Imagine how it would be if you can only run one software at a time on your computer. If you want to check your emails, you have to turn off your current program. In case you want to access the Internet, you have to close your Word Document or any other app you are currently working on. Seems quite challenging, right?

While we take the ability to run a lot of applications at a time “for granted”, we seldom consider running more Operating Systems at once. Thankfully, Best Virtualization Software (2021) makes the job easier to use multiple OS parallelly on a single machine. Although running two or more operating systems on one physical machine is not a new concept, in case you’re a computer newbie, here’s a brief explanation about what a virtual machine program is?

We introduce 3 simple and safe methods to help you run Android on Mac OS X so that you will never need to worry about you cannot run Android on Mac (10.11 EL Capitan included) any more. Here are the best Android emulators for PC and Mac. It works as an Android emulator for PC via a virtual machine. However, it can also just flat run on your computer through a USB stick.

What Are Virtual Machine Software?

A Virtual Machine Tool is a program that helps users to create a Virtual Machine (VM) – an emulated computer system to run and use multiple VMs or Operating Systems on a single computer. Using virtual machine software, one can facilitate a substitute of a real machine with all the architectures and same functionalities on one physical computer.

The market is packed with tons of paid & free virtualization tools to choose from for Windows, Mac, Linux, and more. Check out our list of handpicked utilities for Windows OS to use in 2021!

You Might Want To Read: Best Free Virtualization Software For macOS

Best Virtual Machine Software On Windows (Paid & Free)

Enlisted below are the top ten virtual machine software with their price, current version, pros, cons and more.

1. VMWare Workstation 16 Pro

Price: Free | $199

Latest Version: 16.1.2

File Size: 621 MB

Designed & developed especially for IT Professionals and Developers, VMWare Workstation is an outstanding virtualization tool to help individuals run multiple OSs on Windows and Linux. It can also work with the Cloud using the ‘vSphere Connectivity’ feature. You can keep multiple privacy settings & network configurations for different virtual machines. Quite helpful, right? Let’s check out the advantages & downsides that arrives with this virtual machine software.

Pros

• Simple installation process & use.
• Excellent multi-tabbed layout to manage multiple VMs at one place.
• Newbies can follow the built-in wizard for creating a new virtual machine.
• Effortless Drag & Drop functionality to move & manage files & other data.

Cons

• The ability to use products on third-party requests is not allowed.
• Closed-source & you cannot find a solution for feature and bug fixes.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose VMWare Workstation?

VMWare Workstation makes the entire process of running multiple virtual machines on your computer hassle-free. Its robust engine helps in conducting extensive testing & development of complex network server apps without any hiccups, making it the best virtual machine software for Windows among the glut.

2. Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager

Price: Free

Latest Version: 6.1.22

File Size: 103 MB

With extensive support for most OS options and high-level customization ability, VirtualBox by Oracle becomes one of the best free virtualization software available for Windows PC & other Operating Systems. The tool gives you the flexibility to run almost any program on your PC. Let’s know about their advantages & disadvantages!

Pros

• Intuitive layout with a comprehensive guide for adding new VMs.
• Advanced features like 3D virtualization, remote machine display & modularity.
• Ability to deeply customize their virtualized environment.
• Highly compatible with all Windows versions.

Cons

• Certain viewing options don’t work with Windows 10.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager?

It is safe to say that VM VirtualBox Manager is a suitable choice for both newbies & advanced users. While the former ones can rely on it to run multiple Operating Systems on the go. The latter ones can choose the virtualization software to enjoy specialized functionalities such as shared folders, multi-gen branched snapshots, hardware support & whatnot.

3. Microsoft Hyper-V

Price: Free

Latest Version: 1.1

File Size: 22 KB

Hyper-V is a leading virtual machine software that offers a unified set of integrated management tools for individuals striving to migrate physical servers, design private/public cloud, or create a hybrid blend of all the options. it remains a popular option for a variety of virtualization goals, including – – Hypervisor Migrations, Physical to Virtual Migrations, and Private/Public & Hybrid Clouds. This undoubtedly makes it one of the best virtual machine software for Windows 10 & other versions.

Pros

• Easy to create and remove different operating systems.
• Supports a cloud-based platform.
• Supports performing hardware virtualization.
• Highly compatible with releases of Linux, FreeBSD & Windows.

Cons

• Since its hypervisor is running permanently, it might affect other virtualization solutions.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose Microsoft Hyper-V?

With the aim to proffer enterprise-level virtualization for companies with a data center or hybrid control, Hyper-V is an excellent choice for professionals to virtualize workloads, build a private/public/hybrid cloud, and more. Do share your experience while using this best virtual machine software in the comments section below!

You Might Want To Read: Step-By-Step: Enable & Configure Hyper-V Windows 10 To Run Virtual Machines

4. SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

Price: Free Trial | Starts at $1,716 | Get a quote

Latest Version: 8.4

File Size: 2.7 GB

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is a platform designed for monitoring virtual machines, optimizing their performance, and performing numerous management actions. Unlike other best virtual machine software mentioned in this list, it automatically identifies opportunities to free up unnecessary occupied storage resources. Additionally, it shares recommendations for optimal VM size and placement.

Pros

• Provides complete visibility of VMware & Hyper-V.
• Ability to execute a variety of VM Monitoring & Management actions.
• Helps in fixing & optimizing performance issues.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose SolarWinds Virtualization Manager?

SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is a perfect software if you want to manage multiple virtual machines across on-premises, hybrid, or on the cloud. It boasts the capability to reclaim resources back into the virtual pool and resolves multiple kinds of issues in a few clicks, which makes it one of the best virtual machine tools in the market today!

5. Citrix Hypervisor

Price: Free | $763 Standard Edition

Latest Version: 8.0.0

File Size: 581 MB

Started as an open-source project and still today, Citrix offers its virtualization software for free to download and use (Basic version). Users who want its paid tiers can take advantage of sophisticated management tools, features to automate and distribute live environments, and so on. It is one of the best virtual machine software that displays hardware-level features for a seamless user experience, better security and simplified operational management.

Pros

• Free basic version with significant features.
• Has the GPU pass-through and virtualized GPU capabilities.
• Supports bare-metal installs.
• Simplifies operational management, ensuring HD user experience.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose Citrix Hypervisor?

Well, Citrix Hypervisor is a leading virtual machine software when it comes to providing enterprise-class virtualization solutions. You can find a perfect blend of advanced server management capabilities and excellent hardware emulation functionality at one place.

6. QEMU

Price: Free

Latest Version: 5.1.0

File Size: 183 MB

QEMU Short for Quick Emulator is written in C Language and one of the most popular and effective processor emulation and virtual machine solutions available today. As soon as you run QEMU on your system, you get the ability to allow network, USB and peripheral emulation. Along with it, you have the support for removable media images, including CD-ROMs as well.

Pros

• Support for multiple OSs to be run on any system.
• Offers dedicated hardware virtualization.
• Capability to simulate an entire system with one or more processors.
• The virtualization utility is compliant with a wide array of hardware devices.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose QEMU?

The fact that – QEMU virtualization tool can be used on any system and there are no restrictions for the host OS, it is certainly the best VM software among the glut. The virtual machine tool relies on dynamic binary translation to provide fast emulation speed.

7. VMware Fusion PC Migration Agent

Price: Free

Android Virtual Machine For Android

Latest Version: 5.1.0

File Size: 180 MB

Next on our list of best virtual machine software is VMWare Fusion PC Migration Agent, which provides a reliable and effective way to transfer personal Windows systems to a new VM on Mac. Get started by installing a fresh copy of Windows & further configuring it according to your needs and requirements. It is a perfect utility for both computer novices & advanced users!

Pros

• Can work with VMX, VMC, SV2I, TIB & more.
• Displays complete instructions for carrying out the job.
• Lightweight VM tool, doesn’t consume much system resources.
• Suitable for novice users.

Cons

• Receives fewer updates as compared to other virtualization utilities.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose VMWare Fusion PC Migration Agent?

As the name entails, the free virtual machine software is designed to help users transfer their current Windows (already configured) into the virtualization space made by VMWare Fusion. The entire process is conducted on a local network, so you need to ensure that both the OSs are attached to the same network. It is highly convenient for computer novices.

8. GNOME Boxes

Price: Free

Latest Version: 3.34.3

Android Virtual Machine Macos

File Size:

GNOME Boxes is open-source virtualization software that helps users to access remote or virtual systems. You can rely on the tool to connect to a local virtual machine and connect to your work machine to view, access, and use remote systems without any hiccups.

Pros

• View, access, and use shared machines and connections.
• Using the virtual machine software, you can organize your favorites.
• Set your machine preferences and monitor their performance.
• Supports ISO images, pause, resume, and force shutdown of existing virtual machines.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose GNOME Boxes?

GNOME Boxes is one the best virtual machine software in the market, as it offers a secure and straightforward way to try out new operating systems on your Windows or Linux. It assists users to find their local and remote virtual systems and supports customizing.

9. VMware Workstation Player

Price: Free

Latest Version: 3.34.3

File Size:

VMware Workstation Player is the best free virtual machine software developed & designed for IT Professionals & product developers. The VM tool allows users to keep privacy settings & network configurations different from another virtual PC. What’s more? It helps users to transform data & from the virtual machine to their personal computer.

Pros

• Newbies may take advantage of the built-in wizard.
• Can store the virtual disk as a single file or split it into multiple ones.
• Supports multiple OS/Platforms such as Windows & Linux.
• Takes up a moderate amount of system resources only.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose VMware Workstation Player?

Well, if you don’t want to spend a single penny, choose none other than VMware Workstation Player. Using this virtual machine tool, you can choose from hundreds of supported guest and host Operating Systems, according to your needs and requirements.

10. VM Monitor

Price: Free

Latest Version: 1.0.1.31

File Size: 8.4 MB

VM Monitor designed & developed by SolarWinds is a free alternative to Virtualization Manager. The software helps users to monitor your VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V host and other associated virtual machines continuously. It even displays important details like VM name, guest operating system, current VM state, and so on.

Pros

• Easy to install & manage, making it the best virtual machine software.
• Ability to track virtual server health at-a-glance.
• Prevents performance degradation.
• Shows statistics like VM name, guest OS, VM state, processor & more.

Cons

• Limited functionalities as compared to the Workstation PRO version.

OUR VERDICT: Why We Chose VM Monitor?

VM Monitor by SolarWinds is a free virtual machine software for Windows to measure the performance of a single VM host and associated virtual machines. It is an easy-to-use tool to keep a vigilant eye on virtualization health and that for free of cost, makes it one of the best virtual machine software for Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1. How to set up a Virtual Machine?

To set up a virtual machine, all you have to do is:

• Download & install any Virtual Machine Software.
• Download the .ISO file of the OS you wish to run.
• After installation of the Virtualization tool with the OS, select the .exe file.
• And launch the Virtual Machine.

Last update: January 2020

BEST ANDROID EMULATORS for PC 2020 – 2020 (Windows, Mac and linux): Android emulators have always been a hot topic in the community, as it is still in its early stages. But most of them are ready for use, the next set of emulator show that. Also have look at our previous collection of 3Ds emulators 2020.

Some are better for an all app usage, while others are designed for play your favourite android games like Clash of clans. it’s up to you to see which one you prefer the most. Without further ado, let’s get to the post.

Contents

• Best Android Emulators for windows, mac & linux

Best Android Emulators for windows, mac & linux

1. Bluestacks [Best Android emulator Windows]

Let’s start with the most famous of all. Bluestacks is an outstanding Android emulator for PC that for many years has been the go-to choice for Android emulation. It has a large user base of more than 130 million people worldwide. And it keeps improving their compatibility with Android games and apps.

The software brings lots of freedom, the startup is pretty easy. It asks for an email associated with an Android device, it will then start downloading all of its apps and synchronizing what it has to. If you have never had an Android device then it’s not a problem, you can still use Bluestacks like a regular emulator. To download the apps we have 3 options:

1. Using the app store provided by Bluestacks
2. Entering Google Play Store directly from the virtualized browser
3. Downloading an APK and running it with the emulator.

Control is pretty intuitive; you can use the mouse cursor to perform tactical gestures or your keyboard to map certain actions, if you’re using a touch-enabled device, you can always use your hands to control the emulator, or even a gamepad while gaming.
One negative point about this emulator (or maybe all emulators) is that it requires a lot of resources to work and even more to run fluently. We are tested this android emulator on Windows 10 i5 laptop its performance are nice.

Best android emulator for windows 10.

BlueStacks features:

• 96% of applications and games are compatible.
• Testing support for developers.
• Multi-touch input
• Keyboard and mouse integration.
• Ability to synchronize with the desktop.
• Native Windows graphic support.
• The sensors and camera are integrated for a complete Android experience.
• Android-TV support.
• Available Root Version

Download:Bluestacks.

2. ARChon – Emulator with Chrome

ARChon is a Google Chrome extension developed to run Android apps on ChromeOS, ARMm and Intel x86 machines. You just need to download the extension, convert the APK you want to run with a tool they offer, and that’s it! Chrome 37+ required. This android emulator is recommended for low-end pcs.

3. Remix OS Player

Remix OS takes the place of new level Android emulator. It’s not a program you run on your computer. it’s a fully-fledged operating system! Based on the Android-x86 project. Remix OS is able to run as an operating system using Android apps and taking advantage of the Google ecosystem.

Its interface offers a multitasking desktop with support for several overlapping windows, as well as a taskbar very similar to the one we can find in Windows 10 and a revision of the notifications tab. It even allows to right click on the items to open context menus, in addition to associate by default the most special accesses of our physical keyboard, all this without leaving aside the features and configuration elements that come with the Android system itself, alongside its integration with our Gmail account. The operating system can be installed from a USB drive that also allows to run as a LiveCD externally. Likewise, it can coexist in the same drive with other operating systems, enabling a boot menu during the start of the machine.

The movement of Android OSs on x86 (Intel’s architecture) has more than Remix OS behind its back, Phoenix OS, a competitor of the former has taken giant steps towards its compatibility with apps, and Google’s ChromeOS Android compatibility, although in beta, is looking like an exciting project that May become the standard of the industry.

Download:Remix OS

4. WindowsAndroid

WindowsAndroid is an Android emulator for Windows 8, 7 and 10 that will allow us to run a virtual machine with the Android OS so that we can use our computer as an Android tablet.
The controls of this software are just as Bluestacks’. You can use your mouse cursor as the main control input, as well as touch input if your PC has that enabled. The installation of WindowsAndroid is really easy, too. Just download and run the .exe and it’ll start running the software.
Once you’re on the virtual machine, you can access your usual Android settings and set some of them.

This alternative is more than capable to run any application, it’s different from Bluestacks because you’re not emulating an app, you’re running an OS from a virtual machine, which should greatly increase performance. And it also doesn’t suffer from storage issues, as long as your hard drive isn’t full.

WindowsAndroid is one of the best tools to emulate Android that currently exist. Not only does it work well and it allows to download any application of this operating system to use in Windows, but it gives us the possibility to do it of a simple and fast way. No complex configurations or BIOS installation. Just double click on the executable and we will be inside.

Download:WindowsAndroid

5. VirtualBox Emulator

VirtualBox is an open source software that installs different operating systems as a guest operating system. You can get the ISO image from the official android blog.
Once you have downloaded and installed the ISO file, you can install Android-x86 and start using APKs with it.

Features of using Android in VirtualBox:

• Full control of components.
• You can perform all actions like in the aforementioned Android emulators.
• You can allocate RAM for your Android operating system according to your needs.
• Every time you feel bored, you can play and test new applications.
• It is easy to remove/uninstall the Android operating system in VirtualBox.

Download:VirtualBox.

6. Andy ( for Windows & Mac)

Andy is an Android emulator that will allow us to download, install and use hundreds of thousands of exclusive Android applications on our PC with Windows operating system, all without the need to create a virtual machine or perform any complex configuration: you just need to install and start.

Andy is really intuitive: You use your mouse to emulate touch functionalities, and you can even use your mouse wheel to emulate the slide down gesture, if you have a touchscreen then you’re in luck, as it’s also really intuitive with touch inputs.Compatibility-wise it’s flawless. You can run Android’s most famous apps and games, but the most interesting app we will be able to run is Whatsapp, we only need to download it, install it and authenticate our phone number with a text message we’ll receive to our phone!

Download:Andy.

7. Nox – Best Emulator Whatsapp, Instagram …

Nox App player is a lightweight alternative for running Android apps, it has compatibility with a wide array of games (both light and heavy) as well as a handful of settings and controls for the emulator.
The apps can be downloaded from the Google Play Store so their installation is natural and easy.

Download:Nox.

8. Genymotion for mac

Genymotion is an alternative to Bluestacks. Especialized in the testing of Android apps it has an excellent build quality and lots of developer features. You can even use your PC camera to have video chats. android emulators for mac 2020

• It is compatible with all OS: Windows, Mac and Linux.
• Windows of variable size.
• Java API supported.
• Equipped with screencasts.
• One click with the customizable button: IMEI, MEID, Android ID.
• Drag and drop applications.
• OpenGL acceleration.
• CPU virtualization.

Download:Genymotion.

Android Vmware

9. Memu

MEMu is an emulator like Bluestacks, it also comes with root access and a ton of functions that can be adjusted from a sidebar located to the right of the program. It gets the job done (as well as Bluestacks, it requires a lot of resources to work).

Download:Memu

10. KoPlayer

Our last item on the list is a new competitor on the emulator sub category. KoPlayer is an emulator like Bluestacks or MeMU, just that it’s a bit more focused on gaming. You can use the keyboard settings to emulate a game controller. Players will also be able to record the game. The installation process is quite easy. Like most emulators (especially this one as it is so new) it’s quite buggy, however, it is a free option that is worth a try.

Download:KoPlayer.

And this is the end of our android emulators 2020 – 2020 list, Android apps have become a necessity for today’s users and the emulation of Android apps on other devices is definitely a noble cause that should be supported. If you feel like this list should have another emulator, leave it in the comment box below!

I couldn’t get Virtualbox to work. Bluestacks on the other hand was very easy to set up.