GNOME Boxes vs KVM
GNOME Boxes
apps.gnome.orgKVM
linux-kvm.orgSide by side
| Figure | GNOME Boxes | KVM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Hypervisor Software | 8.2 (#9) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Spec score · Virtual machine software | 7.8 (#14) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| GPU acceleration | Yes | Yes |
| Host platforms | Linux | Linux |
| Snapshots | Users can save a virtual machine state as a snapshot and restore it later. | TrustRadius reviewers list snapshotting as one of KVM’s useful capabilities. |
| VM snapshots | Yes | Yes |
Plans
KVM
- KVM open-source softwareFree
- KVM open-source softwareFree
- KVM commercial supportPriced on request
In their own words
GNOME Boxes
GNOME Boxes is a free Linux desktop app for creating and managing local virtual machines, then installing an operating system in them. Its automatic installation list includes CentOS Stream, Debian, Fedora, Microsoft Windows, OpenSUSE, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Ubuntu. Users can set memory and storage limits, save a VM state as a snapshot, and restore it later. Host integration includes shared clipboard, file drop, and shared folders; USB redirection makes devices plugged into the computer available inside a VM. Guest tools can improve input performance, screen resizing, clipboard sharing, and file transfer. Windows guests use spice-guest-tools, while Linux guests commonly use spice-vdagent. Boxes uses qemu-kvm, libvirt-glib, and spice-gtk to manage virtual machines. Three-dimensional acceleration is available for some supported systems. GNOME recommends processor virtualization extensions, at least 8 GB RAM, and 20 GB free disk space for efficient use. Boxes is for local VMs; GNOME points to Connections for remote machines and displays. The app is free and desktop-only.
KVM
KVM is an open-source virtualization solution for Linux hosts with Intel VT or AMD-V extensions. It runs multiple virtual machines using unmodified Linux or Windows images, each with virtualized hardware such as a network card, disk, and graphics adapter. The documented capabilities include live migration, nested guests, CPU and PCI hotplug, virtio devices, and device assignment; snapshots and GPU acceleration are also listed. KVM’s kernel component is part of mainline Linux, while its userspace component is part of mainline QEMU. Linux distributions commonly package the required modules and tools, and Windows guest drivers are available separately. Documented processor coverage includes Intel, AMD, ARM, PowerPC, and 64-bit S390 systems. KVM can be used with upper layers including QEMU, libvirt, OpenStack, and oVirt. It is available for Linux and self-hosted use, and the listed plan is free. The host must have Intel VT or AMD-V virtualization extensions.