# VirtualBox Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is VirtualBox the right Virtual Machine solution for you? Explore 885 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/169939/VirtualBox/reviews --- VirtualBox 4.6 (885) [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 March 13th, 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 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 “I sometimes feel like VirtualBox's interface feels a bit outdated compared to newer tools.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 DM Daniel M tech engineerComputer Networking, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “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.“ June 12, 2025 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 GY Gene Y IT Engineer Computer Networking, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Allows me to create separate secure virtual environments for various testing and user oriented applications without being tied to any specific hardware which makes migration and distribution very easy and convenient.“ September 7, 2023 SA Samuel A SoftwareTelecommunications, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Its operational hiccups occasionally disrupt workflow and demand frequent restarts, while updates occasionally clash with OS compatibility, wasting precious time.“ May 24, 2023 Alex D UI DesignerComputer Software, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I love it, because it allows just with a few clicks, I can spin up virtual machines that mirror popular Android and iOS devices, complete with different screen sizes, resolutions, and operating system versions.“ November 24, 2023 Vasilis K Web DeveloperInformation Technology and Services, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The setup process can be intimidating for beginners.“ February 6, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 885 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 YS Yohan S. Engineer Food & Beverages Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A good virtualization tool " January 28, 2025 4.0 Pros VirtualBox is a lightweight tool that lets you run several virtual machines without consuming too many resources. Cons VirtualBox lacks features for managing virtual networks Review Source BS Brian S. IT Manager Libraries Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Still a solid choice" September 23, 2024 4.0 I first used VirtualBox before Sun acquired it, and it keeps relevant. Pros Very flexible and supports many platforms. Cons Still a little on the clunky side and a little dated-looking. Review Source Josué G. Support analyst Telecommunications Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The tool needed to virtualize and test software in secure environments" November 3, 2019 4.0 VirtualBox has allowed me to develop and test applications on different operating systems in a safe and controlled environment. It is really an excellent tool to develop all kinds of tests the idea of being able to virtualize any operating system and within being able to apply test settings verify its behavior and even more its compatibility with the system is fantastic. It is even ideal to test an operating system with some internal modification, as in my case a Linux distribution to which a modified kernel was implemented in which different types of tests were performed before placing it in production, It is definitely safe reliable and robust Therefore, I would not hesitate to recommend its use as a virtualization tool. Pros VirtualBox has the quality of virtualizing almost any operating system with excellent driver compatibility using VirtualBox from the versions where it was necessary to capture the mouse and keyboard to use it on the guest and then release them with the Ctrl key to use it on the host, and I can say that the development and constant updating by the community have made this a great virtualization software that has great driver support. and the most attractive point is that it is free and is backed by a great company such as Oracle, it is important to highlight that VirtualBox is an excellent tool for home virtualization because in the business field we have more specialized ones, an important extra is that once installed the host host, it is possible to obtain additional functionalities, such as clipboard sharing, drag & drop support and adaptation of the host screen to the size of the host even by resizing one of its excellent features lies in the possibility of customizing each machine to the required needs Hardware with CPU, Memory, storage among others. In the networks section, the configuration capacity that can be obtained due to its different network modes is excellent, such as: Bridge mode, NAT, Internal network, host-only and Not connected, this can be said to be a tool Very complete virtualization. Cons In some operating systems such as Linux, the configuration of the extras that allow us for example the auto resizing of the screen and the other features mentioned in the pro section can be complicated. Additionally there is a point that, although I would not consider it so much a negative aspect of the tool if it is necessary to mention, and it is the subject of the resources of the host team because of this the performance of the virtual machines will depend, and that is that the essence of virtualization, one needs many system resources to take full advantage of the host and virtual machine simultaneously and finally I can not fail to mention the inability to make changes to the hardware of the virtual machine running, otherwise it is a excellent tool that more than positive aspects prevail over negative ones. Review Source Marianela F. Water Treatment and Environmental Management Consultant Chemicals Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Advantages of VirtualBox to have heterogeneous platforms running on a single computer." November 16, 2022 5.0 The virtual machine is a fast, convenient, and secure method of running software that we normally can't use on our native operating system. It really shows its value in professional client-level applications, this makes it an invaluable tool when trying to support more than one operating system simultaneously. In addition, VirtualBox is constantly making updates to its code, which improve performance and increase existing features. Pros One of the greatest advantages of using a virtual machine like VirtualBox is being able to have software that is in charge of emulating certain hardware, taking advantage of the real resources of our computer and, on top of it, allowing us to install an operating system as if it were a real computer. The virtualized operating system works as if it were a main operating system, so all its functions and features are available from it. Cons VirtualBox makes the job easier when it comes to running applications that can only run on a specific operating system, the important thing is that we allocate adequate memory and storage resources to be able to have both VirtualBox and the primary operating system of the computer. After having considered this, we can have two environments, apparently heterogeneous, simultaneously without any problem. Review Source AE Amal E. Freelancer Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "VirtualBox makes virtualization effortless" November 12, 2023 5.0 Using VirtualBox on my desktop to run both Windows and Linux has been an incredibly enjoyable experience. It provided me with a seamless and efficient way to immerse myself in the world of Linux programming for an extended period. With VirtualBox, I effortlessly created and managed virtual machines, switching between Windows and Linux environments at will. This flexibility allowed me to work on diverse projects, develop, and test software in different operating systems, all within the convenience of a single machine. The user-friendly interface and ease of use made the transition between these environments a breeze, and the ability to snapshot and clone VMs simplified my development workflow. VirtualBox truly became my go-to tool for exploring the Linux realm while maintaining my Windows environment. Pros With VirtualBox, I can easily run both Windows and Linux on my computer as a virtualization solution that works seamlessly. With few resources, a test environment may be quickly and easily configured and operational. Also, lacks many of the complex and needless requirements that I have observed in other programs. The good thing about VirtualBox is that most users find it to be a cost-effective option because to its free license. Cons Regarding this product, I have nothing but positive things to say. Any problems I run into are simple to handle. Review Source ES Edwin S. CTO Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Virtualization done right" July 3, 2023 5.0 Experience has been great. Everything I wanted to virtualize I have done it with sucess. Pros Ease of use, great perfomance everything that a virtualization app needs you habe it with Virtualbox. I have Linux, Windows, Free-bSD, router apps and everyrhing works great. Cons The only real Con I could say and maybe its just me is the facts that I have is not being able to run it with secure boot enabled. Other than that never had a complaint. Review Source Zhao Z. Research Assistant Research Used the software for: 2+ years ### "As a graduate student majoring in Computer Science, I use VirtualBox a lot to set up Ubuntu." February 8, 2018 5.0 I pay nothing to gain all the functionalities that I need to implement my coursework and research experiment. Although I am a Mac user, I can also install Windows on VirtualBox and use Office conveniently. Pros Firstly, VirtualBox is free. But it doesn't mean that it has bad quality. Its various features and functionalities are totally enough, especially for students to use for the academical purpose. I am using Ubuntu on VirtualBox to develop an Operating System kernel this semester. VirtualBox is the first recommendation by my professor. My laptop is Mac OS and only has 4G memory. Since VirtualBox is lightweight and uses smaller memory than VMware, startup or shutdown of the virtual machine on my laptop is very fast, only a few seconds. For students, VirtualBox initial settings are simpler than those on VMware. Most of the time, those settings have nothing to do with coursework or academic experiment. We usually use default values. Too many settings will distract our attention. So the simpleness of VirtualBox can help students focus on their coursework topic. Cons Compared to VMware, drag-and-drop functionality on VirtualBox is less convenient. Although we can do sequence settings on VirtualBox to make it support drag-and-drop functionality between host and virtual machine, it is time-consuming and easy to make mistakes to learn and implement these settings. 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 Ismaël Huberson C. founder Apparel & Fashion Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox" November 19, 2022 5.0 Pros I was looking for a virtualization software and I found this. VirtualBox is a free, cross-platform virtualization program for x86 and AMD64/Intel 64 hardware. It's extremely useful for testing and developing software and operating systems, and works on Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris. VirtualBox is very easy to use and supports a wide range of guest operating systems (see the full list of supported operating systems). Cons VirtualBox is a free virtualization tool, especially for people like me who are on a budget. Review Source Jorge M. Ingeniero de sistemas Used the software for: 2+ years ### "is a very practical application that allows to install additional operating systems within another " March 7, 2018 4.0 You can install several operating systems on a desktop, Hosts and cross-platform guests, including Windows, Linux and Oracle Solaris, and Mac OS X as host, has Teletransport of virtual machines running between hosts without interruption, has a high performance, supports loads of Massive work of up to 32 virtual CPUs and compatibility with OVF format. Pros It is an open source software compatible with a large number of guest operating systems, its versatility makes it compatible with x86 / amd64 architectures, it is an application that allows to install additional operating systems, known as "guest systems", within another system operative "host", each with its own virtual environment. In terms of hardware emulation, the hard disks of the guest systems are stored in the host systems as individual files in a container called Virtual Disk Image, incompatible with the other virtualization softwares. Cons they add great complexity to the system at runtime. The main disadvantage of the virtual machine, is that in the application of some process will have the effect of the slowness of the computer, that is, the computer in which this process is running must have a quite remarkable capacity must be of great capacity or powerful. The languages based on virtual machine, have a disadvantage is that they are actually slower than fully compiled languages, due to the overload generated by having an intermediate software layer between the application and the computer hardware, however, This limitation does not it's too critical. Review Source JB Jarlin B. Network engineering Computer & Network Security Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Use of virtual machine on virtual box" February 22, 2024 5.0 I will say that it is a pretty high useful software to practice laboratories about networking and telecommunications and useful to test some functions on real life data centers Pros It is cheap and easy to install it runs very smoothly on your pc or laptop Cons Sometime is really hard to confirure virtual machines and it requires alot space in your main pc. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Software Engineering Intern Computer Software Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "The easiest way of running multiple operating systems on one device" December 13, 2021 4.0 VirtualBox has made it easier for me to test applications without actually installing them on my machine. If I make a mistake configuring the system on my virtual machine, I can easily fix it without ruining my host machine. It also allows me to run applications that are not compatible with the operating system that I mainly use. I totally recommend it to anyone who is new to virtualization. Pros I can run a different operating system without replacing the one I already have. For example, I run Windows OS on my laptop but for school and work purposes I need to use Linux. Instead of permanently switching an OS, I just use VirtualBox to install the other OS needed. It is very easy to install and use even for a beginner who has never used virtual machines before. It allows you to allocate different specifications for your virtual machines depending on how much RAM your device has. The number of virtual machines you can have all depends on the memory of your device. Cons It uses a lot of disk space. If the VirtualBox is installed on a device with low specifications, it starts lagging behind and the machine takes too long to boot. Review Source Adji Maloum M. Agent comptable et de liaison Telecommunications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Free and virtual" December 8, 2022 5.0 I've been using Windows and Mac for years to test systems for advice at work or to my friends. Pros On the security side, it allows you to surf in a totally secure way since any infections are limited to the machine, which is what makes it sublime to use. Cons This refuses to load some vmi files downloaded online. Review Source Fábio S. Senior Software Security Analyst Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "VirtualBox has everything to run Linux on Windows Host" December 1, 2022 4.0 Pros The best way to makes tests on new OS's and distributions is through VirtualBox.Easy to setup and when it is up and running a whole new system is open to be used. Cons Sometimes the extension for USB support fails to start properly and then a shutdown is required (restart is not enough) Switched from [VMware Workstation Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/212916/VMware-Workstation-Player/) Price Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Related categories [Virtual Machine](https://www.capterra.com/virtual-machine-software/)[VDI](https://www.capterra.com/vdi-software/)