Parallels Desktop Alternatives 2026: 6 Free Options
Parallels Desktop alternatives: UTM, Burrow, VirtualBox, VMware and 2 more. Prices and licenses checked October 28, 2026.
•3 min read•DevOps & Virtualization
Verdict:Leave Parallels when you only need Windows or Linux for a few tasks and do not want an annual subscription. UTM is the first pick on a Mac. It is free under Apache-2.0 and runs guest systems through QEMU, so you pay nothing and keep the source. It has less vendor support and fewer polished guest tools than Parallels, so expect to read documentation when something breaks. Burrow is a newer free, MIT-licensed option for Apple silicon Macs that sets up Linux and Windows 11 on ARM in a few clicks, but it is young, with no published releases yet, and has no virtual TPM or 3D acceleration for Windows, so treat it as one to watch. VMware Fusion is the second choice if you want a commercial app with a known interface. The vendor offers Fusion Pro free to download, but it is a proprietary Broadcom product, and you should read its current license terms before rolling it out. VirtualBox suits developers who run many VM images on macOS, Windows or Linux hosts, with a base package under GPL-3.0. Its Extension Pack is free only for personal use, so a company needs an Oracle license. QEMU is the option when you want open-source terms and full control from the command line, under GPL-2.0 with no paid tier. The trade-off is effort, since none of these match Parallels' guided setup. Hyper-V helps only if the workload moves to a Windows PC, where it is included with Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education, but it does not run on a Mac. Choose by host and by how much setup time you accept.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTM | Free (free download from the website; App Store version is a paid convenience) | macOS, iOS | Free Mac virtual machines | Docs only |
| Burrow | Free (free and open source; Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later only; Windows guests are Windows 11 on ARM only) | macOS | Free Apple silicon VMs, early adopters | Docs only |
| VirtualBox | Free (Extension Pack is free for personal and educational use only) | Windows, Linux, macOS | Developers with many VM images | Docs only |
| VMware | Free (Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro desktop hypervisors are free to download) | Windows, Linux, macOS | A known commercial interface at no cost | Docs only |
| Hyper-V | Free (included with Windows Server and Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education) | Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise/Education, Windows Server | Windows PC workloads | Docs only |
| QEMU | Free (Open source under GPL-2.0; no paid plan) | Linux, macOS, Windows | Full control from the command line | Docs only |
| CrossOver | Paid from $74 per year, CrossOver + (12 months support); lifetime option $494 | macOS, Linux | Developer Tools | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a free Mac virtual machine app (UTM is the pick)
- You want a free GPL emulator and will use the command line (QEMU is the pick)
- You need Windows on a Mac and cannot pay a subscription (VMware is the pick)
- Your workload is moving to a Windows PC (Hyper-V is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Parallels Desktop features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Parallels Desktop today: See pricing page (Parallels Desktop pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Why people look for Parallels Desktop alternatives
Parallels Desktop's Standard edition is limited to 8 GB of vRAM and 4 vCPUs per virtual machine. Higher limits, 128 GB and 32 vCPUs, need Pro, which is sold only as an annual subscription, as is Business. Only Standard offers a one-time purchase, and it carries 30 days of phone and email support while subscribers get unlimited support. Each licence covers one Mac, and buyers of 10 or more licences are sent to the sales team.
UTM
Compared with Parallels Desktop: Free download with Apache-2.0 source, running guests through QEMU. You avoid a Parallels subscription, but you lose the vendor support and the commercial Windows integration Parallels sells.
Price: Free (free download from the website; App Store version is a paid convenience) (UTM pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: macOS, iOS. Apache-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 36.6k GitHub stars · latest release v5.0.8 (Oct 17, 2026) · last commit Oct 20, 2026
Best for: Free Mac virtual machines.
Burrow
Compared with Parallels Desktop: MIT-licensed, free virtual machine app for Apple silicon Macs (macOS 14 or later) that sets up Linux or Windows 11 on ARM from one screen. It is a young project with no published releases and no virtual TPM or 3D acceleration for Windows.
Price: Free (free and open source; Apple silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later only; Windows guests are Windows 11 on ARM only) (Burrow pricing, checked 2026-10-28).
Platforms and license: macOS. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 42 GitHub stars · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Free Apple silicon VMs, early adopters.
VirtualBox
Compared with Parallels Desktop: Base package is GPL-3.0 and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux hosts. The Extension Pack is free only for personal use, so business use needs an Oracle license. You lose Parallels' Mac-focused polish.
Price: Free (Extension Pack is free for personal and educational use only) (VirtualBox pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS. GPL-3.0 (base package); Extension Pack under PUEL (open source).
Project activity: 1.5k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 20, 2026
Best for: Developers with many VM images.
Worth knowing: Commercial Extension Pack use needs an Oracle license.
VMware
Compared with Parallels Desktop: Fusion Pro is free to download per VMware's 2024 announcement, so the license cost goes to zero. You get a proprietary, Broadcom-owned app in place of Parallels' Mac-tuned Windows integration.
Price: Free (Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro desktop hypervisors are free to download) (VMware pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: A known commercial interface at no cost.
Hyper-V
Compared with Parallels Desktop: Included with Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education. It is a Windows host option, so it does not replace Parallels on a Mac; use it only if the workload moves to a Windows PC.
Price: Free (included with Windows Server and Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education) (Hyper-V pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise/Education, Windows Server. Proprietary.
Best for: Windows PC workloads.
Worth knowing: Windows guests on Datacenter edition get unlimited VM rights.
QEMU
Compared with Parallels Desktop: GPL-2.0 open-source emulator and virtualizer with no paid tier. It is command-line driven, so you trade Parallels' guided setup for config files and full control over emulated hardware.
Price: Free (Open source under GPL-2.0; no paid plan) (QEMU pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, Windows. GPL-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 13.9k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Full control from the command line.
Worth knowing: Open-source machine emulator and virtualizer; used on its own or with a GUI front end.
Other popular options (paid)
CrossOver
Compared with Parallels Desktop: A compatibility layer, not a virtual machine: $74 for a year of support or $494 lifetime, with a 14-day trial. It runs Windows apps on Mac and Linux without a full VM, but not every app works.
Price: Paid from $74 per year, CrossOver + (12 months support); lifetime option $494 (CrossOver pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Which one to pick
- You want a free Mac virtual machine app: UTM
- You want a free GPL emulator and will use the command line: QEMU
- You need Windows on a Mac and cannot pay a subscription: VMware
- Your workload is moving to a Windows PC: Hyper-V
Limits of this review
Docs-only for UTM, Burrow, VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V, QEMU: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Parallels Desktop. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
More in DevOps & Virtualization
All DevOps & Virtualization alternatives →Sources
- Parallels Desktop pricing
- Parallels Desktop (more detail)
- UTM pricing
- UTM license
- UTM GitHub repository
- Burrow pricing
- Burrow (more detail)
- VirtualBox pricing
- VirtualBox (more detail)
- VirtualBox (more detail)
- VirtualBox GitHub repository
- VMware pricing
- Hyper-V pricing
- Hyper-V (more detail)
- QEMU pricing
- QEMU GitHub repository
- CrossOver pricing
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-28: Parallels Desktop, UTM, Burrow, VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V, QEMU, CrossOver. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.