Virtual Disk Format: VirtualBox provides support for various virtual disk formats, whereas VMware supports VMDK format only.Extension pack: Incorporates even more features, like support for USB 2.0 and 3.0 devices, encryption of virtual disks, remote desktop protocol, and more.Here are some notable points that may push you off the fence in either direction. If you've gotten this far and still aren't leaning in one way or the other, then the deciding factor comes down to which software's features and quirks you prefer. On the other hand, VMware's stability and dependability are its main selling points. I've used VirtualBox every so often throughout the years on several different computers, and it has never been a 100 percent smooth ride. When using VirtualBox, you're likely to run into bugs and glitches. However, when it comes to reliability, things flip around. Snapshots and clones aren't available in VMware's free version. You can set up a virtual machine, save a snapshot, move the virtual data as is, and immediately launch it on another computer as is. This is one area where VirtualBox surpasses VMware.

To do that, the virtual machines need to be compatible with both systems. Programmers, for example, can clone their Linux development environment, virtualize it on a Windows computer, and keep working. One of the more interesting uses for a virtual machine is the ability to clone an existing operating system and virtualize it on another computer. (VMWare also offers the popular option for virtual machines with VMWare Fusion.)įor casual home users who just want to run old and deprecated software or test new operating systems, they're both free, so you have nothing to worry about. The catch is that you have to sign up for the occasional VMware promotional email. VMware Workstation Player is the free version of VMware Workstation Pro, meant strictly for students, non-profit organizations, and personal or home use. The core engine that drives VirtualBox is licensed under GPLv2 and open source in the truest sense, but the 'extension pack' is under Oracle's proprietary license and is only free for personal use, educational use, or evaluation purposes.

While VirtualBox and VMware are both free, they aren't equally free. For this comparison, we'll be looking at Oracle VM VirtualBox 6.1 and VMware Workstation Player 16. In this post, we'll compare both of them and help you decide which one you should use. Several options exist, but if you don't want to pay a cent, only two are worth discussing: VirtualBox and VMware Workstation Player. The toughest hurdle to getting started is deciding which virtual machine software to use. In practice, virtual machines are extremely useful. They can be difficult to use and feel overwhelming.

If you've never used one before, virtual machines can be overwhelming.

Vmware workstation vs player