Oracle VM VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a general purpose full virtualization product for x86_64 hardware, maintained by Oracle and distributed as open source. From version 7.1 it additionally supports macOS on Arm, and from version 7.2 Windows on Arm, which extends it onto the Arm based laptops that have become common.

Its breadth of use is what distinguishes it from the server hypervisors it is often listed beside. The project describes itself as targeted at laptop, desktop, server and embedded use, and in practice most of its users run it on a workstation to host development environments, test operating systems or run software that needs a different platform from the host. It is a type 2 hypervisor running on top of an existing operating system, rather than a bare metal platform.

That difference matters when comparing it against data centre virtualization products. VirtualBox does not aim at clustering, shared storage or high availability across a fleet of hosts, and evaluating it as though it did will disappoint. What it offers instead is a virtualization layer that installs on a machine someone is already using, with no dedicated hardware required.

Being open source and free for both personal and enterprise use removes the licensing question entirely for most deployments. The project publishes binaries and platform packages for the major host operating systems, along with user manuals and community forums with access to test builds.