virtual machine program · 86Box project

86Box

Free, open-source emulator that recreates old IBM PC hardware for DOS, early Windows and similar systems.

57/100

#8 of 12 virtual machine programs
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

It is free and open source under GPL v2 or later^2,7.
Version 6.0 was released on 31 May 2026⁸.
It runs on Windows 7 SP1 or newer, macOS 10.14 or newer, and Linux distributions from 2016 onward¹.
The FAQ lists DOS, Windows 2.1x to 3.11, Windows 95, 98 and NT 4.0 as era-appropriate guests³.
Its documentation describes NAT-like and bridge-like networking. It does not describe snapshots, USB passthrough or shared folders^4,10.

86Box suits people who want to run old PC operating systems and software on faithfully emulated hardware, at no cost^1,2,3. It emulates real hardware, so the FAQ says advanced features such as pointer integration are not possible, and the project discourages Windows XP or newer³. Its documentation does not describe snapshots, USB passthrough, shared folders or a shared clipboard^3,10.

Best for: Retro-computing fans who want to run 1980s and 1990s PC software accurately.

Where the points come from

Systems17 of 17

Virtual machines4 of 27

Devices8 of 24

Openness and upkeep10 of 14

Price18 of 18

Systems 17 of 17 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Guest systems	Windows, LinuxFAQ lists Windows 2.1x to 98 and NT 4.0 as guests³. README says it runs many Linux distributions⁷; machine notes give Linux settings⁶.	8 / 8
Also runs on other hosts	macOS, LinuxThe home page lists macOS 10.14 or newer and Linux distributions from 2016 onward as hosts¹.	4 / 4
Works on Windows Home	YesLists Windows 7 SP1 or newer on Intel and AMD, with no edition limit¹.	5 / 5

Virtual machines 4 of 27 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Snapshots	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ or menu bar pages^3,10.	0 / 8
Virtual TPM and Secure Boot	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ³.	0 / 5
Network modes	NAT, BridgedSLiRP is similar to NAT and PCap to bridge. Host-only exists only as a VMware adapter under PCap, so it is not counted⁴.	4 / 6
Nested virtualization	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ³.	0 / 4
Starts from a ready-made image	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's docs; machines are set up by hand from ROM sets^2,3.	0 / 4

Devices 8 of 24 points

Rule	What is published	Points
3D graphics for guests	YesSettings describe emulating a 3dfx Voodoo 1 or 2 add-on 3D accelerator. It is an emulated card, not the host GPU⁵.	8 / 8
USB devices in the guest	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ or menu bar pages^3,10.	0 / 6
Shared folders	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's FAQ or menu bar pages^3,10.	0 / 6
Shared clipboard	Not publishedThe FAQ says advanced integration such as pointer integration is not possible³.	0 / 4

Openness and upkeep 10 of 14 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open source	YesThe repository's COPYING file is the GPL v2; the project says GPL v2 or later^2,7.	6 / 6
Security advisories published	NoThe GitHub repository has a security policy but no published security advisories⁹.	0 / 4
Updated in the last 12 months	YesRelease 6.0 is marked latest, dated 31 May 2026⁸.	4 / 4

Price 18 of 18 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free edition	YesFree open-source software with no paid edition^2,7.	6 / 6
Cheapest licence for work use	$0Free under GPL v2 or later, with no paid edition listed^2,7.	12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score virtual machine programs.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
86BoxAnyone	Free^2,7	$0	Open source under GPL v2 or later

Strengths

Free and open source under GPL v2 or later^2,7.
Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux hosts¹.
Emulates a 3dfx Voodoo 3D accelerator for guests⁵.
Updated in May 2026⁸.
Offers NAT-like (SLiRP) and bridge-like (PCap) networking⁴.

Limits

The FAQ strongly discourages running Windows XP or newer, so it is unsuited to modern guests³.
No snapshots, USB passthrough, shared folders or guest clipboard sharing are described^3,10.
The FAQ describes no virtual TPM or Secure Boot³.
The security page shows a reporting policy but no published advisories⁹.

What 86Box project says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

The project says 86Box emulates processors from the 8086 up to the Pentium, with a focus on accuracy¹.

Other virtual machine programs

1
Oracle VirtualBoxPeople who want a free, open-source virtual machine app on Windows
92/100
$0cheapest licence for work use
2
VMware Workstation ProWindows users who want a free hypervisor with snapshots and shared folders
79/100
$0cheapest licence for work use
3
NanaBoxWindows users who want a light Hyper-V front end with GPU and TPM options
74/100
$0cheapest licence for work use
4
Microsoft Hyper-VWindows Pro users who want virtual machines without extra software
73/100
$0cheapest licence for work use

All 12 virtual machine programs

Sources

86Box, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
About 86Box, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Frequently asked questions, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Networking, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Display settings, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Machine-specific notes, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
86Box/86Box repository, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
86Box releases, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
86Box security, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Menu bar, 86Box project. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: 86box.net · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with 86Box project.