List of the Top 11 Hypervisors for Windows in 2025

VirtualBox is a powerful virtualization application that supports both x86 and AMD64/Intel64 architectures, making it suitable for use in both business environments and personal settings. This software is distinguished not only by its extensive feature set and impressive performance aimed at corporate users but also by being the only high-quality virtualization tool available for free as Open Source Software under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. For those seeking a detailed overview, the section titled "About VirtualBox" provides valuable insights. Currently, VirtualBox can be run on a variety of host operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris, and it supports an impressive range of guest operating systems, from numerous Windows versions (starting from NT 4.0 up to Windows 10) to DOS/Windows 3.x, several Linux distributions, Solaris, OpenSolaris, OS/2, and OpenBSD. The ongoing development of VirtualBox includes regular updates, which add new features and expand the range of supported guest operating systems, ensuring that it remains competitive in the virtualization market. Furthermore, its evolution is fueled by a lively community that collaborates closely with a dedicated company, guaranteeing its consistent enhancement and adaptation to the needs of users. As a result, VirtualBox continues to be a reliable choice for anyone interested in virtualization solutions.

Numerous people actively participate in conversations surrounding open source software, yet mere dialogue does not yield advancements; we must implement our ideas through coding. CrossOver empowers you to run Windows® applications effortlessly on MacOS, Linux, or ChromeOS. While some may prefer to buy Windows® licenses, others can take advantage of CrossOver's simple alternative for running various Microsoft applications on their Mac, avoiding the hassle typically associated with conventional Windows emulators. Have you ever felt the frustrating lag that comes with emulators on your Mac? Unlike those, CrossOver is not an emulator; it translates Windows commands into Mac commands, enabling you to use Windows software as if it were designed specifically for Mac. This adaptable tool accommodates a broad spectrum of software, from productivity applications to utility tools and even games, all available through one application. For the dedicated Linux users, the thought of installing a Windows OS on your sophisticated system can seem like a betrayal to your principles. With CrossOver, you can uphold the integrity of your system while steering clear of the need to buy a Windows license or compromise your resources by using a virtual machine. This innovative solution grants you the ability to experience the advantages of both operating systems without sacrificing your values or your machine's efficiency. Ultimately, CrossOver ensures that you can have the functionality you desire without the drawbacks that often accompany traditional methods.

The Virtuozzo platform serves as a comprehensive solution for entrepreneurs looking to establish their own cloud services, allowing hosting providers to distinguish themselves from the competition by offering a diverse range of infrastructure solutions, including a robust DevOps PaaS, container hosting, and various pre-packaged clusters such as Magento, WordPress, Kubernetes, and replicated SQL and NoSQL databases, along with the capability for auto-scaling Elastic VPS. Additionally, we provide essential tools that facilitate platform management, customer support, and the tracking of return on investment growth. As a trailblazer in the industry, Virtuozzo introduced the first commercially viable container technology 21 years ago and currently powers over a million virtual environments, bolstered by a portfolio of more than 100 patents. Our commitment to innovation extends to significant contributions to open-source projects, including KVM, Docker, OpenStack, OpenVZ, CRIU, and the Linux kernel, all of which have helped us secure a dominant presence, capturing roughly 40% of the global VPS hosting market. Furthermore, our ongoing dedication to enhancing cloud solutions ensures that our clients remain equipped with cutting-edge resources to thrive in a competitive landscape.

QEMU is a dynamic and open-source tool that functions as both a machine emulator and a virtualizer, permitting users to run various operating systems on multiple architectures. This allows for applications created for different Linux or BSD systems to be executed seamlessly on any compatible architecture. In addition, it offers the capability to run KVM and Xen virtual machines with impressive performance that is comparable to native execution. Recently, a host of new features has been incorporated, including comprehensive guest memory dumps, pre-copy/post-copy migration, and the ability to take background snapshots of guests. Furthermore, support for DEVICE_UNPLUG_GUEST_ERROR has been introduced, enabling the identification of hotplug failures as reported by guests. For macOS users utilizing Apple Silicon CPUs, the introduction of the ‘hvf’ accelerator significantly enhances AArch64 guest support. The integration of the M-profile MVE extension for the Cortex-M55 processor represents another noteworthy advancement. Additionally, AMD SEV guests can now conduct kernel binary measurement during direct kernel boot without the need for a bootloader. Enhanced vhost-user and NUMA memory options have also been made available across all supported boards, reflecting a significant commitment to compatibility. This expansion of capabilities underscores QEMU's dedication to delivering powerful virtualization solutions that adapt to a broad spectrum of user requirements and technological advancements.

Triton SmartOS seamlessly combines the nimbleness of a container operating system with the robust security, networking, and storage capabilities typically found in hardware hypervisors. It employs Zones, a secure container runtime that operates independently from virtual machine hosts, enhancing its security framework. With its innovative resource protection system, Triton SmartOS guarantees that every container is effectively insulated and receives a fair allocation of input/output resources. This operating system mitigates the complexities usually encountered with solutions reliant on virtual machine hosts. Furthermore, it features integrated networking that allows each container to maintain multiple network interfaces, providing a complete IP stack and enabling it to act as a fully-fledged peer on the network, thereby reducing port conflicts and streamlining network administration. Each container comes equipped with secure, isolated, and easily adjustable filesystems, which further bolster both security and flexibility. Additionally, Triton SmartOS delivers the rapid performance typical of bare metal while integrating the versatility found in virtualization. This remarkable fusion makes Triton SmartOS an ideal option for developers and businesses aiming to achieve both efficiency and heightened security in their container management strategies. Its design principles ensure that users can leverage the best of both worlds in a single, cohesive platform.

Hyper-V is a Microsoft-developed virtualization platform that enables users to create and manage virtual machines, which serve as software simulations of physical computers. Each virtual machine operates autonomously, equipped with its own operating system and applications. This innovative technology enhances resource allocation flexibility, making it a more economical and effective option compared to executing a single operating system directly on physical hardware. Additionally, users can customize virtual machines with integration services that provide vital drivers and tools, ensuring optimized performance for various guest operating systems within the Hyper-V framework. A notable feature of Hyper-V is its Virtual Machine Connection, a remote access tool that works seamlessly with both Windows and Linux, facilitating console access to virtual machines. This functionality is particularly advantageous, as it allows users to observe the virtual machine's status even prior to the full loading of the guest operating system. Overall, Hyper-V contributes to improved computing efficiency and adaptability, making it suitable for a wide range of workloads and applications. The combination of these features underscores Hyper-V's importance in modern IT infrastructure.

Oracle's server virtualization solutions are designed to deliver exceptional efficiency and superior performance, supporting both x86 and SPARC architectures while handling a wide range of workloads, such as Linux, Windows, and Oracle Solaris. In addition to its hypervisor-based offerings, Oracle features virtualization that is seamlessly integrated with its hardware and operating systems, resulting in a holistic and meticulously optimized solution for the complete computing environment. This blend of adaptability and performance optimization positions Oracle as a highly attractive option for businesses aiming to refine their virtualization approach. Furthermore, the ability to support multiple platforms ensures that organizations can maintain versatility in their IT infrastructure.

VMware Workstation Pro is widely acknowledged as the premier solution for managing numerous virtual machines (VMs) on a single device operating on either Linux or Windows. It serves as a primary resource for IT experts, developers, and organizations engaged in the development, testing, or presentation of software across different devices, platforms, and cloud settings. Users can efficiently run several operating systems concurrently on their Windows or Linux machines with VMware Workstation Pro. This software facilitates the creation of realistic VMs for various environments, including Linux, Windows, and other desktop, server, and tablet systems, all while providing customizable virtual networking capabilities and the option to simulate diverse network scenarios. Consequently, it proves to be exceptionally useful for a multitude of tasks such as code development, architectural design, application testing, and showcasing products. Additionally, users can establish secure connections to vSphere, ESXi, or other Workstation servers, enabling effective management and oversight of both VMs and physical machines. The unified VMware hypervisor not only boosts productivity but also eases the process of transferring VMs between local PCs, making it an invaluable asset for professionals. Furthermore, VMware Workstation Pro is essential for anyone who needs to navigate and operate within complex virtualized environments, thereby reinforcing its significance in modern IT practices.

Discover a robust bare-metal hypervisor that can be installed directly on your physical server. VMware ESXi grants immediate access to and control over the essential hardware resources, skillfully partitioning the server's capabilities to integrate applications and drive down costs. It is widely acknowledged as the benchmark within the industry for effective architecture, showcasing attributes such as reliability, outstanding performance, and exceptional support. As IT teams continuously navigate the challenges of evolving market demands and rising customer expectations, it becomes imperative for them to optimize resources for increasingly intricate projects. Fortunately, ESXi plays a crucial role in achieving a harmonious balance, fostering enhanced business outcomes while also facilitating cost efficiencies in IT operations. Its innovative design not only boosts operational performance but also allows organizations to pursue new ideas without straining their financial resources, ultimately paving the way for sustained growth and advancement.

KVM, or Kernel-based Virtual Machine, is a robust virtualization platform designed for Linux systems that run on x86 hardware with virtualization support, such as Intel VT or AMD-V. It consists of a loadable kernel module named kvm.ko, which forms the core of the virtualization framework, and a processor-specific module, either kvm-intel.ko or kvm-amd.ko, tailored for Intel or AMD processors respectively. With KVM, users can create and manage multiple virtual machines that can execute unmodified operating systems like Linux or Windows. Each of these virtual machines is equipped with its own allocated virtual hardware, which includes components such as network interface cards, storage devices, and graphics adapters. As an open-source initiative, KVM has been part of the mainline Linux kernel since version 2.6.20, and its userspace has been integrated into the QEMU project since version 1.3, facilitating broader adoption and compatibility across various virtualization tasks. This seamless integration allows for a diverse range of applications and services to leverage KVM’s capabilities effectively. Additionally, the continuous development of KVM ensures that it keeps pace with advancements in virtualization technology.

Red Hat® Virtualization is a robust enterprise-level platform designed for virtualization, capable of managing demanding workloads and critical applications, built upon the strong foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux® and KVM, with full backing from Red Hat. This solution facilitates the virtualization of resources, processes, and applications, creating a trustworthy environment for an evolving future that incorporates cloud-native and container technologies. It streamlines the automation, management, and modernization of virtualization tasks seamlessly, whether it’s optimizing daily operations or managing virtual machines in Red Hat OpenShift. By leveraging your team's existing Linux® expertise, Red Hat Virtualization not only boosts operational efficiency but also prepares your organization for future business challenges. Moreover, it is anchored in a wide-ranging ecosystem of platforms and partner solutions, which includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, Red Hat OpenStack® Platform, and Red Hat OpenShift, all of which work together to enhance IT productivity. This comprehensive integration ultimately maximizes return on investment and positions your organization to thrive in an ever-changing technological landscape, paving the way for sustained growth and innovation.