💡 Pick it for cross-platform support and more detailed VM controls than GNOME Boxes.
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use.
Best Gnome Boxes Alternatives ranked by AI · updated Aug 2026
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GNOME Boxes is a desktop virtual-machine manager for Linux users who need to create and run local virtual machines. It uses QEMU, KVM, and libvirt while providing a streamlined interface for installing and managing guest operating systems.
Top 6 Gnome Boxes alternatives
💡 Pick it when GNOME Boxes is too limited and you need advanced Linux VM administration.
Virtual Machine Manager is a desktop application for managing virtual machines through libvirt.
3
VMware Workstation Pro
Broadcom
💡 Pick it for a mature, feature-rich desktop hypervisor on Linux or Windows.
VMware Workstation Pro is a desktop hypervisor for running multiple operating systems on Windows and Linux PCs. It is aimed at developers,...
Pros
- Mature virtual hardware and snapshot implementation
- Strong Windows and Linux host support
- Usually better 3D and device integration than VirtualBox
Cons
- Not available as a native macOS host application
- Broadcom account and download process can be cumbersome
- Legacy guest support may still require manual configuration
💡 Pick it for scripting, unusual CPU architectures, or maximum control over virtualization.
QEMU is a generic and open-source machine emulator and virtualizer.
5
UTM
UTM
💡 Pick it if you are moving from GNOME Boxes to a Mac and want a QEMU-based graphical app.
UTM is a graphical virtualization app for macOS that runs Linux, Windows, and other operating systems using QEMU and Apple's virtualization frameworks....
Pros
- Much stronger graphical interface than Lima
- Runs both virtualized and emulated operating systems
- Supports snapshots, shared folders, and configurable virtual hardware
Cons
- Less automation-friendly than Lima's declarative configuration
- macOS-focused rather than a broad multi-host CLI tool
- Emulated guests can be substantially slower than virtualized guests
Free, open source; Mac App Store version $9.99
💡 Pick it when you want the smoothest commercial VM experience on a Mac.
Parallels Desktop is a software that allows users to run Windows, Linux, and other popular operating systems on a Mac without rebooting.
Starting from $79.99
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