QEMU vs. VirtualBox: Which Is the Best Solution for Your Virtual Machine?

Should you consider QEMU or VirtualBox for your next virtual machine project? Here's a detailed comparison.

QEMU or VirtualBox is a difficult decision to make. You might have heard that QEMU is more powerful than VirtualBox. QEMU might also intimidate you because of how difficult it is rumored to be. It's easy to wonder a few things: what is QEMU, what is VirtualBox, and how can you decide between them?

QEMU and VirtualBox are both similar hypervisors, but they both offer completely different strengths when it comes to features like ease of setup and performance. Here's a full comparison of QEMU and VirtualBox.

When deciding on QEMU vs. VirtualBox, one of the most important factors you should consider is the ease of setup. If you are a novice in virtualization, using a simple application will allow you to accomplish your goals and even troubleshoot your VM without frustration.

You may find QEMU difficult to set up if you don’t have much experience with virtualization. To start, you should verify that your host system has a compatible operating system and processor. Afterward, download QEMU from the official website or install the application through your package manager.

VirtualBox is very easy to set up by comparison. You can start with VirtualBox by downloading and installing the application directly from the Oracle VirtualBox website. Once you've installed the program, you can create a virtual machine and configure its hardware settings in just a few simple steps.

Ease of VM installation and launch is an important factor for novices who want to work with QEMU or VirtualBox. Advanced users might also enjoy a simpler program for its ease of use.

VM installation and launch is easier in VirtualBox than it is in QEMU.

You will need to undertake a slightly complicated process to run a VM with QEMU. After installing QEMU/KVM and verifying that the libvirtd daemon is running, you will need to launch Virtual Machine Manager or any other GUI tool of your choice. You will need to configure a new machine with an ISO image and allow the hypervisor to finalize the installation of your new virtual machine.

It is easier for many users to install and launch a VM with VirtualBox. Rather than using a GUI tool, you will use VirtualBox directly as you configure a new virtual machine with an ISO image of your choice. VirtualBox simplifies the configuration process, so you will only need to answer a few questions before your new VM is installed.

You should factor in VM portability when choosing KVM QEMU vs. VirtualBox if you anticipate distributing an image or using a huge variety of images. QEMU is much more versatile than VirtualBox in terms of image file type support, but you will still be able to work with most image files using VirtualBox.

QEMU supports several image types, including RAW, cloop, cow, qcow, qcow2, VMDK, VDI, VHDX, and VPC. The native format on QEMU is qcow2, but its wide range of supported image types allows the program to be very versatile. You can convert between image types using the qemu-img convert command.

VirtualBox supports VDI, VMDK, VHD, and HDD image files. While VirtualBox does not have the same level of portability as QEMU, it has a sufficient amount of image type support that makes VirtualBox VMs mostly portable. You can use the VBoxImage CLI utility to change the file type of an image if needed.

Generally, virtual machines lack access to host files because they run as isolated containers. Some hypervisors allow virtual machines to access host files when configured properly. Luckily, you can configure both VirtualBox and QEMU to have access to the host filesystem if you need easy access to certain files.

You can share files from the host filesystem with QEMU VMs by accessing the related settings in your GUI application of choice. If you’re using virt-manager, open the powered-off virtual machine and click to add a file system in the Filesystem tab. Enter your desired file path and click Finish to finalize the new settings.

It’s equally simple to access files from the host filesystem with VirtualBox. You will need to select the settings of your virtual machine before accessing Shared Folders in the left pane. Click on the file icon and access the directory that you would like the VM to have access to through the Folder Path field.

Finally, check off Auto-mount the folder so that you will have immediate access and save your new configuration. You will be able to find the shared files in the /media directory of a Linux VM or as a network location in the This PC section of a Windows virtual machine.

You should keep performance in mind while choosing between VirtualBox and QEMU. If your virtual machine runs too slowly, you may find it frustrating to use. Both QEMU and VirtualBox are similar type 2 hypervisors. Overall, QEMU runs faster than VirtualBox.

Because it is a type 2 hypervisor, QEMU will rely on software emulation when you use it to run a virtual machine. While you might find it slightly less efficient than a type 1 hypervisor, it’s worth noting that QEMU is still considered to be one of the most efficient software-based virtualization programs.

QEMU Linux is faster than VirtualBox because it directly integrates KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine). If you want to improve VirtualBox’s performance, you can access the Acceleration tab in the VirtualBox settings to adjust how it runs VMs. You should consider configuring VirtualBox to use KVM.

You should consider compatibility and versatility when selecting a hypervisor so that you aren’t stuck with compatibility issues in the future. Both QEMU and VirtualBox have strengths in different areas, so you may find that one is better than the other for your own needs.

VirtualBox is better than QEMU in terms of operating system compatibility. VirtualBox can run effectively on Windows, macOS, and most Linux distributions. QEMU runs on Windows and macOS as well, but its direct KVM integration leaves it best suited for use on Linux.

QEMU is more versatile than VirtualBox in terms of advanced use. It offers a command-line interface (CLI) and monitor that are indispensable to developers and advanced users.

While VirtualBox can only virtualize x86 and ARM64 architecture, QEMU provides considerably more support for virtualizing niche architectures.

VirtualBox and QEMU are both completely free for individual use. QEMU is also free for enterprise use. If you want to use VirtualBox for a commercial application, you will need to pay $50 per named workstation user or $1,000 per socket annually.

After comparing VirtualBox vs QEMU, it’s clear that each application has some advantages. You might prefer VirtualBox if you want easy-to-manage and simple virtualization.

You might prefer QEMU if you are willing to challenge yourself for better performance and versatility. Once you’ve decided which application to use, the only thing left for you to do is to create your own virtual machine.

Hannah is a contributing writer at MakeUseOf. She currently attends Eastern New Mexico University as a computer science major. She focuses on writing about Linux and other subjects in technology because she believes in making technology accessible for all.