saasrankedSoftware, ranked on the facts

virtual machine program · QEMU project

QEMU

Open-source machine emulator and virtualizer with Windows, macOS and Linux hosts, configured with command-line options.

65/100

#7 of 12 virtual machine programs
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

QEMU suits technical users who want a free, open-source virtual machine tool that also runs on macOS and Linux2,3. It documents snapshots, an emulated TPM, bridged networking, and shared folders5,6,7,8. The catch: it is configured with command-line options, its docs label USB passthrough experimental and list 3D graphics requirements for Linux hosts, and its download page names no ready-made image gallery2,7,9,10.

Best for: Technical users who want a free, scriptable virtual machine tool.

Where the points come from

Systems17 of 17
Virtual machines10 of 27
Devices10 of 24
Openness and upkeep10 of 14
Price18 of 18

Systems 17 of 17 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Guest systemsWindows, LinuxDocs cover Windows guests (Hyper-V enlightenments) and direct Linux boot12,13.8 / 8
Also runs on other hostsmacOS, LinuxDownload page lists Linux packages and macOS installs through Homebrew or MacPorts2; build platforms page supports both14.4 / 4
Works on Windows HomeYesDocs name Windows 10 and 11 as WHPX hosts with no edition limit and support recent 64-bit Windows14,15.5 / 5

Virtual machines 10 of 27 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
SnapshotsYessavevm and loadvm save and restore CPU state, RAM, device state and disks; needs a qcow2 disk5.8 / 8
Virtual TPM and Secure BootNot publishedEmulated TPM 2.0 is documented8. UEFI Secure Boot is not described on the pages read.0 / 5
Network modesBridged-netdev bridge connects a host TAP interface to a host bridge7. User-mode networking is described as a firewall and DHCP setup; the page never says NAT6.2 / 6
Nested virtualizationNot publishedNot published on the system emulation introduction page4.0 / 4
Starts from a ready-made imageNot publishedNot published on the download page2.0 / 4

Devices 10 of 24 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
3D graphics for guestsNot publishedvirtio-gpu 3D acceleration is documented for Linux hosts only, so it is not counted for a Windows host10.0 / 8
USB devices in the guestNousb-host passthrough is labelled an experimental feature that slows QEMU, documented for Linux hosts9.0 / 6
Shared foldersYesThe -virtfs option shares a host folder with the guest over virtio-9p7.6 / 6
Shared clipboardYesThe GTK display option clipboard=on enables host and guest clipboard sharing; it defaults to off7.4 / 4

Openness and upkeep 10 of 14 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Open sourceYesQEMU is released under the GNU General Public License, version 23.6 / 6
Security advisories publishedNot publishedSecurity process page says disclosures become public but links no advisory list11.0 / 4
Updated in the last 12 monthsYesDownload page lists version 11.1.2 dated 28 September 20261,2.4 / 4

Price 18 of 18 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Free editionYesFree to download under the GPL, with no edition limits listed2,3.6 / 6
Cheapest licence for work use$0No charge; open-source download2,3.12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score virtual machine programs.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

PlanPrice as listedPer monthNotes
QEMU1 personFree2,3$0GNU GPL version 2; no edition limits listed

Strengths

  • Free, with source under the GNU GPL version 23.
  • Runs as a host on Windows, macOS and Linux2.
  • Full-machine snapshots with savevm, loadvm and delvm5.
  • Emulated TPM 2.0 through swtpm8.
  • Windows and Linux guests are both documented12,13.

Limits

  • Host USB passthrough is labelled experimental and documented for Linux hosts9.
  • 3D graphics through virtio-gpu lists requirements for Linux hosts only10.
  • The download page names one individual as the source of Windows installers2.
  • The security process page links no separate advisory list; disclosures are filed as GitLab issues11.

Other virtual machine programs

  1. 1
    Oracle VirtualBoxPeople who want a free, open-source virtual machine app on Windows
    92/100
    $0cheapest licence for work use
  2. 2
    VMware Workstation ProWindows users who want a free hypervisor with snapshots and shared folders
    79/100
    $0cheapest licence for work use
  3. 3
    NanaBoxWindows users who want a light Hyper-V front end with GPU and TPM options
    74/100
    $0cheapest licence for work use
  4. 4
    Microsoft Hyper-VWindows Pro users who want virtual machines without extra software
    73/100
    $0cheapest licence for work use

All 12 virtual machine programs

Sources

  1. QEMU, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  2. Download QEMU, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  3. QEMU licence, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  4. System Emulation: Introduction, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  5. Disk images, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  6. Network emulation, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  7. Invocation, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  8. QEMU TPM Device, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  9. USB emulation, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  10. virtio-gpu, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  11. Security process, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  12. Hyper-V Enlightenments, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  13. Direct Linux Boot, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  14. Supported build platforms, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  15. Windows Hypervisor Platform, QEMU project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: www.qemu.org · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with QEMU project.