Oracle VirtualBox vs NanaBox
Two of the top three virtual machine programs, compared rule by rule on published facts.
In short
- Oracle VirtualBox has 92 points and NanaBox 74, 18 apart on our virtual machine software rules.
- Oracle VirtualBox earns more on systems and virtual machines; NanaBox earns more on nothing.
- Cheapest licence for work use: Oracle VirtualBox $0, NanaBox $0.
- Only Oracle VirtualBox meets: also runs on other hosts, snapshots and network modes.
Oracle VirtualBox92/100 #1 of 12
Best for: People who want a free, open-source virtual machine app on Windows.
NanaBox74/100 #3 of 12
Best for: Windows users who want a light Hyper-V front end with GPU and TPM options.
Points by group
| Group | Oracle VirtualBox | NanaBox |
|---|---|---|
| Systems of 17 | 17 | 13 |
| Virtual machines of 27 | 23 | 9 |
| Devices of 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Openness and upkeep of 14 | 10 | 10 |
| Price of 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Total | 92 | 74 |
Rule by rule
What each vendor publishes, and the points it earns. Sources are on each product page.
| Rule (points) | Oracle VirtualBox | NanaBox |
|---|---|---|
| Guest systems (8) | Windows, Linux 8 | Windows, Linux 8 |
| Also runs on other hosts (4) | macOS, Linux 4 | None 0 |
| Works on Windows Home (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Snapshots (8) | Yes 8 | Not published 0 |
| Virtual TPM and Secure Boot (5) | Yes 5 | Yes 5 |
| Network modes (6) | NAT, Bridged, Host-only 6 | Not published 0 |
| Nested virtualization (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Starts from a ready-made image (4) | No 0 | Not published 0 |
| 3D graphics for guests (8) | Yes 8 | Yes 8 |
| USB devices in the guest (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Shared folders (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Shared clipboard (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Open source (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Security advisories published (4) | Not published 0 | No 0 |
| Updated in the last 12 months (4) | Yes 4 | Yes 4 |
| Free edition (6) | Yes 6 | Yes 6 |
| Cheapest licence for work use (12) | $0 12 | $0 12 |
Oracle VirtualBox
VirtualBox suits anyone who wants a no-cost virtual machine app with open-source code on Windows, macOS or Linux. It lists snapshots, shared folders, nested virtualization and virtual TPM 2.0 with Secure Boot. The catch: the manual does not describe a ready-made image gallery, and the separate Extension Pack carries a personal-use licence.
NanaBox
NanaBox suits Windows users who want Hyper-V machines with TPM, Secure Boot and GPU options without paying. The source is MIT-licensed and a release landed in September 2026. The catch: it runs on Windows only, documents no snapshots, and has no security policy.
Both products are scored by the same rules: how we score virtual machine programs.