Essentially, VirtualBox allows you to create a virtual machine that will run Windows, and that’s about it. It’s packed with all sorts of customisation options for your virtual machines, but doesn’t have any fancy integration features like Parallels and VMware. VirtualBox is easily the nerdiest of the three options we’re comparing here. There are three popular options for doing this: VirtualBox(Free) Once you set up a virtual machine, you install the operating system you want and you can use it right from your Mac desktop, no rebooting necessary. Virtual machines allow you to run operating systems like Windows inside of OS X, alongside your normal Mac setup. Let’s break down when each is best and for what. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and different use cases where one’s better than another. You can also enable restrictions that prevent users from editing a virtual machine's configuration.If you need to run Windows inside OS X, you have three options: VirtualBox, VMware and Parallels.

Encrypted virtual machines: In other words, password-protected virtual machines can't be powered on unless you have the right credentials.

Think of it like a save state in a video game: at any time later, you can 'load' the snapshot and return to how it was when you took it.

Snapshots: When you take a snapshot, you save the entire state of the virtual machine at that moment.

In VMware, such windows even appear in the host's taskbar.

Seamless mode (VirtualBox) and Unity mode (VMware): Pull windows out of the guest and onto the host, allowing you to interact with both operating systems at the same time seamlessly.

You can also copy to clipboard in one, then paste it in the other.

Shared data transfer: In addition to shared folders, you can drag and drop files between host and guest.Shared folders: Though it requires a bit of setup, this feature lets you mount a folder in the host as a network share in the guest, allowing the two to share data between them.It also has 3D acceleration enabled by default. 3D Graphics Support: VMware utilizes Open GL and DirectX to provide 3D graphics support.

Built-In USB Support: While VirtualBox requires additional extension packs to provide USB support, VMWare platforms provide built-in USB 2.0 and 3.0 support.

Virtualbox vs vmware os x