 starts at $0.126 per hour
3. VMware Workstation Player
VMware Workstation Player is an excellent choice when looking for virtualization software. It is one of the best ways to run Windows on Mac because of its streamlined design that makes using it simple and effective for teams.
And trust me, it wasn’t an easy pick because VMware has a lot of awesome tools.
What separates VMware Workstation Player from other VMware virtualization software is the focus on business. It is their best product for setting up multiple employee workstations. You can even connect the stations to one another to further improve collaboration projects.
It is also one of the best ways to get very resource-intensive software to run on macOS like CAD. This is because it supports Directx 10 and OpenGL 3.3, which allow for GPU-heavy applications to work in a virtualized environment.
Benefits of VMware Workstation Player
- Supports Directx 10 and OpenGL 3.3
- Handles applications that require high GPU usage
- Allows for workstations to be connected
Price of VMware Workstation Player
- Workstation Player is $149 per license
4. Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop boasts to be the fastest, easiest, and most powerful software for running Windows on Mac and they seem to be right. And it doesn’t just handle simple applications. Resource-intensive programs like Adobe Photoshop and others work and run extremely fast.
And it’s also one of the cheapest options you can get.
Without a doubt, the biggest advantage of Parallels Desktop is its insane speed. One of the biggest disadvantages of virtualization software is the slight delay in most software, but it’s not a problem here.
Everything almost feels like you’re on a real Windows machine.
Another key feature is the one-click tuning option. Not everyone wants to use virtualization software for the same reasons. You can customize the virtual environment to better suit your needs. It supports options for productivity, games, design, software testing, and development.
Benefits of Parallels Desktop
- One-click tuning option available
- Everything runs lightning-fast
- Handles resource-intensive programs with ease, including games
Price of Parallels Desktop
- Student use begins at $49.99 a year
- The Starter edition starts at $99.99 a year
- The Business edition starts at $149.99 a year
5. Xen Project
Xen Project is another great choice to consider if you are looking for free virtualization software. It was originally developed at Cambridge University but was quickly turned into its own company, which was bought by Citrix, providing a free Xenserver.
It was built with the advancement of virtualization in mind, and it is excelling in this area.
This open-source software works both on creating personal virtual machines and cloud-based solutions for businesses. And it is still innovating as it moves towards concurrently running multiple operating systems on a single device.
One of the biggest advantages of the Xen Project is its security. This is because the architecture is completely unique to Xen, which is why it is so much more secure than the completion. They go into much greater detail on their blog for the more tech-savvy readers.
Benefits of Xen Project
- The best virtualization security on the market
- Allows for patches to be made before exploits become public
- It’s free to use!
Price of Xen Project
- It’s free to use
6. QEMU
QEMU states that they have a generic open-source virtual machine software. And while the term “generic” may raise some eyebrows, it shouldn’t. While this software doesn’t offer a stunning UI and isn’t feature-rich, it gets the job done.
And that’s all one can really ask for from a free product.
One of its best features is just how smoothly everything runs. You could easily mistake apps running the virtual space to be on their intended machines. Everything is stable and surprisingly very fast compared to paid alternatives.
Another convenience factor is that you can get away without administrator privileges on the computer. This can often cause hiccups with other software, but it’s not something you need to worry about with QEMU.
Benefits of QEMU
- Very stable and fast
- It’s not pretty, but it is free
- Can bypass administrator privileges on hardware
Price of QEMU
- It’s free to use
7. Citrix Hypervisor
If your business already uses Citrix Desktop, you’ll be pleased to know that Citrix Hypervisor is a free add-on for it that you can use to manage your business’s virtual machines.
While this add-on is free, you will still need to pay for Citrix Desktop, which does not make its pricing public.
With this, users can seamlessly switch between a Windows and macOS environment, so you get the best of both worlds. You can even run multiple virtual machines from a single computer.
As an add-on for Citrix, you’ll also have access to its incredible support team, which can save you from a lot of headaches. Overall, it’s a great choice if you already use Citrix, since it’s included in your subscription.
Benefits of Using Citrix Hypervisor
- A single pool can create 64 servers
- Easily create copies of your virtual machines
- Automatically stores your Virtual Machine in case it crashes
Price of Citrix Hypervisor
- It is a free add-on for Citrix Desktop
8. Solarwinds Virtualization Manager
Solarwinds is a huge name when it comes to enterprise-level software, and its Virtualization Manager is one of the best options to consider. In fact, it may just be the most robust option on this list.
It provides an excellent interface to give you all of the important information you need.
For instance, many companies will use a virtual machine to gauge what kind of hardware requirements are necessary for physical devices. With this, you can see the exact number of resources a computer needs including RAM, CPU, storage, and more.
Of course, that’s just one use. You’ll be able to run multiple virtual machines from a single device and it can meet the needs of enterprise-level businesses.
Overall, it lives up to its reputation as one of the best pieces of virtualization software.
Benefits of Using Virtualization Manager
- Locate zombie files that you can delete to save space
- Easily delete VMs that have not been used after a period of time passes
- Figure out the exact cost of your virtual network would cost if it were physical
Price of Virtualization Manager
- Prices begin at $1,917, but you’ll need to get a quote for exact figures
9. Microsoft Hyper-V
Closing out this list is another entry from Microsoft, Hyper-V. This one was introduced with Windows 10 as the premiere way to run multiple virtual machines from a single Windows computer.
It is also worth pointing out that it is a free tool. However, it is intended more for personal rather than business use.
That said, it can definitely work wonders in a small business setting, as it is quite a competent VM. In terms of usage, it works on a variety of platforms like Windows, Linux, and other specialized OS.
Unfortunately, it does not work on macOS.
One of the main uses that this tool was designed to fit was for when you need to run older versions of Windows. This is actually quite a common occurrence as older pieces of software may only work on older versions of Windows.
Benefits of Using Microsoft Hyper-V
- Create a VM gallery to easily choose which to use
- View statistics from each VM
- Supports cloud-based platforms
Price of Microsoft Hyper-V
- It is a free tool
Save Money with Virtualization
Virtualization can save large companies vast sums of money on both hardware expenses and their energy bill. And in recent times, small and mid-size businesses are starting to look at virtualization as a great opportunity to cut costs.
Some industries require more powerful hardware, and you can cut costs by not purchasing that and instead, spending a fraction on virtual environments.
However, the advantages seen by huge corporations are that they have thousands of employees. In truth, purchasing a paid subscription could end up being more expensive in the long run for companies with only a handful of employees.
As the prices of virtualization continue to fall, it becomes more attractive for smaller businesses, and more businesses are making the switch.
Virtualization Software Has Limitations
It is very important to mention that not every software will work in a virtualized setting. This is because virtualized computers have limitations. One of the biggest factors is the computer you are using.
After all, you can’t make powerful software run on a weak computer with emulation.
For starters, actually emulating another computer takes up some resources. This will heavily impact budget computers from running software because not only does your virtual environment need to have the proper resources, but setting it up costs resource use in itself.
Another major concern for virtualization is security. Operating systems are not intended to be emulated. This creates vulnerabilities that could lead to a data breach. In fact, you have a 1 in 4 chance of having your data stolen while using virtualization.
Thus, for some companies and employees, virtualization may not be the best option.
Use Your Favorite Operating System
Thanks to virtualization software, operating system emulation has allowed for more choice in the OS you choose. After all, you can always create a virtual machine for a specific task. Thus, everyone is free to use their favorite operating system.
However, the process may be troublesome for some, and it can eat up time setting up the virtualization on a day-by-day basis. Thus, if you do need to do it on a daily basis, you might want to consider buying a device using that specific OS.
And considering that not all virtualization software is free, you might end up saving money in the long term in some circumstances.
What virtualization software does your business use?
We list the best virtual machine software, to make it simple and easy to setup and run a new OS virtually on an existing PC or laptop.
Virtualization has become an increasingly important part of computing, not least for business and especially for cloud computing. However, virtual machine software is also available to home users as well.
For personal use, virtualization enables users to run different operating systems on their home PC, such as running Windows on a Mac, or running Linux on a Windows PC — and vice versa.
A key advantage of running a virtual machine is that it allows you to run apps that would otherwise not be available due to having very different system requirements, which is one particular reason why virtualization has become so important in business.
Another, perhaps surprisingly, is security concerns, as malware cannot run properly in a virtualized environment, and often will shut down if it detects it is in one.
Overall, virtualization has become a powerful tool in computing and IT, both for personal and business users. Below we list the best in virtual machine software currently available.
We’ve also highlighted the best mobile workstations.
The best virtual machine software of 2025 in full:
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Best basic virtual machine software
Microsoft’s basic hypervisor
Reasons to buy
+
On Windows 10 and Windows Server
+
Free
Reasons to avoid
—
Linux support is limited
Originally codenamed Viridian, and then Windows Server Virtualization, it was rebranded to Hyper-V Server when it was first released in late 2008.
These days it comes as part of Windows 10 Pro and Windows Server (2012 and 2016), at no additional cost to the user. However, what you get for nothing is a very basic hypervisor that can’t do the clever things that VMware offers.
The guest OS support includes Windows Server, Windows XP SP3 or later, Linux with a 3.4 or better Kernel and FreeBSD. Although driver support for Linux isn’t great, and there is no virtual GPU support.
Hyper-V allows relatively inexperienced users to create a virtual server environment, but don’t expect to be able to do as much as you can with other virtualization platforms.
Read our full Microsoft Hyper-V review.
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Best virtual machine software free
Not all good things cost money
Reasons to buy
+
Free
+
Windows, Mac and Linux
+
100,000 registered users
Not sure what operating systems you are likely to use? Then VirtualBox is a good choice because it supports an amazingly wide selection of host and client combinations.
Windows from XP onwards, any Linux level 2.4 or better, Windows NT, Server 2003, Solaris, OpenSolaris and even OpenBSD Unix. There are even people that nostalgically run Windows 3.x or even IBM OS/2 on their modern systems,
It also runs on Apple Mac, and for Apple users, it can host a client Mac VM session.
Oracle has been kind enough to support VirtualBox, and provide a wide selection of pre-built developer VMs to download and use at no cost.
And, all this is free, even the Enterprise release.
Read our full VirtualBox review.
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Best established virtual machine software
20 years of development shines through
Reasons to buy
+
Free for personal use
+
Supports GPU virtualisation
+
Windows, Mac and Linux
VMware offers a very comprehensive selection of virtualization products, with Fusion for the Apple Mac and Workstation Player for the PC.
Despite the name difference, these two products offer effectively the same solution, though tailored to each host OS.
For the Mac that includes a neat ‘Unity Mode’ that enables Mac OS to launch Windows applications from the Dock and have them appear like they’re part of the host OS.
Workstation, as the version numbering suggests, is a more mature product and delivers one of the most sophisticated VM implementations seen so far.
Being one of the few hosts that supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3, it allows CAD and other GPU accelerated applications to work under virtualization.
Workstation Player for Windows or Linux is free for personal use, though Pro is required for business users, and those wanting to run restricted VMs created using Pro or Fusion Pro.
While there has been some upset after the Broadcom buyout of VMware resulted in price increases, the workstation is now available for free regardless.
Read our full VMware Workstation Player review.
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Best virtual machine software scalable
A highly scalable solution from Citrix
Reasons to buy
+
Free (if you like basic)
+
Bare-metal installs
Reasons to avoid
—
Limited third-party OS support
Oddly, Citrix Hypervisor started life as an open source project, and to this day it remains free to download and install. Or rather the basic version is free, but advanced features are restricted to paid tier releases.
Paying customers get sophisticated management tools, the ability to automate and distribute live environments at will. It also has the GPU pass-through and virtualized GPU capabilities, allowing it to offer virtualized CAD for example.
The other thrust of XenServer is to create virtual data centers that can handle planned and unplanned outages equally smoothly, and maintain the high levels of availability that business expects.
Read our full Citrix Hypervisor review.
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Best emulator
A virtual hardware emulator
Reasons to buy
+
Free
+
Easy-to-use
Reasons to avoid
—
Command line install
The QEMU website isn’t very sophisticated, but don’t let that put you off.
Where this product slightly differs from other VM solutions is that it is both a VM host and also a machine emulator. Along with x86 PC, QEMU can emulate PowerPC, MIPS64, ARM, SPARC (32 and 64), MicroBlaze, ETRAX CRIS, SH4 and RISC-V, among others.
It manages to do this without administrator privileges, and the performance of VMs running on it is close to that of native installations.
What QEMU lacks is any sophisticated interface tools, instead relying on CLI inputs to install and configure VM clients.
At this time it is also only able to host on Linux, even if it can run a wide range of operating systems under that.
Read our full QEMU review.
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Best virtual machine software open source
A free and open source virtual machine platform
Reasons to buy
+
Free and open source
+
Advanced virtualization
+
Works with hyperscale clouds
Xen Project is a free and open source virtual machine monitor (VMM), intended to serve as a type-1 hyperviser for multiple operating systems using the same hardware. Originally developed by Cambridge University, the staff who created it spun it into a company that was later acquired by Citrix. The Xen Project now works with The Linux Foundation in promoting open source applications.
It is especially used for advanced virtualization, not least for servers, in both commercial and open source environments. This includes but is not restricted to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) applications, desktop virtualization, and security virtualized. The Xen Project software is even being used in automotive and aviation systems.
The service is especially applicable for hyperscale clouds, and can easily be used with AWS, Azure, Rackspace, IBM Softlayer, and Oracle. A key emphasis is on security by using as small a code base as possible, making it not just secure but especially flexible.
Read our full Xen Project review.
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Best virtual machine software for Apple users
7. Parallels Desktop
The best Apple Mac virtuality
Reasons to buy
+
Integration with macOS
+
Affordable
+
Much better than Boot Camp
Reasons to avoid
—
Mac host only
Boot Camp is Apple’s free tool for running a Virtual session under macOS, but those that need to do this on a regular basis use Parallels Desktop, now owned by software behemoth Corel.
It enables users to seamlessly run Windows alongside macOS, for those awkward moments when they need software that only works on that platform.
A few of the elegant things that Parallels can do is make Windows alerts appear in the Mac notification center, and operate a unified clipboard.
Most Mac users think of Parallels as a tool exclusively for using Windows, but it can be used to host a wide range of Linux distros, Chrome OS (which the best Chromebooks run) and even other (and older) versions of Mac OS.
The lowest rung is the basic edition. Above that is a Pro edition that can address more memory and supports development environments like Microsoft Visual Studio. And, a Business Edition that includes centralized license management tools for IT professionals to use.
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We’ve featured the best laptops for programming.
Best virtual machine software FAQs
Which virtual machine software is best for you?
When deciding which virtual machine software to download and use, first consider what your actual needs are. Although there are some wonderful open source options out there, free and budget software options can sometimes prove limited when it comes to the variety of tools available, while higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require.
How we tested the best virtual machine software
To test for the best virtual machine software we first set up an account with the relevant software platform. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations, such as how many different operating system installs it could handle. We then looked at how stable the virtual machine software was and how easy it was to update and customize each OS option. The aim was to push each software platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.
See how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
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Mark is an expert on 3D printers, drones and phones. He also covers storage, including SSDs, NAS drives and portable hard drives. He started writing in 1986 and has contributed to MicroMart, PC Format, 3D World, among others.