Proxmox VE
by Proxmox VEIt may suit teams and administrators managing virtual machines, containers, and clustered servers.
Free plan From €120 a year AndroidWebWindowsLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Best Virtual Machine Software 2026
Facts read 20 Sep 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
Proxmox VE leads this list of 24 (record score 8.5, free plan). QEMU is next (record score 7.5, free plan), and Oracle VirtualBox is the next highest-placed with a free plan (record score 7.0).
Running virtual machines means matching software to the host systems and guest architectures you need, as well as deciding how you want to manage them. Proxmox VE, VMware Workstation Pro and QEMU are among the options to compare. Look at GPU acceleration and nested virtualization for workload needs, then consider whether VM snapshots and the management interface suit your routine. Host platforms and guest architecture help clarify compatibility. Free-plan availability and the listed paid starting price provide cost context. Weigh these criteria against the environments you expect to run and administer.
The standings: top 10
| Name | In a line | Record score | Price from | Try it free | Runs on | Facts read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Proxmox VE | It may suit teams and administrators managing virtual machines, containers, and clustered servers. | 8.5 | €120 a year | Free plan | Android, Web, Windows, Linux | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 02 QEMU | QEMU suits users who need to emulate a complete machine or run processes built for a different CPU architecture. | 7.5 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux, API | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 03 Oracle VirtualBox | 7.0 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux, Self-hosted | 27 Sep 2026 | |
| 04 KVM | KVM suits Linux users who need to run multiple Linux or Windows virtual machines on supported x86 hardware. | 7.0 | Free plan | Free plan | Linux, API, Self-hosted | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 05 VMware Workstation Pro | It suits developers, IT professionals, students, and enthusiasts who want to run local virtual machines on a Windows or Linux host. | 6.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Linux, Self-hosted | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 06 Xen Project Hypervisor | Xen may suit infrastructure, embedded, automotive, security-sensitive, and safety-critical systems. | 6.3 | Free plan | Free plan | Linux, Self-hosted | 4 Oct 2026 |
| 07 oVirt | oVirt is suited to organizations managing enterprise virtualization infrastructure with KVM and centralized storage. | 6.3 | Free plan | Free plan | Android, iPhone & iPad, Web, Windows | 15 Oct 2026 |
| 08 Multipass | Multipass may suit developers who want customized Linux environments or a local way to prototype cloud deployments. | 6.1 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 5 Oct 2026 |
| 09 Citrix XenServer | It suits organizations seeking Citrix-aligned virtualization for dedicated x86 servers, including hybrid or on-premises environments. | 6.0 | — | Free trial | Windows, Linux, Self-hosted | 8 Oct 2026 |
| 10 virt-manager | virt-manager suits Linux or OpenBSD users who want a desktop interface for managing KVM, Xen, or LXC virtual machines. | 5.6 | Free plan | Free plan | Linux, Self-hosted | 4 Oct 2026 |
02
QEMU
QEMU suits users who need to emulate a complete machine or run processes built for a different CPU architecture.
WindowsMacLinux+2 Record7.5 Visit
03
Oracle VirtualBox
WindowsMacLinux+1 Record7.0 Visit
04
KVM
KVM suits Linux users who need to run multiple Linux or Windows virtual machines on supported x86 hardware.
LinuxAPISelf-hosted Record7.0 Visit
05
VMware Workstation Pro
It suits developers, IT professionals, students, and enthusiasts who want to run local virtual machines on a Windows or Linux host.
WindowsLinuxSelf-hosted Record6.9 Visit
6
Xen Project Hypervisor
LinuxSelf-hosted Free plan Record6.3 Visit Xen may suit infrastructure, embedded, automotive, security-sensitive, and safety-critical systems.
7
oVirt
AndroidiPhone & iPadWeb+5 Free plan Record6.3 Visit oVirt is suited to organizations managing enterprise virtualization infrastructure with KVM and centralized storage.
8
Multipass
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record6.1 Visit Multipass may suit developers who want customized Linux environments or a local way to prototype cloud deployments.
9
Citrix XenServer
WindowsLinuxSelf-hosted — Record6.0 Visit It suits organizations seeking Citrix-aligned virtualization for dedicated x86 servers, including hybrid or on-premises environments.
10
virt-manager
LinuxSelf-hosted Free plan Record5.6 Visit virt-manager suits Linux or OpenBSD users who want a desktop interface for managing KVM, Xen, or LXC virtual machines.
11
Parallels Desktop
WindowsMacLinux — Record5.4 Visit Parallels Desktop suits Mac users who need Windows or Linux virtual machines, including people using Windows applications alongside macOS.
12
GNOME Boxes
Linux Free plan Record5.1 Visit Boxes suits Linux desktop users who want to set up and manage local virtual machines.
13
IBM PowerVM
LinuxSelf-hosted — Record4.7 Visit PowerVM suits enterprises running AIX, IBM i, or Linux workloads while modernizing legacy systems, supporting AI, or building hybrid clouds.
14
OpenNebula
WebLinuxAPI+1 Free plan Record4.7 Visit OpenNebula suits organizations managing cloud or virtualization infrastructure across on-premises, public-cloud, or edge environments.
15
IBM z/VM
Self-hosted — Record4.3 Visit It suits organizations running virtualized Linux, z/OS, z/TPF, hybrid-cloud, or container workloads on supported IBM Z or LinuxONE hardware.
16
Cloud Hypervisor
LinuxAPISelf-hosted Free plan Record4.3 Visit Cloud Hypervisor suits operators building or running virtualized cloud workloads on Linux hosts with x86-64 or AArch64 architectures.
17
Scale Computing Platform
WebLinuxAPI+1 — Record4.2 Visit It suits distributed enterprises and edge locations that need virtualization, recovery and centralized fleet management.
18
UTM
iPhone & iPadMac $9.99 one-time Record4.2 Visit UTM may suit people who want to run other operating systems in virtual machines on a Mac or iOS device.
19
Firecracker
LinuxAPISelf-hosted Free plan Record4.1 Visit Firecracker suits developers and operators running container or function workloads on Linux hosts who need lightweight microVMs.
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