Side by side
Oracle VirtualBox vs QEMU
Both stand on virtual machine software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
Visit Oracle VirtualBox 
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
QEMU covers whole-machine and cross-architecture process emulation, with disk-image utilities included. Note its platform requirements and the distinction between virtualization security use and TCG non-virtualization use.
Visit QEMUThe facts
| Oracle VirtualBox | QEMU | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | oracle.com | qemu.org |
| On virtual machine software | #5 of 24 | #1 of 24 |
Oracle VirtualBox: what it does well
QEMU: what it does well
- Supports both system and user-mode emulation.
- Includes qemu-img disk-image utilities.
- Can work with KVM, Xen, and Hypervisor.Framework.
- Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Free and open source.
What to know first
- Windows support is limited to 64-bit.
- macOS requires the latest available version.
- TCG use does not provide guest-isolation guarantees.
Alternatives to Oracle VirtualBox Alternatives to QEMU The whole list