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86Box vs Oracle VirtualBox

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

86Box

8.0
Utilities

Emulator of x86-based machines based on PCem

Oracle VirtualBox

7.0
Developer Tools

Virtualiser for arm64 hardware

Metric 86Box Oracle VirtualBox
Category Utilities Developer Tools
AI Score 8.0 7.0
30-day Installs 48 1.8K
90-day Installs 151 5.9K
365-day Installs 706 32.0K
Version 5.3,8200 7.2.8,173730
Auto-updates No No
Deprecated No No
GitHub Stars 4.1K 11
GitHub Forks 484 -
Open Issues 22 -
License GPL-2.0
Language C
Last GitHub Commit 1mo ago 3mo ago
First Seen Oct 26, 2022 Nov 12, 2012

Reviews

86Box

86Box is an x86 emulator that allows users to run older operating systems and software. It supports various hardware configurations and is ideal for retrocomputing enthusiasts and developers needing legacy system testing.

Emulates x86-based machines to run older operating systems and software.

Pros

  • + Open-source and free under GPL-2.0
  • + Supports a wide range of hardware configurations
  • + Active development with frequent updates
  • + Niche appeal for retrocomputing
  • + Free to use

Cons

  • - No auto-update feature
  • - Some bugs, particularly with OpenGL rendering and Voodoo

Oracle VirtualBox

Oracle VirtualBox is a powerful virtualization tool enabling users to run multiple operating systems on their Mac. It supports arm64 hardware, making it ideal for developers, testers, and educators who need to manage diverse environments efficiently.

Runs multiple operating systems as virtual machines.

Pros

  • + Cross-platform support for various operating systems
  • + Native arm64 hardware support
  • + Free and open-source

Cons

  • - Lacks auto-update functionality
  • - Known security vulnerabilities