Crosswire vs PlayOnMac

Crosswire runs Windows games and apps on macOS, letting users install a Windows .exe and open it from a searchable library. Each installation has an isolated space, keeping apps separate. During installation, Crosswire detects common runtimes such as Visual C++ and .NET and offers to install them. For recognized games, it applies known-good settings automatically. The app can check for and update its Windows compatibility layer; automatic releases are available on version 1.1.1 or later. Crosswire is free and open source under GPL-3.0, with source published on GitHub. It requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 14.6 or later, plus about 1 GB of free disk space for the base install. It is not Apple-notarized yet, so macOS requires users to confirm opening it in Privacy & Security. Compatibility varies by app version and macOS release. Microsoft 365 is unsupported, while League of Legends and Valorant are blocked by Vanguard.

PlayOnMac is free software for installing and using games and other programs designed for Microsoft Windows on a Mac. The maker says a Windows license is not required. Compatibility is partial, and ease of use and performance depend on whether the program is supported, so support information matters when considering a specific application. Examples shown on the site include Star Wars: The Old Republic, Trackmania Nation Forever, Photofiltre, and Internet Explorer 8. The download page offers version 4.4.4 for macOS 10.15 or macOS 11 and later, and version 4.3.3 for macOS versions before 10.15. It also cautions that antivirus warnings about some PlayOnMac .exe files may be false positives related to interaction with the emulated Windows registry. PlayOnMac is listed for macOS, with no Linux support, and its free software plan requires a supported Windows program. The legal notice identifies Alius IT as the site owner, Quentin Paris as publication director and webmaster, and OVH in Roubaix, France, as the website host. The notice says personal data is not commercialized and describes security measures while noting that absolute security cannot be guaranteed.