Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

bochs VS VirtualBox

Compare bochs VS VirtualBox and see what are their differences

bochs logo bochs

Bochs IA-32 Emulator provides a virtual PC that can run operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and BSD.

VirtualBox logo VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as...
  • bochs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-06
  • VirtualBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17

bochs features and specs

  • Portability
    Bochs is highly portable and can run on a wide variety of platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, and various UNIX systems, making it accessible to a broad user base.
  • Emulation Flexibility
    Bochs is capable of emulating x86 architecture CPUs, including Intel and AMD, allowing users to run and test software designed for these processors even if they are using a different architecture.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Bochs offers transparency and the ability for users and developers to contribute to its development, modify the source code, and adapt it to their specific needs.
  • Extensive Debugging Support
    Bochs includes built-in debugging tools, which can be invaluable for developers and testers who need to diagnose and fix software issues at the emulated CPU level.

Possible disadvantages of bochs

  • Performance
    Bochs tends to be slower compared to virtualization solutions because it fully emulates the x86 hardware rather than virtualizing it, leading to slower execution times.
  • Complex Setup
    The setup and configuration of Bochs can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not familiar with emulation or the specifics of the x86 architecture.
  • Limited Graphics and Audio Support
    Bochs has limited support for advanced graphics and audio compared to more modern virtualization solutions, which can be a drawback for users needing to run graphically intensive applications.
  • Resource Intensive
    Bochs can be quite resource-intensive, consuming significant CPU and memory resources which might impact the performance of the host system.

VirtualBox features and specs

  • Open Source
    VirtualBox is open-source software, which means it is freely available for personal and commercial use. Users can access and modify the source code, enhancing flexibility and customization.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    VirtualBox supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Solaris, making it highly versatile and suitable for various environments.
  • Ease of Use
    VirtualBox offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for both beginners and experienced users to create and manage virtual machines.
  • Snapshot Feature
    VirtualBox allows users to take snapshots of their virtual machines, enabling them to save the current state and revert back to it if necessary, which is useful for testing and debugging.
  • Guest Additions
    VirtualBox provides Guest Additions that enhance the performance and usability of guest operating systems. Features include shared folders, clipboard sharing, and improved graphics performance.

Possible disadvantages of VirtualBox

  • Performance Overhead
    VirtualBox may introduce performance overhead compared to running software directly on physical hardware. This can affect the speed and responsiveness of the virtual machines.
  • Limited 3D Graphics Support
    The 3D graphics support in VirtualBox is not as robust as some other virtualization solutions, which may be a limitation for users requiring heavy graphical applications.
  • Lack of Enterprise-Level Features
    While VirtualBox is suitable for personal and small-scale use, it may lack some advanced features and scalability options required for large enterprise environments.
  • Complex Network Setup
    Setting up complex networking configurations in VirtualBox can be challenging and may require additional knowledge and effort.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple virtual machines in VirtualBox can be resource-intensive, potentially leading to system slowdowns if the host machine does not have sufficient CPU and memory resources.

bochs videos

bochs review 3

More videos:

  • Review - Bochs Emulator Windows 95 Korean On Android Running Review
  • Review - Bochs Review on iPod Part 2 FINALE

VirtualBox videos

VirtualBox vs VMware Player - In-Depth Comparison on Ubuntu 18.04

More videos:

  • Review - Oracle VM VirtualBox Review (Real User: Erik Benner)
  • Tutorial - How to Use VirtualBox (Beginners Guide)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to bochs and VirtualBox)
Cloud Computing
15 15%
85% 85
Virtualization
12 12%
88% 88
Virtual Machine Management
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User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare bochs and VirtualBox

bochs Reviews

15 Lutris Alternatives
Bochs's C++ program is an Intel Architecture 32 (x86) PC. It is free to use and works with a lot of different systems. Emulation is done for the standard Intel x86 CPU, several I/O devices, and a BIOS that the user sets. It can be compiled to behave like a wide range of x86 central processing units (CPUs), from the first 386 computers to the newest x86-64 Intel and AMD...

VirtualBox Reviews

Best Alternatives of VirtualBox for Windows
I’m sure you can appreciate the irony in the name of this program, but this is also a very accurate description of what Portable-VirtualBox is. In essence, this free and open source program is VirtualBox and does not need to be installed, making it useful even if it is contained on a USB drive. Portable-VirtualBox works by virtually downloading and installing VirtualBox on...
10 Best VMware Alternatives and Similar Software
VirtualBox now supports a broad number of guest operating systems and operates on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Solaris hosts. VirtualBox is constantly evolving, with regular patches and an ever-growing list of features, and it supports various OSs and platforms.
12 Best FREE Virtual Machine (VM) Software in 2020
VirtualBox is an open-source hypervisor for x86 computers. This tool supports the creation and management of virtual machines. It runs on Windows, Linux, BSD, and others.
Source: www.guru99.com
What are the Top Most Open Source Virtualization Software?
VirtualBox provides full virtualization for any operating system to run in a virtual environment with all the software installed within, abstracted from the existing operating system.
7 VirtualBox Alternatives You Can Consider
There are lots of virtualization software out there that let you run multiple applications from different platforms in the same hardware. One of them is VirtualBox by Oracle Corporation. VirtualBox is an open source and freeware that lets users create a virtual environment to run a different operating system on the same machine. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris....

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VirtualBox should be more popular than bochs. It has been mentiond 32 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

bochs mentions (6)

  • Ask HN: Where can I find a primer on how computers boot?
    The following is a pretty decent historical page about the pre-(U)EFI MBR (Master Boot Record) boot process: https://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/STDMBR.htm Note that EFI/UEFI -- occurred much later in time than MBR... Related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record You might also wish to check out some emulators, most notably Bochs (https://bochs.sourceforge.io/) and QEMU (https://www.qemu.org/)... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Can anyone recommend some good free tools for programming, debugging, and virtualization on Ubuntu?
    With both of those you can make some really nice DOS programs. Which you can then run in bochs (not virtualized, but an emulator. Close enough :) ). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Should I disable any modules for security reasons?
    Are you sure that module isn't just called bochs? It is a DRM driver for a graphics device provided by the Bochs emulator. Source: over 3 years ago
  • is vmware 16 workstation player real? (vmware.com)
    There are other projects out there that can do that kind of emulation though. You might look into QEMU and Bochs. Https://bochs.sourceforge.io/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Where can I start with os development?
    However, most of these are rather old since they mention floppy drives and the legacy BIOS. If your machine is very recent, it's possible the code won't even work. Ou can still use Bochs, qemu, or VirtualBox to run it, if you insist. Source: over 3 years ago
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VirtualBox mentions (32)

  • Barbie Secret Agent game for Mac
    Also, if your sister has an Intel Mac instead of an M1 Mac, I highly suggest VirtualBox and setting up something like Windows XP on that instead of Windows 11-- the steps will be pretty similar, and VirtualBox is free. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Is virtualbox.org down?
    I am unable to reach any page within the virtualbox.org domain including forums, but I can't find any post online about others having this issue. Is there a known problem at virtualbox.org or should I look locally? I usually get the error 502 - Bad Gateway. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Multipass: Ubuntu Virtual Machines Made Easy
    Some of these tools include Oracle VM VirtualBox (that I've used since before the acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle), VMWare Workstation Player, and QEMU, but last year, I found out about Multipass. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Can I use a Mac?
    You can use a Mac, then use Parallels or Virtual Box for any virtual machines you might need(I prefer Parallels). There are Educational versions of Windows amongst other Microsoft products available to you through NJIT. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Will anyone continue on debian 11?
    I thought Debian doesn't have VB packages? Or are you the talking about the ones from http://virtualbox.org web site? Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing bochs and VirtualBox, you can also consider the following products

QEMU - QEMU (short for "Quick EMUlator") is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor that...

VMware Workstation - VMware Workstation is a multiple operating system handler to easily evaluate the any other type of new operating systems.

Portable Virtualbox - Portable-VirtualBox is a free and open source software tool that lets you run any operating system from a usb stick without separate installation. Installation instructions. Download and run Portable-VirtualBox_v5.

Proxmox VE - Proxmox is an open-source server virtualization management solution that offers the ability to manage virtual server technology with the Linux OpenVZ and KVM technology.

QEMU Manager - It is a GUI for the open-source virtualization software QEMU.

Hyper-V - Install Hyper-V on Windows 10