VirtualBox VS. Parallels: some thoughts on both virtualization tools

VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a free, open source virtualization application from Oracle (Formerly Sun). What’s its elevator pitch? “IT’S FREE! That’s all you need to know.”

You paid for your Mac, right? You also paid for that copy of Windows. Why should you have to pay again to run it on your Mac? For the frugal virtualization fan, VirtualBox wins in the price category. The fact that you get free, hardened software from a trusted company like Oracle is enough of a reason to give it a go. All you have to lose is time, effort, and your sanity.

So what’s the catch? In my experience, the biggest drawback to using VirtualBox is the substantial amount of fiddling needed to get your virtual machine to run the way you want. Creating a virtual harddisk, enabling XYZ switch, and futzing with the driver package all require some intermediate computer skills. In other words: You must be *this* tall to ride the ride. It would be ill-advised to sit your granpa down with a copy of Windows and a copy of VirtualBox, and let him go wild.

Another downside is the limited graphic capability. There is some early OpenGL support, but that is beta at best. If you’re looking at playing games in VirtualBox, just forget it. It isn’t worth your time — trust me. I waste my youth glaring at progress bars so you don’t have to!

That said, it runs Windows (and Linux for that matter) just fine. If you have some boring old business application that you need to run, VirtualBox will be fine for you. I’ll go out on a limb and say that it will work fine for the vast majority of people that would ever want to use it, and it’s freakin’ FREE!

Parallels

Parallels is an $80 USD virtualization application from the Parallels Holding company. What’s its elevator pitch? “You get what you pay for, dummy.”

If you’re looking for something that “Just works” like a Mac app should, Parallels is what you need. In the beloved tradition of Ronco, you set it and forget it. To get your copy of Windows up and running in Parallels, all you need to do is insert the disc, and tell it which version of Windows you’d like to install. A few very easy dialogue boxes later and your Windows install is all done without needing to do any sort of tweaking. If you *really* want to, you can go under the hood and change things, but don’t bother. It knows what it’s doing.

Surprisingly, Parallels supports 3D gaming. Mind you, you won’t be playing the latest and greatest games, but I was surprised at how well it handled legacy games. You can download a trial at the Parallels website if you’d like to see if your game of choice works under it. Again, all you have to lose is your time.

Baked right into Parallels is some pretty great integration with Mac OS X. Sharing files, devices, and connections are easy as pie, but that’s not where it ends. You can also run Windows apps as standalone windows. That’s right — you can have Internet Explorer 9 sitting on your Mac desktop right next to Omniweb. It’s incredibly cool, and a great way to impress your nerdy friends. It’s quite the parlor trick if you ask me.

So… Which should I use?

If you can afford it, go with Parallels. It’s beautiful software with many snazzy features. If you value your wallet more than your free time, VirtualBox is a completely free virtualization environment that works fine for almost everything a normal user would want.