VM Tools
A hypervisor runs the VM on top of your host OS. There are several. Pick one that fits your hardware and OS.
Options
VirtualBox
Free. Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux). The most widely used option for beginners.
- Works on almost any hardware
- Solid snapshot support
- Slightly worse performance than VMware
- Download
VMware Workstation Pro / Fusion
VMware Workstation runs on Windows and Linux. VMware Fusion runs on macOS. Both are free for personal use now.
- Better performance than VirtualBox
- Better USB and GPU passthrough
- More polished UI
- VMware Workstation | VMware Fusion
UTM (macOS)
The best option for Apple Silicon Macs. Runs ARM and x86 VMs on QEMU.
- Free
- Native Apple Silicon support
- Slightly more setup than VirtualBox
- Download
QEMU/KVM (Linux)
QEMU is a raw emulator. KVM is the Linux kernel’s virtualization module. Together they are very powerful and very manual.
- High performance
- No GUI by default — configure from the terminal or use
virt-manager - Best for users already comfortable with Linux
- QEMU docs | virt-manager
Proxmox VE
A hypervisor built for running on a dedicated server or homelab machine. Not for running on your laptop.
- Free, open source
- Web-based management UI
- Supports both VMs and containers (LXC)
- proxmox.com
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Platform | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| VirtualBox | All | Free | Beginners |
| VMware Workstation | Win/Linux | Free (personal) | Intermediate |
| VMware Fusion | macOS | Free (personal) | macOS users |
| UTM | macOS | Free | Apple Silicon |
| QEMU/KVM | Linux | Free | Power users |
| Proxmox | Dedicated server | Free | Homelab |
How the Club Uses This
TODO: Add which hypervisor the club standardizes on for lab sessions and competitions.