Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

QEMU VS Proton

Compare QEMU VS Proton and see what are their differences

QEMU logo QEMU

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

Proton logo Proton

Compatibility tool for Steam Play based on Wine and additional components
  • QEMU Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-14
  • Proton Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-27

QEMU features and specs

  • Open Source
    QEMU is completely open-source, meaning it is free to use and its source code is available for modification and improvement by the community.
  • Platform Support
    QEMU supports a wide range of architectures and platforms, allowing users to emulate systems from x86 to ARM and beyond.
  • Performance
    When used with KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), QEMU offers near-native performance for virtual machines on x86 hardware.
  • Flexibility
    QEMU can be used for a variety of tasks, such as running virtual machines, debugging, or even virtualization for embedded systems.
  • Integration
    QEMU integrates well with other systems and tools, making it a versatile component in large, complex setups (e.g., OpenStack).

Possible disadvantages of QEMU

  • Complexity
    The vast array of features and configuration options can make QEMU overwhelming and difficult to set up for beginners.
  • Performance Overhead
    Without the use of KVM or other hardware acceleration, QEMU's performance can be significantly slower compared to other hypervisors.
  • Limited GUI
    QEMU primarily operates via command-line interface, which might not be user-friendly for individuals who prefer graphical user interfaces.
  • Sparse Documentation
    While improving, some parts of QEMU's documentation remain sparse or difficult to understand, which can pose challenges during advanced configurations or troubleshooting.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple instances of QEMU can be resource-intensive on the host system, which may affect overall performance.

Proton features and specs

  • Improved Game Compatibility
    Proton allows Windows games to be played on Linux, significantly increasing the library of games available for Linux users.
  • Integrated with Steam
    Since it is developed by Valve, Proton is seamlessly integrated into the Steam client, making it easy for users to run games without complicated configurations.
  • Open Source
    Proton is open-source, allowing the community to contribute to its development and quickly address bugs or issues.
  • Regular Updates
    Proton is frequently updated to support more games and improve performance and compatibility with existing titles.
  • Performance Optimization
    Proton includes performance optimizations that can sometimes result in Windows games running better on Linux through Proton than they do natively on Windows.

Possible disadvantages of Proton

  • Inconsistent Game Support
    Not all Windows games work perfectly with Proton, and some may have performance issues or not run at all on Linux.
  • Limited Support for Anti-Cheat Systems
    Many anti-cheat systems used in multiplayer games are not compatible with Proton, preventing some games from being playable online.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running some games through Proton can be more resource-intensive than running them natively, possibly requiring more powerful hardware.
  • Dependency on Steam
    Proton is tied to the Steam ecosystem, which may not be ideal for users who prefer other distribution platforms or DRM-free games.
  • Complex Troubleshooting
    When issues arise, troubleshooting can be complex and may require technical knowledge, especially when dealing with compatibility problems.

QEMU videos

What is QEMU?

More videos:

  • Review - Creating Virtual Machines in QEMU | Virt-manager | KVM
  • Review - Community Code Review & QEMU

Proton videos

Proton Iriz 2017 Review Indonesia | OtoDriver

More videos:

  • Review - FIRST DRIVE: 2019 Proton Saga facelift review - from RM32,800
  • Review - FIRST DRIVE: 2020 Proton X70 CKD review - now with Volvo 7DCT, RM95k to RM123k

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to QEMU and Proton)
Cloud Computing
75 75%
25% 25
Gaming
0 0%
100% 100
Virtualization
100 100%
0% 0
Group Chat & Notifications

User comments

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Reviews

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

QEMU Reviews

15 Lutris Alternatives
QEMU is a piece of open-source software for simulating hardware. It lets users of one operating system (OS) use apps made for another. The virtualization software could then be put on these host operating systems. It enables computers with one OS to use software made for a different OS. With the help of dynamic translation, users can do well in what they do. This software is...
Best Alternatives of VirtualBox for Windows
Short for Quick Emulator, QEMU is another free and open source virtualization solution for a variety of operating systems. While it is immensely powerful, it is also one of the least user friendly out there. QEMU offers a host of advanced capabilities and features that others of the same genre fall short of, including a wide variety of architectures in place of the...
10 Best VMware Alternatives and Similar Software
QEMU also allows users to run applications from other computers from within their operating system. QEMU’s great performance is ensured via a dynamic translation.
12 Best FREE Virtual Machine (VM) Software in 2020
QEMU is another popular emulator and virtualization machine, which is a short form of Quick Emulator. This system is written in C language.
Source: www.guru99.com
7 VirtualBox Alternatives You Can Consider
QEMU stands for “quick emulator” which is a highly capable open source and free virtualization software. It has support for Windows, Linux, and macOS as a guest and can also run on all three host platforms. Installing it is comparatively easier but gets a bit complicated while using it. While it doesn’t need a high configuration PC to run. To run your guest OS on the virtual...

Proton Reviews

15 Lutris Alternatives
Because of a compatibility layer called Proton, Linux users can now play games made for Windows in the first place. The program comes with patches and libraries that can create a wide range of Windows games that run better and work better with them. This app can be used to play most games, and you can even use it on Linux hardware. The software has many features and...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, QEMU seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 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.

QEMU mentions (3)

  • Podman and production use
    Qemu.org, wiki.qemu.org, patchew.org, kvm-forum.qemu.org are all Podman containers on the same machine (running CentOS Stream 9) with an nginx front-end. Nginx and certbot are the only two things that run outside containers. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • From WampServer, to Vagrant, to QEMU
    As someone who enjoys playing video games, and a recent convert to Linux, I was well aware of the derth of support for games. I was also aware of some of the solutions, one of those being GPU passthrough to this thing called QEMU. QEMU is a fast and lightweight machine emulator and virtualizer. This was of course something that interested me, so I went about exploring QEMU and playing with it. When I first started... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Premium fonts on Linux
    Install the windows-version using https://WineHQ.org or put in an a VM, like https://qemu.org/. Source: almost 3 years ago

Proton mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Proton yet. Tracking of Proton recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing QEMU and Proton, you can also consider the following products

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

Wine - Open Source Software for running Windows applications on other operating systems.

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

CodeWeavers CrossOver - Don't buy a Windows license, don't reboot and don't use a Virtual Machine. Try a free trial of CrossOver to run your Windows software on Mac, Linux and Chrome OS.

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.

PlayOnLinux - PlayOnLinux will allow you to play your favorite games on Linux easily