Reliable virtualization software for OS X?

Question

I want to run Windows 7 virtual machine on my OS X laptop (late 2012 model with 8GB of memory) to use some simple Windows software from time to time. I don't want to use bootcamp to dual-boot. I have tried Virtualbox, but it's really slow and not too stable.

I would appreciate snapshots and suspending, but reliability is the most important feature.

Answer 1

The best hypervisor I've seen for OS X is Parallels. On a Macbook Pro which has the right hardware, it will have Intel VT-x and EPT support, giving you a very fast VM.

It does support snapshots and suspending, and it's rock-solid reliable.

I've used it to...

• Run Windows 7 and Windows 8.
• Run Windows-only apps (Windows version of Office, etc...).
• Run Windows-only games. (League of Legends before the Mac Client was released, ran at 60FPS on high settings on a Retina Macbook Pro)

Answer 2

For about 3 years, I've used VMWare Fusion. It is amazing. I've always been a fan of VMWare's products because they have snapshots, suspending, etc. However, I was even more impressed when I installed Fusion on my Mac.

• Snapshots, suspending, etc. (Fusion Feature Page)
• Supports Windows 7 (and every other version of Windows including 8.1, XP, etc.)
• My MacBook Pro has only 4 GB ram (OSX, from 2011)
• Windows inside the virtual machine is responsive
• OSX (host) is responsive
• It has NEVER crashed and I reboot Windows about once per month
• true integration, not just a guest OS running inside a host OS. Really impressed with the integration between OSX and Windows. I was used to using VMWare to run Windows inside Windows (for testing) but with Fusion it is really like having the best of both worlds. I have some apps which only run under Windows and use it for that.

They offer a free trial but I'm sure you will love it.*

• I know it sounds like I work for VMWare but I do not. I am just really, really happy with the quality and functionality of their software.