The best Cygwin alternatives
The rest of Best Windows Compatibility Layers, in this site's order: each with what it costs, where it runs and its record score.
PlayOnLinux may suit GNU/Linux and macOS users who want to try Windows games or applications without owning a Windows license.
Boxedwine suits people who want to run 16-bit or 32-bit Windows applications on desktop systems or in a browser.
WINE@Etersoft suits individuals or organizations that need to run supported Windows applications on listed Russian Linux distributions.
MacWrap is aimed at Mac users who want to run Windows-only games, utilities, or professional software they already own and are licensed to use.
Q4Wine suits users managing Wine prefixes and applications through a graphical interface, particularly on Linux.
WineBar suits Linux users who want to manage Wine prefixes for Windows software, including users of Apple silicon Macs running Linux.
WineCharm suits Linux desktop users who need to run Windows applications through Wine and manage multiple prefixes.
WineGUI suits Linux users who want to manage Wine machines and Windows applications through a graphical interface.
Bottles suits Linux users who want to manage Windows applications or games through compatibility-layer runners.
GE-Proton is for Linux users seeking a custom Proton build for Steam gaming.
BottleLite suits Mac users who need to manage Wine bottles and launch Windows .exe programs.
Hangover suits Linux users who need to run supported Windows application architectures on ARM64 Linux, or ARM32 Windows applications on x86_64 Linux.
It may suit Apple Silicon Mac users who want separate environments for Windows apps or games.
Crosswire is for people who want to run Windows games or apps on an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 14.6 or later.
It may suit Mac users who want to try supported Windows games or programs without a Windows license.
It may suit Mac users who want to install Windows games or apps and are prepared to check whether a port is compatible with their computer.