Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VirtualBox VS Proxmox VE

Compare VirtualBox VS Proxmox VE and see what are their differences

VirtualBox logo VirtualBox

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

Proxmox VE logo 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.
  • VirtualBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17
  • Proxmox VE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16

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.

Proxmox VE features and specs

  • Open-Source
    Proxmox VE is completely open-source, allowing users to inspect, modify, and distribute the software as needed. This fosters a large community and encourages collaboration and transparency.
  • Cost-Effective
    There are no licensing fees for Proxmox VE, making it a cost-effective solution for enterprises, small businesses, and home labs.
  • Comprehensive Feature Set
    Proxmox VE offers a wide range of features, including clustering, KVM and LXC virtualization, high availability, backups, and integrated disaster recovery.
  • Integrated Web-Based GUI
    It provides a powerful and user-friendly web interface for managing VMs, containers, storage, and network configurations, which reduces administration complexity.
  • Enterprise Support Options
    While the software itself is free, Proxmox VE offers paid support plans that provide professional assistance, updates, and enhancements.
  • Scalability
    Proxmox VE supports clustering, allowing users to scale their virtualized environments across multiple physical servers with ease.

Possible disadvantages of Proxmox VE

  • Learning Curve
    For users new to virtualization or Linux-based systems, there may be a significant learning curve to fully utilize Proxmox VE’s features.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Though generally broad, some specific hardware might not be fully supported, requiring additional configuration or workarounds.
  • Community-Based Support
    Free support is generally community-based, which can sometimes lead to less timely or reliable assistance compared to paid, vendor-provided support.
  • Updating and Upgrading
    While updates and upgrades are regular, they might occasionally introduce compatibility issues or require manual intervention.
  • Feature Gaps with Proprietary Solutions
    Even though Proxmox VE is feature-rich, there might be specific advanced features available in proprietary solutions (like VMware vSphere) that Proxmox VE lacks.
  • Integration with Third-Party Tools
    Integrating Proxmox VE with certain third-party tools and systems can sometimes be challenging, necessitating custom solutions or additional configurations.

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)

Proxmox VE videos

Proxmox Virtual Environment 5.2 - Review and Installation

More videos:

  • Review - Homelab / Office Lab Open Source Virtualization XCP-NG & Proxmox Compared
  • Tutorial - Virtualize Everything! - Proxmox Install Tutorial
  • Review - Proxmox VE Full Course: Class 1 - Getting Started

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VirtualBox and Proxmox VE)
Cloud Computing
41 41%
59% 59
Virtualization
54 54%
46% 46
Virtual Machine Management
Virtualization Platform
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 VirtualBox and Proxmox VE

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....

Proxmox VE Reviews

Explore Top VestaCP Alternative: Find the Perfect Control Panel for Your Hosting Needs
Proxmox Virtual Environment is an extensive and user-centric Open Source virtualization platform designed specifically for managing Virtual Appliances and Virtual Machines with ease. This formidable solution seamlessly integrates the KVM hypervisor and LXC containers, along with software-defined storage and networking functionalities, within a unified structure. Proxmox VE...
Source: cyberpanel.net
10 Best VMware Alternatives and Similar Software
Proxmox runs on a modified Linux Kernel that is based on Debian Linux/GNU. You can run Linux and Windows under VMs using Proxmox, with each VM having its own virtualized hardware and components. Proxmox is best for personal servers, whereas VMware is best for businesses.
Best Server Virtualization Software for 2021
Proxmox is a lower-cost alternative to Red Hat in Linux-rich environments. It has carved out a niche in Germany and other parts of Europe, particularly among SMBs with IT staff experienced in open source software. Its combination of server virtualization, containers and software defined storage in one product makes it especially attractive to organizations wishing to...
12 Best FREE Virtual Machine (VM) Software in 2020
Proxmox VE is another platform for virtualization. It helps you to integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers and networking functionality on a single platform.
Source: www.guru99.com
Best Server Virtualization Software
Like Red Hat, Proxmox VE has earned a reputation as a reliable and effective virtualization tool for Linux workloads and environments. Proxmox is known for bringing server virtualization, containerization, and software-defined storage capabilities to a single, open-source product, making it a direct competitor to Virtuozzo.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VirtualBox should be more popular than Proxmox VE. 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

Proxmox VE mentions (9)

  • Adventures in Homelabbing: From Cloud Obsession to Self-Hosted Shenanigans
    Now that I know I do enjoy homelabbing, I have moved forward with purchasing the last computer parts I need for a basic home server before these tariffs skyrocket the prices even further. For that machine, I will most likely set up Proxmox, and either set up CasaOS on the mini PC or set it up as a node in a Proxmox cluster to serve as a sandbox environment. - Source: dev.to / 21 days ago
  • Setting up the home lab: Terraform
    When I worked for CBS, I discovered Terraform, which is tool that allows you do define infrastructure as code ("IaC"). I just recently purchased a home lab server (the details of how I have that set up will be discussed in a future article) and installed Proxmox on it. I'd like to improve my DevOps skills, so I thought I'd play with Terraform for my home lab. Eventually I'd like to get my entire home... - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • VMware Kills Off 56 Products
    Proxmox [1] will see a boost in popularity, good. I'm using the free version in combination with the backup server on both small (several RasPi 4's spread over several countres running the 'PiMox' [2] port) as well as medium (DL380) sized systems and find it to be a stable as well as practical platform. [1] https://proxmox.com/en/ [2] https://github.com/pimox/pimox7. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Deadbolt & QVPN (OpenVPN)
    Have a look at Proxmox if you decide on running containers and have any old hardware laying around. Source: about 2 years ago
  • A little help with table structure?
    Hey everyone! I'm making a server management panel with Laravel using Proxmox (https://proxmox.com/en/) as the API for directly managing the virtual machines. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VirtualBox and Proxmox VE, 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.

vSphere - Get started with VMware vSphere editions, the world’s leading server virtualization platform and the best foundation for your apps, your cloud, and your business.

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

Hyper-V - Install Hyper-V on Windows 10

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.

OpenNebula - OpenNebula is an Open Source Cloud & Edge Computing Platform to build & manage Enterprise Clouds. OpenNebula provides unified management of IT infrastructure, avoiding vendor lock-in & reducing complexity, resource consumption, & operational costs 🚀