Virtual PC icon

Top Alternatives to Virtual PC

Looking for Virtual PC alternatives? We've curated 16 top alternatives that offer similar functionality. Whether you need options, free plans, or open source solutions, explore our comprehensive list to find the perfect fit for your needs.

Platforms:
VirtualBox

VirtualBox

Open Source

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.

Key Features

  • Free and Open Source
  • Wide range of supported host and guest operating systems
  • Easy to install and use interface

vs Virtual PC

Free and Open Source compared to Virtual PC
VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation

Commercial

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.

Key Features

  • Highly stable and reliable platform.
  • Extensive feature set including snapshots, cloning, and advanced networking.
  • Strong performance with hardware acceleration.

vs Virtual PC

Highly stable and reliable platform. compared to Virtual PC
VMware Workstation Player

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.

Key Features

  • Easy to install and use, even for beginners.
  • Supports a very wide range of guest operating systems.
  • Good performance for typical virtualization tasks.

vs Virtual PC

Easy to install and use, even for beginners. compared to Virtual PC
QEMU

QEMU

Open Source

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.

Key Features

  • Excellent cross-architecture emulation capabilities.
  • Highly flexible and configurable via command line.
  • Supports a wide range of guest operating systems and hardware.

vs Virtual PC

Excellent cross-architecture emulation capabilities. compared to Virtual PC
Docker

Docker

Freemium

Docker is an open platform that simplifies the process of building, shipping, and running applications using containers. It allows developers to package applications and dependencies into a standardized unit for easy deployment across various environments, from desktops to cloud servers.

Key Features

  • Increases application portability and consistency across environments.
  • Faster application startup and deployment times.
  • More efficient use of system resources compared to VMs.

vs Virtual PC

Increases application portability and consistency across environments. compared to Virtual PC
Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop

Commercial

Parallels Desktop for Mac enables users to run Windows, Linux, and other operating systems side-by-side with macOS without rebooting. It provides seamless integration and performance for various applications.

Key Features

  • Excellent performance for running virtual machines.
  • Seamless integration with macOS, including file sharing and Coherence mode.
  • Easy to set up and use.

vs Virtual PC

Excellent performance for running virtual machines. compared to Virtual PC
VMware Fusion

VMware Fusion

Commercial

VMware Fusion is a powerful virtualization solution for macOS, enabling users to run Windows, Linux, and other operating systems side-by-side with macOS without rebooting. It's ideal for developers, IT professionals, and users needing broad OS compatibility.

Key Features

  • Excellent performance on compatible hardware.
  • Seamless integration with macOS (Unity mode).
  • Supports a wide range of guest operating systems.

vs Virtual PC

Excellent performance on compatible hardware. compared to Virtual PC
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a powerful, integrated virtualization solution for Linux, turning the kernel into a hypervisor. It enables running multiple virtual machines with unmodified Linux or Windows guest operating systems, leveraging standard Linux scheduling and memory management.

Key Features

  • Excellent performance due to kernel integration and hardware acceleration.
  • Highly stable and reliable as part of the Linux kernel.
  • Scalable to support large deployments and high resource demands.

vs Virtual PC

Excellent performance due to kernel integration and hardware acceleration. compared to Virtual PC
virt-manager

virt-manager

Open Source

virt-manager is a lightweight desktop user interface for managing virtual machines through libvirt, supporting various hypervisors including KVM, Xen, and LXC. It offers essential features for guest installation, control, and monitoring.

Key Features

  • Intuitive graphical interface for easy VM management.
  • Supports multiple hypervisors via libvirt.
  • Provides detailed performance monitoring.

vs Virtual PC

Intuitive graphical interface for easy VM management. compared to Virtual PC
Portable Virtualbox

Portable Virtualbox

Open Source

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.

Key Features

  • Truly portable, runs from USB drive without installation.
  • Does not require administrative privileges for operation.
  • Uses the reliable and feature-rich VirtualBox engine.

vs Virtual PC

Truly portable, runs from USB drive without installation. compared to Virtual PC
Boot Camp

Boot Camp

Free

Boot Camp Assistant is a native utility for macOS that enables users to install and run a Microsoft Windows operating system directly on their Mac computer. This allows for seamless switching between macOS and Windows, providing access to Windows-specific software directly on Apple hardware without the need for virtualization.

Key Features

  • Offers near-native Windows performance due to direct hardware access.
  • Included free with macOS, no additional software purchase needed.
  • Guided installation process simplifies setting up a dual-boot configuration.

vs Virtual PC

Offers near-native Windows performance due to direct hardware access. compared to Virtual PC
clearVM

clearVM

Commercial

clearVM is a comprehensive, private cloud management solution designed for effortless administration of virtual machines and servers. It simplifies complex virtualization tasks, offering robust remote management capabilities via a intuitive web interface.

Key Features

  • Centralized web-based management simplifies operations.
  • SaaS model reduces infrastructure maintenance overhead.
  • Intuitive user interface makes it easy to navigate.

vs Virtual PC

Centralized web-based management simplifies operations. compared to Virtual PC
Kubernetes

Kubernetes

Open Source

Kubernetes, often abbreviated as K8s, is a robust open-source platform designed to automate deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications across clusters of hosts.

Key Features

  • Automates application deployment, scaling, and management.
  • Provides built-in self-healing capabilities for high availability.
  • Offers robust service discovery and load balancing.

vs Virtual PC

Automates application deployment, scaling, and management. compared to Virtual PC
Apache Mesos

Apache Mesos

Open Source

Apache Mesos is an open-source cluster manager that abstracts CPU, memory, storage, and other compute resources away from machines, enabling fault-tolerant and elastic distributed systems.

Key Features

  • Efficient resource utilization through fine-grained sharing.
  • Highly scalable to thousands of nodes.
  • Fault-tolerant architecture for high availability.

vs Virtual PC

Efficient resource utilization through fine-grained sharing. compared to Virtual PC
bochs

bochs

Open Source

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.

Key Features

  • Highly portable across different host platforms.
  • Accurate low-level hardware emulation.
  • Integrated and powerful debugger.

vs Virtual PC

Highly portable across different host platforms. compared to Virtual PC
BitBox

BitBox

Free

BitBox by Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity offers a secure sandboxed environment for web browsing, protecting endpoints from online threats through advanced isolation technologies. It provides a secure virtual space, preventing malicious web content from affecting the host operating system, ensuring safe internet access for individuals and enterprises.

Key Features

  • Strong isolation protects host system from web threats.
  • Supports both Chromium and Firefox bases.
  • Disposable sessions ensure a clean start each time.

vs Virtual PC

Strong isolation protects host system from web threats. compared to Virtual PC

Compare Side-by-Side

Want to see how Virtual PC stacks up against alternatives? Select any option below for a detailed comparison.

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare
Advertisement

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare

Compare features and reviews between these alternatives.

Compare