Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Portable Virtualbox VS MobaLiveCD

Compare Portable Virtualbox VS MobaLiveCD and see what are their differences

Portable Virtualbox logo 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.

MobaLiveCD logo MobaLiveCD

Test your LiveCD on Windows without burning it to a physical CD-Rom
  • Portable Virtualbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18
  • MobaLiveCD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-17

Portable Virtualbox features and specs

  • Portability
    Portable VirtualBox allows you to run virtual machines from a USB stick or other removable media, making it easy to carry your virtual working environment with you.
  • No Installation Required
    The portable version doesn't require installation on the host machine, which is useful for users who don’t have administrative privileges or do not want to modify the host system.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Portable VirtualBox can be used on multiple operating systems, allowing for greater flexibility in where and how you use it.
  • Isolation
    Running virtual machines in a portable format ensures isolation from the host system, increasing security by reducing the risk of malware affecting the host.
  • Consistency
    Using the same virtual machine across different environments ensures a consistent working and development environment.

Possible disadvantages of Portable Virtualbox

  • Performance Overhead
    Running virtual machines from a USB stick can result in slower performance compared to running them directly from an installed version on the host system.
  • Limited USB Write Speed
    The read/write speeds of USB drives can significantly bottleneck performance, especially for I/O-intensive tasks within the virtualized environment.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    The portable version may lack some advanced features and integrations available in the fully installed version of VirtualBox.
  • Driver Issues
    Depending on the host system, there may be driver compatibility issues that can affect the functionality and stability of the portable virtual machine.
  • Data Loss Risk
    Since the virtual machine is run off removable media, there is a higher risk of data loss or corruption if the media gets damaged or disconnected improperly.

MobaLiveCD features and specs

  • Portability
    MobaLiveCD allows users to run a live CD or USB from Windows without installing additional software, making it highly portable and easy to use on different systems.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface is user-friendly, allowing even those with limited technical knowledge to test ISO files directly from their machines.
  • No Installation Required
    Because it uses QEMU, a free emulator, MobaLiveCD doesn't require installation and can run standalone, reducing clutter on the host system.
  • Freeware
    MobaLiveCD is freely available to download and use, making it accessible to everyone who needs a quick solution for testing live CDs and USBs.

Possible disadvantages of MobaLiveCD

  • Performance
    Emulating an operating system can be slower and less responsive than running it directly on hardware, which might impact performance.
  • Limited Features
    Compared to other virtualization solutions, MobaLiveCD offers limited features and options for more advanced users.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some users may face compatibility issues with certain ISO files or systems, limiting its use cases.
  • Lack of Updates
    The tool does not receive frequent updates, which could lead to potential security vulnerabilities and compatibility problems with newer technologies.

Analysis of Portable Virtualbox

Overall verdict

  • While it offers the convenience of portability, Portable VirtualBox can sometimes be less stable and have performance drawbacks compared to a fully installed version of VirtualBox. It is suitable for light to moderate virtual machine usage but may not be ideal for resource-intensive applications.

Why this product is good

  • Portable VirtualBox (vbox.me) allows users to run a complete operating system installation from a USB drive without the need for installation on the host machine. This is beneficial for those who need consistent environments across different computers or want to test different OS configurations without affecting the host system.

Recommended for

    Portable VirtualBox is recommended for developers, IT professionals, and tech enthusiasts who need a portable and flexible solution for running virtual machines on different hardware without installation. It's also suitable for students and learners who want to experiment with different operating systems in a non-permanent environment.

Portable Virtualbox videos

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MobaLiveCD videos

MobaLiveCD Run Bootable USB on Windows

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Portable Virtualbox and MobaLiveCD)
Cloud Computing
76 76%
24% 24
Virtualization
68 68%
32% 32
Virtual Machine Management
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Portable Virtualbox and MobaLiveCD

Portable Virtualbox Reviews

15 Lutris Alternatives
With Portable-VirtualBox, a free and open-source program, you can start any operating system straight from a USB stick. It gives you a lot of freedom in how you use the hard drive and keeps you from filling up the disc, which is especially helpful if you are using someone else's computer. Defaults are now made automatically. It makes VirtualBox portable by extracting the...
7 VirtualBox Alternatives You Can Consider
Due to its limitation, it will not support bridged networking i.e connecting a guest OS to a network on the host system through its network adapter is not possible. Therefore, you need a virtual network adaptor in order to do that. Portable-VirtualBox is highly configurable and supports following virtual guest operating systems: Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista....
7 Best VirtualBox Alternatives You Can Use
I’m sure you can appreciate the irony in the name of this program, but this is also a very apt description of what Portable-VirtualBox is. In essence, this free and open source program is VirtualBox that you don’t need to essentially install, thereby making it useful even if it’s contained in a USB drive. Portable-VirtualBox works by downloading and virtually installing...
Source: beebom.com

MobaLiveCD Reviews

7 Best VirtualBox Alternatives You Can Use
Our final entrant on this list is one freeware specific to running Linux virtual machine on a Windows environment without the shackles of installation. As the name suggests, MobaLiveCD allows running a Linux LiveCD for testing and emulation purposes on any Windows machine. It utilizes QEMU as the engine for emulation of the virtual environment, and frees you up from having...
Source: beebom.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Portable Virtualbox and MobaLiveCD, you can also consider the following products

VirtualBox - VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as...

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.

Qemu Simple Boot - It is a generic machine emulator and virtualizer.

Parallels Desktop - Parallels Desktop 10 is a hardware and operating system virtualization program designed for the users of Mac Operating System to enjoy the most of the versions of Windows operating systems in their machine.

SALTSTACK Configuration Tool - SALTSTACK Configuration Tool allows you to manage your infrastructure that is built on a dynamic communication bus.