CrossOver vs DXVK

CrossOver translates commands from Windows applications so many can run on macOS or Linux without a Windows emulator or Windows OS license. It is presented for productivity software, utilities and games, and advertises one-click installation, desktop integration and running apps without rebooting. CodeWeavers says the Linux version avoids Windows or virtual-machine overhead and integrates with Linux. Compatibility is incomplete: some applications may have reduced functionality or may not run. The Compatibility Center collects user reports about application behavior. CrossOver supports Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, as well as Linux PCs. The Mac version requires at least 1 GB of free disk space and does not run on iPads or iPhones; Linux has specified hardware, distribution and software dependencies. A fully functional 14-day trial costs nothing, requires no credit card and starts at first launch. CrossOver + costs $74 a year, including 12 months of phone and email support, upgrades and bug fixes, and Preview access. CrossOver Life costs $494, paid once, with lifetime upgrades, bug fixes and support. CodeWeavers says 95% of the Wine code it develops for CrossOver is released back to the Wine project.

DXVK is a Vulkan-based translation layer for running Direct3D 8, 9, 10, and 11 applications on Linux through Wine. DXVK Native can also run without Wine and is intended for game and application ports or port bring-up. The project provides release builds and links to recent development builds through GitHub; release packages include 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Steam Play, Lutris, Bottles, and Heroic Launcher can configure DXVK automatically when enabled. An optional HUD can display frame rate, frame times, GPU load, memory use, API feature level, and shader compiler activity. On supported drivers, Graphics Pipeline Library can compile Vulkan shaders as games load Direct3D shaders, reducing or eliminating shader compilation stutter in many games. Users can configure shader caching, logging, and GPU selection through environment variables or a configuration file. DXVK is free under the zlib/libpng license and supports Linux and Windows. It requires a sufficiently recent Vulkan driver. The project warns that modifying Direct3D libraries in multiplayer games may be considered cheating and could result in an account ban.