Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VirtualBox VS coLinux

Compare VirtualBox VS coLinux and see what are their differences

VirtualBox logo VirtualBox

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

coLinux logo coLinux

Cooperative Linux is the first working free and open source method for optimally running Linux on Microsoft Windows natively.
  • VirtualBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17
  • coLinux Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-24

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.

coLinux features and specs

  • Open Source
    coLinux is open-source software, allowing users to freely access, modify, and distribute the source code under the GNU General Public License, fostering a community of users and developers.
  • Integration with Windows
    coLinux enables Linux to run natively alongside Windows, facilitating a seamless integration that allows users to run Linux applications without needing a separate virtual machine.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Compared to full virtual machines, coLinux typically uses fewer system resources, making it a lighter alternative for running Linux applications on Windows.
  • Performance
    Because it shares the Windows kernel, coLinux can offer better performance compared to other methods of virtualization that may suffer from overhead.

Possible disadvantages of coLinux

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up coLinux can be complex and is not as user-friendly as other virtualization solutions, often requiring manual configuration and technical knowledge.
  • Limited Support
    coLinux has limited support for certain modern hardware and software, and its development has slowed down significantly, which might result in compatibility issues with newer systems.
  • Security Concerns
    Since coLinux shares the Windows kernel, any security vulnerabilities in Windows could potentially affect the coLinux environment as well.
  • Updates and Maintenance
    The project is no longer actively developed or maintained, meaning users might encounter unpatched bugs or a lack of new features.

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)

coLinux videos

coLinux + Ubuntu installation tutorial

More videos:

  • Review - Install coLinux in 2 minutes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VirtualBox and coLinux)
Cloud Computing
94 94%
6% 6
Virtualization
92 92%
8% 8
Virtual Machine Management
Linux
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using VirtualBox and coLinux. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

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....

coLinux Reviews

7 VirtualBox Alternatives You Can Consider
CoLinux has better hardware virtualization and portability method which helps it to run guest OS smoothly. It is a free and open source software to run Linux based operating systems. CoLinux will only run on following Windows version: Windows XP, 2000, Vista, and 7 with 32 bit CPU. You will need to download and install WinPCap as it needs the WinPCap library for ethernet...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VirtualBox seems to be more popular. 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.

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

coLinux mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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

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.

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.

Hyper-V - Install Hyper-V on Windows 10

MobaLiveCD - Test your LiveCD on Windows without burning it to a physical CD-Rom