8 Best Virtual Machines For Mac in 2024

The best virtual machine for Mac and other operating systems allows you to install and run different OS on one computer and workstation and derive benefit from different features they offer. For example, you can install Windows OS on your Mac desktop or experiment with other systems in a trouble-free way.

Top 8 Virtual Machines For Mac

  1. VMware Workstation Player - For transforming data
  2. RealWorld Paint - Drag-and-drop interface
  3. VirtualBox - With Type 2 hypervisor
  4. QEMU - Offersing hardware virtualization
  5. Xen Project - For advanced virtualization
  6. Citrix Hypervisor - Highly scalable virtual machine
  7. Microsoft Hyper-V - With various network devices
  8. Red Hat Virtualization - Open-source system

Virtualization has become a life-saver for businesses, as users can now take advantage of programs inherent in another OS, while the native one of their laptops or computers shows compatibility error every time to try to run them. In fact, it is impossible to imagine modern computing or IT sphere without the advancement of virtualization.

If you are also aspired to get the best virtual machine for Mac on your laptop for VM, this list can be a wonderful starting point.

1. VMware Workstation Player - Our Choice

For transforming data
  • Free for personal use
  • Overall performance is great
  • Polished interface
  • Ideal for testing new software
  • Free versions are limited

Verdict: It has been more than eight years since VMware Workstation Player was released for Apple Macs. Although it did not receive the same level of fanfare as other products, it provided the same excellent performance and ease of use that clients expected when they purchased this product.

For many businesses, this ended up being a very valuable purchase as their IT infrastructure and data centers began to grow, requiring an easier way to manage and monitor such a large volume of devices. The introduction of hardware virtualization was the solution to this issue and VMware Workstation Player was no exception.

vmware workstation player interface

2. Parallels Desktop

Drag-and-drop interface
  • Unlimited space
  • Office 365 integration
  • Multi-monitor support
  • Affordable
  • Mac host only

Verdict: Parallels Desktop is a software application that helps people to easily access and manipulate data from multiple OS at the same time. This technology allows you to try virtualization and work on multiple applications simultaneously.

Parallels Desktop is one of the best virtual machine for Mac and it has attracted many users because of its features.

parallels desktop interface

3. VirtualBox

With Type 2 hypervisor
  • Free
  • 100,000 registered users
  • Easy to install
  • Less efficient

Verdict: You might be wondering what VirtualBox is if you're looking to use it for Apple laptop. There are two main components to VirtualBox that make it a great tool for running virtual machines on your Mac. The first is that the software is completely free, and the second is that there are many extensions available for it as well, which allows for tons of customization.

However, the important thing to know about VirtualBox is that it works extremely well with OS X, so even if you have an old Mac that doesn't run the latest operating system, you should still be able to boot up your machine and use VirtualBox.


virtualbox virtual machines for mac interface

4. QEMU

Offersing hardware virtualization
  • Easy-to-use
  • Can be used on any system
  • No restrictions for the host OS
  • Not for pros

Verdict: It has been said that a lot of people consider running a QEMU virtual machine for Mac hardware virtualization as being the best solution for virtualization in general. If you are a user who wants to experience the great advantages of this technology without having to use the Mac hardware that requires virtualization, then you should look at this type of machine.

qemu virtual machines for mac interface

5. Xen Project

For advanced virtualization
  • Installation is incredibly easy
  • Dynamic storage capabilities are great
  • Works with hyperscale clouds
  • Upgrade process is buggy

Verdict: Xen Project best virtual machine for Mac is an extremely popular and versatile piece of software which enables users to use more than one operating system on a single computer system. If you are looking for an excellent solution to virtualization, then this is certainly one option to look into.

If you are looking for a way to make your work easier and your productivity higher, then this is definitely an application you should check out.

xen project virtual machines for mac interface

6. Citrix Hypervisor

Highly scalable virtual machine
  • Bare-metal installs
  • Free
  • The ease of setup
  • Good integration with other tools
  • Limited third-party OS support

Verdict: Citrix Hypervisor is a software which makes virtualisation possible on a virtual machine. It basically abstracts the operating system and guest machines they run on from the actual physical hardware.

With this in mind, the Citrix Hypervisor allows for much greater efficiency on Mac OS X systems thanks to the isolation of the different components. Citrix Hypervisor also creates a virtualisation layer which separates the different physical resources from the virtual machine you develop.

citrix hypervisor virtual machines for mac interface

7. Microsoft Hyper-V

With various network devices
  • Free
  • Virtualization of Windows servers
  • Flexible
  • Limited number of guest OS choices

Verdict: Microsoft Hyper-V is one of the most feature rich virtual machines that you can use on a Mac. It allows you to easily run multiple virtual environments on a single operating system. In most cases you can also run different management, multimedia and photo editing apps for Mac side by side on these virtual machines, which is very similar to what you would experience in a dedicated physical server.

microsoft hyper-v virtual machines for mac interface

8. Red Hat Virtualization

Open-source system
  • Completely managed through a WebUI
  • Easy to use
  • Providing HA virtualization
  • WebUI navigation is poor

Verdict: Red Hat Virtualization is certainly one of the best things you can use for virtualizing your hardware and operating system. With this technology, you will be able to easily visualize and run a specific OS in your virtual machine such as Red Hat Linux, Mandriva, Fedora, Opensuse and many others without using any other program.

One of the most common problems when it comes to virtualization is compatibility. When you are running the same operating system on your physical hardware and the virtual machine, you might encounter some problems that might not be solved by any virtualization software. To solve these issues, Red Hat provides its users with several tools and technologies that will make sure that they get the best software and the most stable solutions to their problems.

red hat virtualization virtual machines for mac interface
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