Open-source virtual machines
7 virtual machines whose code is public under an OSI-approved license, rated for privacy with evidence. Picks first, then by score.
GNOME Boxes Grade B
GNOME desktop app for creating, running and viewing local and remote virtual machines, built on QEMU, KVM and libvirt. It can download operating system images and set up guests automatically.
LGPL-2.1-or-later. Source code
QEMU Grade B
Open source machine emulator and virtualizer. It emulates many CPU architectures and, with KVM, Xen, Hypervisor.framework or WHPX, runs virtual machines at near-native speed.
GPL-2.0, with some parts under compatible licenses. Source code
virt-manager Grade B
Desktop app for managing virtual machines through libvirt, mainly KVM guests, with Xen and LXC support. It includes creation wizards, performance statistics and a built-in VNC and SPICE console.
GPL-2.0-or-later. Source code
Xen Project Grade B
Open source type-1 hypervisor that runs directly on hardware and hosts multiple isolated operating systems side by side. Used in servers, cloud platforms, embedded systems and Qubes OS.
GPL-2.0. Source code
Proxmox VE Grade C
Open source server virtualization platform based on Debian that manages KVM virtual machines and LXC containers through a web interface, with clustering, software-defined storage and backup integration.
AGPL-3.0-or-later. Source code
VirtualBox Grade C
Type 2 hypervisor from Oracle for x86-64 and ARM hosts, running on Windows, macOS, Linux and Solaris. It runs guest operating systems in virtual machines on a desktop or server.
The base package is GPL-3.0 and runs on its own. The optional Extension Pack is proprietary under the PUEL. Source code
UTM Grade D
Virtual machine app for macOS and iOS built on QEMU and Apple Virtualization. It can run and emulate x86-64, ARM and other guest systems, including on Apple Silicon Macs.
Apache-2.0. Source code
Compare all 10 virtual machines, open source or not.