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Tech riderRev. 5 Oct 2026

Multipass

Ch 107.1of 26 Virtual machine software
  1. 1Runs onLinux, Mac, Windows
  2. 2CostsFree plan
  3. 3Host platformsLinux, macOS, Windows
3 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: canonical.com
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The Multipass homepage

Overview

Multipass is ranked #10 of 26 in virtual machine software on Specifiction. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

Multipass plans and pricing

All plans
Multipass Free Prototype cloud launches locally; host requirements vary by operating system canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on virtual machine software

Free plan
Yescanonical.com
Host platforms
Linux, macOS, Windowscanonical.com

Facts

Guest architecture
bothcanonical.com · 20 Sept 2026
VM snapshots
Yescanonical.com · 20 Sept 2026
Management interface
bothcanonical.com · 20 Sept 2026
Purpose
Multipass launches and runs cloud-style virtual machines on a workstation.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Cloud-init
Instances can be configured with cloud-init metadata, including custom definitions to create configured servers.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Cloud simulation
Multipass can simulate cloud deployments locally using workflows modeled on AWS, Azure, Google, IBM and Oracle.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Host virtualization
The product page lists Host Compute System for Windows, Apple Virtualization for macOS and QEMU for Linux as its platform hypervisors.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Image library
Multipass fetches Ubuntu images from Canonical and offers a growing catalogue of images with pre-installed applications.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Host file sharing
Users can share files and folders between the host and virtual machine instances.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Primary instance
The primary instance integrates with the native filesystem and has dedicated hot-key access.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Interfaces
Multipass provides a command-line interface and a graphical interface, and its documentation includes Windows Terminal integration instructions.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Developer use
Canonical describes Multipass as a tool for prototyping cloud deployments and creating customized Linux development environments.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Container workflow
The documentation includes instructions for running a Docker container in a Multipass instance.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Support and community
The project documentation directs users to its Discourse forum and GitHub for questions, issues and contributions.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Daemon access
Anyone with access to the Multipass daemon socket can fully control Multipass, including mounting host filesystems and changing instance security features.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Access control
Canonical advises restricting daemon access to trusted users; access control begins with group membership and can later use a user TLS certificate.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026
Windows prerequisite
The current installation guide says Windows 10 or 11 Home, Pro or Enterprise is supported from version 1809, with Virtual Machine Platform enabled.canonical.com · 5 Oct 2026

Best Multipass alternatives

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All accessCh 01 Proxmox VE Free planAndroidAPI from €10/mo9.1 All accessCh 02 Oracle VirtualBox LinuxMac 8.3 All accessCh 03 VMware Workstation Pro Free planLinuxself-hosted Free to start8.2 All accessCh 04 QEMU Free planLinuxMac Free to start8.2 All accessCh 05 KVM Free planLinuxself-hosted Free to start7.9 All accessCh 06 Parallels Desktop LinuxMac 7.8

Where it ranks on Specifiction

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Sources