Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

VirtualBox VS XCP-ng

Compare VirtualBox VS XCP-ng and see what are their differences

VirtualBox logo VirtualBox

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

XCP-ng logo XCP-ng

A fully open source and community backed alternative, with all current commercial features enabled...
  • VirtualBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17
  • XCP-ng Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-04

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.

XCP-ng features and specs

  • Open Source
    XCP-ng is an open-source virtualization platform, allowing for transparent access to its source code, fostering community collaboration and reducing vendor lock-in.
  • Enterprise Features
    It offers advanced virtualization features such as live migration, resource pooling, and snapshots, which are comparable to proprietary solutions.
  • Active Community
    XCP-ng has a vibrant community and effective peer support, providing regular updates, rapid troubleshooting, and a wealth of shared knowledge.
  • Xen Hypervisor
    Built on the Xen hypervisor, XCP-ng benefits from the robust security and stability that Xen is known for, making it suitable for both small and large-scale deployments.
  • Cost-Effective
    Being open source with enterprise-grade features, XCP-ng provides a cost-effective alternative to other virtualization platforms, eliminating the need for expensive licensing fees.
  • Compatibility
    XCP-ng supports multiple operating systems and is compatible with a variety of hardware configurations, offering flexibility for diverse infrastructure setups.

Possible disadvantages of XCP-ng

  • Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with Xen-based virtualization, XCP-ng can present a steep learning curve, potentially requiring time and effort to become proficient.
  • Limited Official Support
    While there is a strong community, official support options from XCP-ng developers can be limited compared to some enterprise virtualization solutions.
  • Third-Party Tool Dependence
    Certain advanced functionalities may require third-party tools or additional configuration, adding complexity to the setup and management process.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    Although generally compatible, XCP-ng may face issues with certain niche or very new hardware, potentially requiring workarounds or driver updates.
  • GUI Limitations
    Some users may find the graphical user interface less intuitive or lacking in features compared to more mature proprietary solutions, leading to a preference for command-line management.

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)

XCP-ng videos

Homelab / Office Lab Open Source Virtualization XCP-NG & Proxmox Compared

More videos:

  • Review - XCP-NG / Xen Orchestra VS Vmware and Why We Choose It For Our Clients

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VirtualBox and XCP-ng)
Cloud Computing
70 70%
30% 30
Virtualization
83 83%
17% 17
Virtual Machine Management
Virtualization Platform
58 58%
42% 42

User comments

Share your experience with using VirtualBox and XCP-ng. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

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....

XCP-ng Reviews

We have no reviews of XCP-ng yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

XCP-ng might be a bit more popular than VirtualBox. We know about 37 links to it since March 2021 and only 32 links to VirtualBox. 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

XCP-ng mentions (37)

  • Seeking Community Feedback: Help Shape Vates' Partner Program
    Our developments include a Hypervisor (XCP-ng) and a Cloud Automation solution (XenOrchestra). Combined, these, alongside excellent first-party support and various tooling, form the Vates Virtualization Management Stack (or VMS). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Moved a VM between nodes - I'm buzzing!
    Check out xcp-ng, a free and open source version of xenserver. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Found this group and I have a home lab :-)
    You might be interested in XCP-NG. You can easily spin up Windows and Linux VMs. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What are your self hosted apps you're using for your business?
    OPNsense - Firewall XCP-ng - Host System for VMs Rport - Remote Management/Access Wahzu - Security Platform Xen Orchestra - Webinterface for XCP. I use the open source variant. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Revamping HomeLab - Can you Help?
    Whatever you're most comfortable with. There's proxmox (Debian Linux), xcp-ng (Xenserver), vmware esxi, Hyper-V (Windows), harvester (SUSE Linux), or even just plain ol linux with cockpit (Linux) installed for easy management. If you're asking what I'm using, I'm actually trying to use them all, so I currently don't have a preference myself. But I would use these hypervisors to manage the VM. I would run Docker in... Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VirtualBox and XCP-ng, 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.

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

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 🚀

c12n.cloud - 100% Open Source based cloud solution for your own private IaaS based on OpenStack, Kubernetes and Ceph

Hyper-V - Install Hyper-V on Windows 10