Popular: Data updated October 27, 2026

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Windows Subsystem for Linux alternatives

A feature of Windows that allows you to run a Linux environment on your Windows machine, without the need for a separate virtual machine or dual booting.

Microsoft Corp Virtualisation #13 Virtualisation

12 Windows apps in the same category as Windows Subsystem for Linux, ranked by what they have in common and by popularity.

  • Sandboxie

    Sandboxie is a sandbox-based isolation software for 32- and 64-bit Windows NT-based operating systems.

    Open source 5.73.8 95K ↓ ★ 19.8K
  • Oracle VirtualBox

    VirtualBox is a general-purpose full virtualization software for x86_64 hardware (with version 7.1 additionally for macOS/Arm), targeted at laptop, desktop, server and embedded use.

    Open source 7.2.22 2.3M ↓
  • Vagrant

    Build and manage virtual machine environments in a single workflow

    Proprietary 2.4.9 8.9K ↓ ★ 27.2K
  • Multipass

    A lightweight VM Manager that supports cloud-deployment simulation

    Open source 1.16.4 27.7K ↓ ★ 9.3K linux
  • QEMU

    A generic and open source machine emulator and virtualiser.

    Open source 11.1.0 421.5K ↓
  • BlueStacks

    Play Android games on PC or try instantly from our cloud.

    Proprietary 5.22.166.1003 19K ↓
  • usbipd-win

    Host locally connected USB devices to other (possibly virtual) machines.

    Open source 5.3.0 876 ↓ ★ 6.2K wsl
  • Omnissa Horizon Client

    Connect to your Omnissa Horizon virtual desktop from your device of choice.

    Proprietary 8.20.0 244.2K ↓
  • AutomatedLab

    A provisioning solution and framework that lets you deploy complex labs on HyperV and Azure with simple PowerShell scripts.

    Open source 5.61.0 465 ↓ ★ 2.2K
  • WSL Disk Shrinker

    A simple tool to help reduce WSL disk usage.

    Open source 0.2.2 534 ↓ ★ 25 windows-subsystem-for-linux, wsl
  • WSL UI

    A lightweight desktop application to manage Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distributions.

    Proprietary 0.19.0 71 ↓ ★ 427 linux, windows-subsystem-for-linux, wsl
  • RVTools

    A Windows .Net 4.7.2 application which uses VMware vSphere Management SDK 8.0 and CIS REST API to display information about your virtual environments.

    Free 4.7.1 105K ↓

Comparison

AppLicenceVersionUpdatedGitHub starsChocolatey downloads
Windows Subsystem for Linux Open source 2.7.14 October 23, 2026 34.2K —
Sandboxie Open source 5.73.8 October 19, 2026 19.8K 95K
Oracle VirtualBox Open source 7.2.22 October 20, 2026 — 2.3M
Vagrant Proprietary 2.4.9 August 21, 2025 27.2K 8.9K
Multipass Open source 1.16.4 September 8, 2026 9.3K 27.7K
QEMU Open source 11.1.0 August 12, 2026 — 421.5K
BlueStacks Proprietary 5.22.166.1003 March 12, 2026 — 19K
usbipd-win Open source 5.3.0 October 11, 2025 6.2K 876
Omnissa Horizon Client Proprietary 8.20.0 October 22, 2026 — 244.2K
AutomatedLab Open source 5.61.0 June 15, 2026 2.2K 465
WSL Disk Shrinker Open source 0.2.2 July 31, 2022 25 534
WSL UI Proprietary 0.19.0 April 9, 2026 427 71
RVTools Free 4.7.1 January 24, 2025 — 105K