Virtual Machine Manager is a desktop application for managing virtual machines through libvirt.
Best UTM Alternatives ranked by AI · updated Aug 2026
UTM is a graphical virtualization app for macOS that runs Linux, Windows, and other operating systems using QEMU and Apple's virtualization frameworks. It is aimed at users who want visual VM creation, snapshots, emulation, and hardware configuration.
Top 6 UTM alternatives
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use.
QEMU is a generic and open-source machine emulator and virtualizer.
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
GNOME Boxes is a desktop virtual-machine manager for Linux users who need to create and run local virtual machines. It uses QEMU,...
Pros
- Simpler setup than virt-manager or raw QEMU commands
- Integrates well with GNOME and Linux desktop environments
- Supports both local virtual machines and remote libvirt connections
Cons
- Fewer advanced configuration controls than virt-manager
- Less mature cross-platform support than VirtualBox
- Limited snapshot, networking, and storage management features
Free, open source
6
Lima
Lima project
Lima is an open-source tool for creating and running Linux virtual machines, especially on macOS and Linux developer systems. It provides declarative...
Pros
- Lightweight CLI workflow designed for developer machines
- Declarative YAML configuration makes environments reproducible
- Supports containerd, nerdctl, and other Linux container workflows
Cons
- Less approachable than GUI tools such as UTM or Docker Desktop
- macOS integration can require manual networking and filesystem tuning
- Provides fewer built-in management features than full desktop container platforms
Free, open source
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