Best Virtual Machine Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Proxmox VE is ranked #1 of 26 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of VMware Workstation Pro and QEMU. The best-ranked option with a free plan is VMware Workstation Pro. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Proxmox VE at €10/mo.
Virtual machine software varies in the guests it supports, the host platforms it runs on, and how you manage virtual machines. Proxmox VE, OpenNebula, and oVirt appear among the first entries, with QEMU and Oracle VirtualBox also shown. Compare guest architecture and host platforms, then weigh GPU acceleration, nested virtualization, snapshots, and the management interface. Free-plan availability and the “Paid from” field add cost context. The ranking and its comparison fields help you assess the 22 entries against your virtualization environment and operational needs.
26 virtual machine software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
8 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proxmox VEWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | €10/mo | 8.2 | |
| 2 | VMware Workstation ProWindows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.8 | |
| 3 | QEMUWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.8 | |
| 4 | KVMLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.6 | |
| 5 | virt-managerLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.2 | |
| 6 | Oracle VirtualBoxWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 7.0 |
| 7 | oVirtWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 8 | Xen Project HypervisorLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | UTMMac · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | MultipassWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 6.3 |
| 11 | Parallels DesktopWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 6.2 |
| 12 | Citrix XenServerNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.9 |
| 13 | OpenNebulaWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.9 |
| 14 | GNOME BoxesLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 15 | Scale Computing PlatformWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 16 | IBM PowerVMNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | IBM z/VMNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 18 | Cloud HypervisorLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 19 | Proxmox Backup ServerWeb · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | €46.67/mo | 5.4 |
| 20 | FirecrackerLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 21 | VergeOSWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 22 | Citrix Secure Private AccessWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 23 | XenServerWindows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | JamaicaVMWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 25 | HipHop Virtual Machine (HHVM)Linux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which virtual machine software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Proxmox VE is ranked #1 of 26 with a score of 8.2. VMware Workstation Pro is second and QEMU third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Proxmox VE has the lowest first paid tier we found: €10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.