parallels, vmware or virtualbox?

Which host OS? Which guest OS? Which Mac?

Is cost an issue?

B

iMartijn said:

I need a VM, which one is the best choice for general use?

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I would try virtual box as its free. For general use, it's great. If it lacks in what you need, try the commercial offerigs

Its completely personal preference.

VirtualBox - decent application, less features and performance but its free
Parallels - best performance, typically has stability issues particularly with new updates
Vmware - Stable product, has similar features as Parallels but not on the same performance level as parallels

I like Vmware, in part because it has great tech support

iMartijn said:

Stability is crucial, so VMware seems the product to go for.

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I've found that their tech support is top notch, so if you do run into an issue, they'll respond very quickly.

I have used both VirtualBox and Parallels in the last 3 months...I like them both but as to which is better depends on your personal preference but have had no problem with either.

I am using VMs on both Windows and OS X host systems and it is nice having the same interface on both.

And, both have very good technical support.

VMWare has always been the more appealing option to me. It is much more intuitive and 'Mac-like' than Parallels, which I find clunky.

Both those options are about $100 though, so if you're a casual user and don't depend on it (or require the premium features of the paid software), then use VirtualBox.

Does anyone know which works best with retina display? I have the 13" rmbp. I think both vmware and parallels support running in full resolution, but that doesn't interest me at all (way too small). Do either of them to a better job at "best for retina"?

I think both parallels and vmware are retina compatible at this point.