--- title: "VirtualBox Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is VirtualBox the right Virtual Machine solution for you? Explore 888 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/169939/VirtualBox/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- VirtualBox 4.6 (888) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/169939/VirtualBox/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 26th, 2026 # Reviews of VirtualBox Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.1 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Iman G StudentComputer Software, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “It contains lots of customizable features for running various VMs from the ISO files of the OSes, and is pretty easy to set up. Since it is very popular, it also has a lot of tutorials available online for customizations or while facing any errors.“ January 20, 2025 Harshul S Senior. Technical Support Specialist for Network OperationsInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Updates can break extensions or guest additions, and then I need to reinstall things.“ May 14, 2026 Harshul S Senior. Technical Support Specialist for Network OperationsInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “For a free virtualization tool, it does the job well and helps me experiment without risk.“ May 14, 2026 Harshul S Senior. Technical Support Specialist for Network OperationsInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Also, networking randomly stops working sometimes and I need to restart the VM.“ May 14, 2026 Harshul S Senior. Technical Support Specialist for Network OperationsInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “What I like most about VirtualBox is how easy it is to spin up test environments without messing with my main system.“ May 14, 2026 AM Alexi M Internship for software developmentComputer Software, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Some virtual machines failed and the logs were not helpful at all, didn't describe or provide extra information about the error.“ September 28, 2024 Harshul S Senior. Technical Support Specialist for Network OperationsInformation Technology and Services, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It’s reliable enough for daily use, and once a VM is set up it usually runs fine.“ May 14, 2026 DM Daniel M tech engineerComputer Networking, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I sometimes feel like VirtualBox's interface feels a bit outdated compared to newer tools. “ June 12, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 888 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Harshul S. Senior. Technical Support Specialist for Network Operations Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for testing and learning, just needs smoother performance" May 14, 2026 4.0 Overall my experience with VirtualBox has been good for testing and learning. I use it at work when I need a quick VM to try something without touching production systems. It’s reliable enough for daily use, and once a VM is set up it usually runs fine. There are small issues like performance drops, extension pack problems, or random network glitches, but nothing major that stops me from using it. For a free virtualization tool, it does the job well and helps me experiment without risk. Pros What I like most about VirtualBox is how easy it is to spin up test environments without messing with my main system. At work I use it for trying out different OS setups, testing software, and running small labs. It’s lightweight and doesn’t eat too many resources compared to some other tools. The interface is simple enough that I can create a VM in a few minutes. Networking options are flexible too, so I can test things like NAT, bridged mode, etc. For a free tool, it gives a lot of features and works pretty stable. Cons Sometimes VirtualBox struggles with certain OS versions, especially newer ones, and I have to tweak settings a lot. Performance isn’t always great when running heavy workloads. Updates can break extensions or guest additions, and then I need to reinstall things. USB passthrough is hit or miss, and I’ve had issues where devices don’t show up. The interface looks a bit old and could be cleaner. Also, networking randomly stops working sometimes and I need to restart the VM. Review Source Nhat N. Instructor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox Review" November 23, 2021 4.0 My overall experience with VirtualBox is good because I have used it for a long time and have found many ways around some technical challenges. Pros This software allows me to easily setup a virtual machine, run a test on a software before I want to install it on a production machine. The best part is I can easily download it on the Oracle website and use it without worrying about licensing. Cons Configuring network is quite difficult on VirtualBox versus doing it on other similar software. Alternatives considered [vSphere](https://www.capterra.com/p/93512/VMware-Horizon/) Reason for choosing VirtualBox I chose VirtualBox because it is free to use and I can easily deploy it on several workstation to teach or test new software and technology. VirtualBox has all of the basic features one would need to setup a virtual environment include networking and hardware configuration. Switched from [vSphere](https://www.capterra.com/p/93512/VMware-Horizon/) I switched software because VirtualBox is free to use and I can download it at anytime without worrying about licensing while the other software like VMware and Hypervisor I have to buy the license to use them for each computer. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Fullstack developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Cannot be taken as a professional tool" December 26, 2024 2.0 Since I was an student this has been the same tool, around 5 years ago. I hasn't evolved and introduced up to date features Pros It's free to use and offers basic Virtual machine configurations Cons I'm not able to do a lot of things that many other virtual machine managers can. Review Source Hung V. Solution architect Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox for quickly initial new environment for testing" December 19, 2019 5.0 I use VirtualBox to initial my testing environment for my shell script function which needs to run in Centos, RedHat, Debian and Ubuntu, I download the virtual OS and add into VirtualBox which alow me quickly verify my script and when I work with Kubernetes, it already support installation environment as Virtual OS and we use VirtualBox to host it. Pros With VirtualBox, I easily create a test and dev environment for different OS, it supports all type of OS from Window, Ubuntu, Centos. VirtualBox Guest system is quickly created and start and I could share data between Host OS and Guest OS including copy/paste, disk sharing and drag-drop. VirtualBox consume very little resource and is able to host multiple Guest OS at same time, it is an excellent feature when we want to test our script in different OS Cons Using VirtualBox is quite complex to setup Guest OS, special to enable access to Host OS hardware such as Printer, switch between Host OS and Guest OS have delayed time Alternatives considered [vSphere](https://www.capterra.com/p/93512/VMware-Horizon/) Reason for choosing VirtualBox We choose VirtualBox because it is free compared to other tools like VMware, it is more complex but has the good document for learning, it is quick and free compare with creating multiple VMs in Cloud for testing. Review Source Harshit B. Software Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox, The little brother to the Workstation. " January 30, 2020 4.0 The ability to spin up and test instances of our application and also new flavours is the primary business purpose and virtual box ticks all thos boxes is a great asset to have to meet the business goals. Pros Have been using VirtualBox to spam new distributions of linux and other open source operating systems and also use Virtual box to deploy our application as well and we use it as a benchmarking mechanism tool. Cons The least thing we like about this is the amount of compute it takes to run the application on the slight less specked machine and it does a take on the battery life, otherwise the application is good. Alternatives considered [vSphere](https://www.capterra.com/p/93512/VMware-Horizon/) Reason for choosing VirtualBox The ability to use Virtual on OS-X is a primary factor to select Virtualbox as the images can be shared with multiple folks within the organisation. Review Source DM Daniel M. tech engineer Computer Networking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox Has Been in My Toolkit for Years and It Still Delivers" June 12, 2025 5.0 I think virtualbox remains the ultimate software for testing different operating systems as it gives me the flexibility to clone VMs, take snapshots, and simulate network setups with ease. The ability to run multiple environments on one machine saves me a ton of time. Its stability and ability to support just about every OS I need makes me stick with it. Pros What I like most about VirtualBox is how easy it is to spin up virtual machines and test different operating systems without touching my main setup. It’s fast, lightweight, and gives me full control over the environment. As someone working in a computing company, I use it daily for testing software in isolated systems. It just works, and I can count on it to be stable and reliable, even with complex setups. Cons I sometimes feel like VirtualBox's interface feels a bit outdated compared to newer tools. I encounter small compatibility issues with newer guest OS versions, but old is gold, and it's still a solid tool I rely on every day. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great tool to host a local VM" January 20, 2026 4.0 I didn't find another tool which can currently replace VirtualBox to host my VMs for testing and still a great tool free of charge. Pros We use virtualbox to host some old windows operating system like win 7/8/9 etc. It is easy to use, you only need to find the virtualbox file online and import it to the tool, you also don't need to worry about the networking, it is all preconfigured for you. Cons VirtualBox is not updating feature set as frequently as before anymore, and some advanced features like configuring local network etc. lacks of documentation, also not a very active community right now. Review Source SA Samer A. Open source contributor Computer Software Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "It is my first choice in virtualization" March 11, 2026 4.0 It is my first choice and the best software in machine virtualisation. I have used it several times. Pros It is my first choice for virtualisation on my laptop, and that is because of the ease of use, installation and deployment. And due to the fact that it provides many features for free. It is connectable to many devices, and many features can be added. and having it frequently updated with the latest, keeping the edge in performance in comparison to other alternative software. Cons It requires so many computational resources, even if the VM is allocated a small allocation, so even if I like working on it, I have to delete it from the laptop after finishing the necessary work. Review Source JZ Juan Z. Founder Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Virtualbox is a winner!" September 8, 2025 5.0 Very, very good! I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a great, dependable sandbox experience. Pros It is free! It is intelligent and does not take up much space. Easy to set up and receives a lot of updates and support. Cons On older machines, the virtual machines take longer to boot and function. Especially if it is feature-rich. Review Source Iman G. Student Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Recommended to Beginners to Professionals" January 20, 2025 5.0 Recommend to everyone who is new to Virtual Machines, I personally use it to run Ubuntu regularly to work with my Project Files. Pros That this is free and open source. It contains lots of customizable features for running various VMs from the ISO files of the OSes, and is pretty easy to set up. Since it is very popular, it also has a lot of tutorials available online for customizations or while facing any errors. Cons The Guest Additions doesn't work properly with all the OSes, and also sometimes changing the screen size/resolution of the VM running might create an issue like flickering. Review Source KKZ Kaung Khant Z. Senior SDN Cloud Engineer Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox: A Free and Powerful Virtualization Solution" January 10, 2025 5.0 As for my overall experience with oracle virtual box, it is literally positive with its ease of use, versatility, powerful features, cross-platform compatibility, free at no cost and open-source. Pros I like most about oracle virtual box are 1. ease of use with user-friendly interface, simple to setup and manage VMs. 2. compatibility with a wide range of guest operating systems and host platforms. 3. the availability of virtual box is free at no cost and its open-source are highly valued. Cons I dislike about virtual box is graphics performance within guest operating systems can be a particular area of concern. Review Source Emre K. Security Software Engineer Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Bridging Real and Virtual Worlds with VirtualBox" September 27, 2023 5.0 Overall, I am extremely pleased with VirtualBox. He can do everything that is expected of him and everything he promises, completely and properly. Pros What I like most about VirtualBox is that it can run smoothly and without burdening the local system. Besides, its free configurability is also a very nice thing. Cons I think my least favorite part is that sometimes there are points in the configuration settings that I have difficulty understanding. Alternatives considered [VMware Workstation Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/212916/VMware-Workstation-Player/) Reason for choosing VirtualBox Because it's simpler and cheaper Review Source GS Gabriel S. Freelancer Computer Hardware Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Using VirtualBox for Linux installations and Application Building" January 13, 2022 5.0 VirtualBox helps me build and test applications that I build for other operating systems. With it, I do not have to have another computer around me with a separate installation; I can just access it all from one place. This makes my life a whole lot easier. Pros What I like most about VirtualBox is its ease of use. As soon as you start up the program you are greeted with a very simplistic layout. Making a new virtual machine is as simple as clicking the new button. This makes the software very inviting for new users. Tweaking the settings of a virtual machine is also extremely easy in VirtualBox, since everything is sectioned out nice and neat; everything is easy to find. Cons I feel like graphics performance is a big struggle for any virtualization software. If there was a way to pass through graphics cards on Windows installations without the use of other software, VirtualBox would be perfect in my opinion. The only way, as of now, to pass through dedicated cards is through a base Linux installation virtualizing another operating system. Reason for choosing VirtualBox I chose VirtualBox over VMware simply due to the fact that it is much easier to use and has better compatibility with Linux. I think that the guest additions on a Linux installation in VirtualBox is much much better than ones in competing software solutions. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Enterprise Admin, Server and Storage, Cloud Admin Devops Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox reviews" December 6, 2022 5.0 good Pros Easy to use. The software is very direct and a no-brainer to use. Cons Features. I believe more features can be added to the software for more user options and control. Reason for choosing VirtualBox Find it easy Review Source IAS Isis Arnaud S. CEO Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Unleashing the Power of Virtualization with VirtualBox" April 27, 2023 5.0 As a software engineer, VirtualBox has been an essential tool in my arsenal. Its versatility, user-friendly interface, and robust features have enabled me to set up custom development environments and test software on different platforms. Overall, it's an indispensable tool for any developer or tech enthusiast. Pros For me, VirtualBox's versatility is its greatest strength, offering a range of customization options and compatibility with various operating systems. It's user-friendly interface and robust features enable users to create and run virtual machines efficiently. Seamless integration with third-party applications and the ability to share files between the host and guest operating systems make it a top choice for many users. Cons VirtualBox's resource-intensive nature and occasional stability issues can be frustrating for some users. The installation process may also be somewhat complex, and the lack of built-in support for some guest operating systems may require additional configuration. Some users may also find the documentation and community support somewhat limited compared to other virtualization tools. Review Source MR Max R. Recruitment Professional Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Think remote, Think VIRTUALBOX" December 22, 2022 4.0 It's a great piece of software and helps an enterprise to virtualize its environment for remote access and reduce the overall pile of e-waste. Pros The most important feature of VB is its GUI and ease of access and use and also how easy it is to set up a VDI using Virtualbox. The other features that I like about VB are its cost-effectiveness, tool availability, and ease of deployment. Cons This software delivers the best Virtualization software can offer and I have not seen any significant drawbacks in the software yet. Review Source OO Oluwaseun O. Azure Architect Banking Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Way to effectively manage multiple VMs" December 7, 2022 5.0 Pros its cost effective and a great way to manage multiple Virtual machines in an Enterprise. Cons a bit of latency integrating oracle VM Virtula Box and HyperV on same host. Review Source regan T. manager Computer Software Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great Virtualization Software for Multiple Platforms" May 21, 2023 4.0 Using VirtualBox has been instrumental in solving various business problems. It allows me to test software on different platforms, isolate development environments, and run legacy applications effortlessly. The flexibility and versatility of VirtualBox have resulted in significant time and cost savings for my organization. Pros VirtualBox provides excellent virtualization capabilities, allowing me to run multiple operating systems seamlessly on my computer.The product is user-friendly and offers a straightforward installation process. Setting up virtual machines is a breeze.Integration with my existing business processes was smooth and hassle-free. It seamlessly integrates with other tools and applications I use. Cons The user interface could benefit from some improvements to enhance usability and make certain features more intuitive.While VirtualBox offers a wide range of features, there are a few advanced functionalities that could be added to further enhance the virtualization experience. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Analyst Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Virtualization in Minutes - Virtual Box" May 19, 2019 5.0 Overall VirtualBox servers the total purpose. It can be installated on any operating system, so no matter if your Server is sitting on Windows or Linux box, VirtualBox can be installed and used flawlessly without any powerful configurations. So if you have a Server which in turn is connecting to multiple different servers sitting at different sites at your organization, you can use VirtualBox to bring all the Servers in one instance and make the process more efficient and streamlined. Pros VirtualBox is a really lightweight but powerful virtualiztion software. It allows us to build machines within machines and interconnect each machine in a personalised manner of networking. It is helps hugely on Servers for creating minor servers within one parent server which facilitates the basic functioning of any Server. Additionally we can create multiple machines and run all of them at once considering cores of your base machine and each virtual machine will work as a dedicated system serving the purpose. Cons Support can be a con for this software. We can get a lot of open source/ public communities supporting this software but there is not formal teaching lessons/ vedios from Oracle explainig the functioning of this software in detail. So learning the software can consist of alot of reaching which eventually becomes frustating at times but overall you learn more when you research. But Oracle can publish some offical videos exolaning the software which will be a lot more helpful. Review Source David J. Student on Gimnazija i ekonomska skola "Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj" Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox- Review" February 20, 2019 5.0 With VirtualBox I am solving problems like tuff installing windows 10 on my computer which I don't know if its gonna turn well for me , I just simulate it and see how is my computer reacting on it , its like I am going around all hard and complicated installations and just installing it on easy way, that's also my main benefit. Pros What I like most about this software is his flexibility. You can choose it to simulate every computer software you like , from Windows (XP Vista, 7, 8, 10) to Linux and more. I would recommend it to every programmer or ethical hacker who is still learning about hacking, installation of all packages is really fast and easy. They are guiding you to every step and there is no chance you can make mistake. The simulations are very likely to original software which I found very amazing. Thank you VirtualBox! Cons What I least like about this software is that sometimes some simulations are very slow to install and use ,I don't know if its because of my computer or because VirtualBox system, its like I am having 25 FPS when I am on Linux Software, and internet can be very slow there, also In the beginning I couldn't find way to exit VirtualBox simulation, which I found very troubling. Review Source Mo'men Y. IT Support Specialist Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox Review" February 12, 2019 3.0 My personal experience with it could be both satisfactory and disappointing, honestly. On the personal side, I'd say almost flawless, but on the professional side, it's not what I'd rely on, but again, you get what you pay for! Pros VirtualBox is open-source, easy and super fast to install and start, and it's free as well. It helps you test any OS in a few steps and switch between the operating systems you're running easily and swiftly. It's not exclusive to only one operating system. Cons If you just want to test operating systems and not go in-depth, VM VirtualBox would be okay. However, if you'd like to use it more in-depth, you'd find a few issues. Some computers do not allow the installation of a Virtual Machine software without changing the BIOS, and this, of course, isn't something everyone can do. Some features aren't supported without installing add-ons. Also, sound drivers aren't available. It takes a while to come up and if your computer isn't good on the specs side, you might have a laggy and slow experience. Changing the size of disk storage could be an issue, but such issued were paid attention to with newer versions (5.2). If you use the virtual OS you're running as a main drive or you rely on it for professional purposes, this could be a total disaster as you'd face countless network issues that'd hold you back. However, again, to be fair, these issues would be faced only if you go deep, but if you just run virtual OS for fun, or for simple usage, you'd have nothing to worry about. Review Source DR Dominic R. Systems Architect Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool for running additional environments on your workstation" June 22, 2018 5.0 Nice free virtual machine tool to keep my primary workstation from getting too "cluttered" Pros VB is a great little tool to spin up additional OS environments on my workstation. I use this for 2 reasons. First, to be able to spin up other operating systems to do cross-platform testing (Linux, Windows (multiple versions), ChromeOS, etc). Secondly, I use it to have separate environments for clients. We have a multitude of clients that each require different (or worse, sometimes the same) VPN tools, software, etc. When you try to install all these tools on your regular desktop, we were constantly running into conflicts (one client needed to be v5.1 to connect to the VPN and a different client needed v4.7). It just became too much clutter. So I started spinning up a different Windows (or Linux) environment for each client install their tools separately. It has worked wonders! Cons The only downside is related to the /way/ I use the software. Because I spin up different environments for each client, if I have to work with a couple clients simultaneously (not often, but it happens), it can be incredibly slow because my workstations resources now have to be split 2, 3 or 4 ways (each envirnment usually gets 1/3 of my RAM allocated). Running 1 at a time is perfectly fine. Running 2 is usually OK, but once I hit 3, I've pretty much maxed out my host and it can be slow. That being said, I could accommodate for that by simply installing more RAM or allocating less to each. Review Source sumit K. Devops Engineer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Oracle Virtual Box Review " December 3, 2018 4.0 It’s a very good experience to work on Virtual Box Pros 1) It allows to create virtual machine of any OS. 2) It allows to change settings for every single virtual machine. 3) We don’t need to create servers for testing purposes as the virtual machine provides the same functionality. 4) It does not limit the user for using it. Cons 1) Installation process takes very time. 2) On some computers, one must allow virtualisation through bios to create Virtual Machine. 3) There is no copy and paste option in virtual machine. For that we need to open session in putty. 4) Sound Drivers are not present and even we do have full screen size for virtual machine. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Web Developer Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A sandbox where nothing can go wrong" November 10, 2019 5.0 VirtualBox is my choice when I need to test software in different OS, also it's great to give it a try to the myriad of OS out there without ruining our computer. If you are something that likes playing with fire (but safely) then VirtualBox is for you. Pros As a software developer and a geek by nature, it's quite common to ruin my whole workstation because I was playing with something I wasn't supposed to do. Imagine that your project is delayed because you tried to emulate a super old game on your PC, not cool. With VB I can safely play with any and multiple operative systems and install dangerous software, just for fun. It's great to be able to virtualize any Linux distro out there before really installing it on my computer, it also helps with getting used to a new OS before switching to it. VB is simple and easy to use, you can go a long way just with the default settings and it will setup your virtual machine based on the OS you pretend to install. Cons It's not necessarily a VB problem but about virtualization in general, I run my virtual machines on 4GB of RAM and my host machine can be really slow when running the virtual machine, it's important to know that to fully enjoy the benefits of virtualizations and run virtual machines smoothly we need a decent video card and more RAM. Besides my poor setup, VB runs incredibly well. Review Source Pedro C. Investigador/Docente Professional Training & Coaching Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Any OS system, anywhere!" April 29, 2019 5.0 VirtualBox permits me to have only one computer (MAC OS), with all the software I need, without the obligation to restart every time I need to access other OS System. I can work and share work between machines (virtual and physical) without any problem! Pros For those that work with multiple software know that a Virtual Machine is a must-have software. For those that work with MAC OS, is even more important. Many of the software I use on an investigation in social sciences are made for the Windows environment. VirtualBox is a very handy and powerful tool. The fact that it's free, is even better! There are other offers on the market, with more elaborated tools. But for the price (free), VirtualBox is the key! Cons There are some tricks you need to handle. For example, when you work with virtual disks, with space allocated dynamically, it's easy to increase size, but it's very hard to decrease after a cleanup. It should be possible to do both things with the same effort. Review Source Similar Products Featured