Best virtual machine software of 2023: Top 3
In this article, we will try to give you the best virtual machine software of 2023 by looking at the pros and cons of the top three in the market.
You can run multiple operating systems (OS) or apps on a single physical computer by using virtual machine (VM) software. It produces a "virtual machine" with its own virtual CPU, memory, storage, and network interface that functions as a distinct computer.
Without partitioning your hard drive or purchasing additional hardware, you can run different operating systems on the same physical computer using virtual machine software. This is helpful for users who want to run software incompatible with their primary OS and developers who need to test their programs on several operating systems.
Basically, the best virtual machine software lets you complete the process easily and stable.
Which is the best virtual machine software of 2023?
There are multiple virtual machine software in the market, but the majority prefer the top three. The best virtual machine software must offer a couple of distinct features so that it will be more appealing to users. Below, you will find the three of the best with distinct features as well as easy-to-use interfaces and designs!
Oracle VM VirtualBox
VirtualBox is one of the most famous in the market. Oracle offers a free and stable base version to hobbyists and enthusiasts. It reportedly has over 100,000 registered users and works fine on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It was first released in 2007, and the open-source service is open for enterprise and home usage. It supports Windows versions starting from XP and can run VMs with Linux 2.4 or above. It also works on Mac, but the host operating system should also be on a Mac in order to use it.
It might be one of the best virtual machine software with its easy installation and configuration. VirtualBox allows users o create and use pre-built virtual machines called "appliances." You can download them from the official website. It runs multiple guest windows at the same time and provides portability.
You can use it on older hardware; if you find it complicated, the official website has informative and easy-to-apply tutorials for you to look at. Here is a guide on how to install MacOS on Windows 10 in a virtual machine, specifically using VirtualBox.
VMWare Workstation
VMWare Workstation is one of the most-used virtual machine software in the enterprise world. It is a virtual machine software developed and marketed by VMware Inc. It is one of the most popular virtualization solutions in use today, particularly in enterprise environments. If you are looking to use it for personal use, it is free and supports Windows, Mac, and Linux. It also supports GPU visualization, being one of the few that supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1.
It includes multiple advanced networking features, such as network simulation and packet filtering, that allows complex network configurations. Its cloning system enables you to clone virtual machines for testing or backup needs and to produce snapshots of virtual machines at any time.
It is a powerful and versatile software. Most users define it as the best virtual machine software in the market. VMWare also has a huge community of users.
Parallels Desktop
Parallels is also a solid pick, and it has three versions to suit different applications. It is surely one of the best virtual machine software right now, running Windows, Linux, Chrome OS, and a second instance of macOS. It is one of the favorites of Mac users as it allows users to run Windows, Linux, and other operating systems on their Mac computers alongside their macOS operating system.
If you are a new user, it charges you €99.99 for the standard version, home and student use, the pro edition is €119.99/yr for developers, testers, and power users, and the business edition is €149.99/yr for use in work settings. Being affordable is another reason that lets Parallels stand out. It can make Windows alerts appear in the Mac notification center, uniting all the necessary information.
It only supports Mac host and if you are looking for a Windows-host-only VM software, you might also want to check out Microsoft Hyper-V.
The best virtual machine software of 2023 is open to debate. However, VirtualBox, VMWare, and Parallels are surely some of the best.
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I dont use so much VM’s, but I was prefered VMware and Oracle VirtualBox back in time. If you’re an newbie, VMware is for your purposes; free (for personal use), easier and quicker (based on cloud-network architecture) when it comes to setup an OS/programs onto your virtual machine .
Well, at the other hand, I wasnt used so much Oracle’s Virtual Box, but it is more profesional and
stable I think(has many limitations compared to VMware though). Of course a better knowlenge makes better comparison.
VirtualBox comes with settings that allow you to run more “obscure” distributions than any of the other VM software being discussed in this article. But if you don’t divert from the main distro’s, that advantage doesn’t really count.
VMWare Player is the software VMWare offers for free. This is a limited version. For real fun with VMs via VMWare, you need VMWare Workstation. Last time I checked, that version was over 500 USD.
Hyper-V is built into modern versions of Windows. Not the ‘Home’ editions from Windows of course, but any other Windows edition supports it. While it works well with Windows VMs, don’t expect to run any other Linux version than Ubuntu and perhaps Red Hat/Fedora. All other ones fail either immediately or have such strange behavior that you don’t want to run those VM’s ever again.
However, if you have an old (but not too old) PC lying around, you can try out: ProxMox
In my case I had a AMD APU system (A10 CPU, with SSD and 16 GByte of RAM). Installed ProxMox on that and it was turned into a host that can run 6 lightly used VM’s at the same time.
It only requires a monitor and keyboard during installation. When that is done, you can disconnect all peripherals, as you manage the server through its web-interface from any system in your network.
One of those is a local RDP solution, another is purely for Docker, Another VM does backups and the remaining VM’s are used for getting familiar with Kubernetes.
If you are more seriously considering working with VM’s and LXC containers, give ProxMox a whirl. Last time I checked it was open source and free to use in a non-commercial environment.
Of course, if you work for a company that has (heavily) invested in VMWare solutions, they will probably have a spare license for you to play with VMWare Workstation on your local computer. But if not, ProxMox is in my point of view a software gem.
There is also a free version of VMware server (Vsphere ESXi) equivalent to Proxmox.
In the same way as Proxmox you run it on a separate computer and it has more stringent hardware requirements than Proxmox, primarily around network cards. e.g. no support for Realtek NICs
But its a good way to get experience Vmware server at little to no cost.
Hi I’m useing mbp with vm fusion 13 can I use either with mac ie vm workstation or oracle vir/box or lbecause I’m not able to run linez mint 31 on fusion 13 panybod6 help to load mint on fusion thanks mike
At least capitalise VMware correctly ?
Nice article; however, the title should read “Best desktop-based virtual machine software of 2023: Top 3” (or similar), as the 3 provided all require a host OS. If you were considering the truly top VM software, it would have to include hypervisors such as ESXi-based VMware vSphere and Proxmox.