CrossOver Versus Dual Booting and Virtual Machine Options

Price, Performance, and No Windows License!

If you own a Mac or Linux PC, chances are you need a way to run at least one Windows application. If that's the case, you basically have three main options:

Dual-booting: running two separate operating systems on one machine, and switching between them as needed by rebooting. Apple's Boot Camp is an example of this.
Running a virtual machine (VM): Products such as VMware and Parallels allow you to run a full version of the Windows OS inside a virtual machine on your system. The Windows applications essentially run in a separate "box within a box."
Running Wine or CrossOver: Unlike other emulators, Wine allows applications to run natively on the target OS. CrossOver is a commercialized version of Wine.

Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages, as illustrated below:

Feature	Dual-Booting	Virtual Machine Solutions	CrossOver
Can run Windows applications without rebooting	By definition, no.
Can run Windows applications without Windows OS	No.	No.
Price	$119.99 for Windows 10 Home or $199.99 for Windows 10 Pro	$79.99 for Parallels, plus cost of Windows OS.	32.00€ - 59.00€ and no Windows OS.
Runs all Windows applications		No. Some applications which require video or hardware drivers may not run.	No. Wine runs some Windows applications well, some so-so, and some not at all.
Runs Windows applications at native speed		No. VMs impose performance penalties.	Apps run as if natively, but performance may vary.

Choosing the right Wine-based solution

If you decide to go the Wine route, then you have another choice to make. Wine is an open-source technology, and can be downloaded for free from WineHQ.org. Or, you can purchase a commercialized, supported version of Wine from CodeWeavers. There are some important differences between the two, which are described below:

Feature	Free Wine	CrossOver
Comes with one-click installation for Windows applications	No.
Comes with a graphical installer for Windows applications	No.
Comes with Bottles (portable virtual Windows environments)?	No.
Seamlessly integrates with your desktop environment	No.
Is consistently tested against a supported application set	No. Whether a given application will work can vary from build to build.
Comes with product support	The volunteers on the public forums do their best, but...
Price	$0, and a lot of your time	32.00€ - 59.00€

Which solution is right for you depends on your budget, technical savviness, and pain threshold. Individuals with technical skills may prefer the free route. Many business users, though, find a packaged, tested solution more productive and economical. If you value stability and superior integration, then CrossOver is a better fit for you.

If you do choose to purchase CrossOver, you can feel good knowing that you've indirectly supported the Wine Project. Every improvement we make to Wine goes back to the Wine Project, which makes the computing world more open and compatible for everyone.