Top Alternatives to Parallels Desktop

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. As an open-source, freely available software, it allows users to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single physical machine. This enables diverse use cases, from software development and testing to creating isolated environments for everyday tasks.

Wine is an open-source compatibility layer that allows users to run Windows applications on various POSIX systems, such as Linux, macOS, and BSD. It translates Windows API calls into POSIX API calls in real-time, eliminating the need for a traditional virtual machine or emulator.

VMware Workstation Pro is a powerful desktop virtualization software that enables IT professionals, developers, and businesses to run multiple operating systems on a single PC. It provides a robust environment for developing, testing, and demonstrating software, delivering a seamless experience for creating complex virtual networks and replicating cloud environments.

VMware Workstation Player is a leading virtualization software for Windows and Linux, enabling users to run multiple operating systems as virtual machines on a single physical machine.

QEMU (Quick Emulator) is a versatile and powerful open-source hardware virtualizer and emulator. It allows you to run operating systems and programs designed for different architectures on your existing hardware. Acting as a hosted hypervisor, QEMU provides a virtual machine monitor for executing guest systems.

CrossOver is a compatibility layer allowing you to run thousands of Windows applications directly on your macOS or Linux operating system without the need for a Windows license or virtual machine. It provides a seamless experience for accessing your favorite Windows programs.

Proton is a compatibility layer developed by Valve Software that allows Windows games and applications to run seamlessly on Linux-based operating systems. It integrates with Steam Play, enabling Linux users to access a vast library of Windows-only titles, significantly expanding the gaming ecosystem on Linux without requiring complex configurations or dual-boot setups.

Portable-VirtualBox allows you to run virtual machines directly from a USB drive without requiring an installation on the host computer. It provides a convenient and portable way to access different operating systems and applications.

MobaLiveCD is a portable utility for Windows that allows users to run Linux LiveCDs and ISO images directly within the Windows environment without needing to reboot or partitions. It leverages the Qemu emulator to provide a virtualized testing ground for various Linux distributions.

Bochs is a highly portable, open-source IA-32 and x86-64 IBM PC emulator and debugger. Primarily written in C++, it allows users to run various operating systems and software designed for x86 architectures on different platforms, offering a low-level emulation of hardware components.