The Best Online Virtual Machine Platforms in 2025: Compare Top Solutions, Features & Pricing

This guide defines “online virtual machine” as cloud-hosted VMs, VDI or DaaS virtual desktops, and secure browser workspaces over the internet.

• When to use them: Pick online VMs for elastic capacity, global access, and centralized management. Use a local hypervisor for permanent or offline work. These run directly on your local device, providing offline access and control.
• What to compare: VM performance (CPU, RAM, GPU), storage speed, network throughput, and pricing across providers.
• What drives cost and speed: Egress often costs more than expected. Check CPU generation, vCPU to RAM ratio, disk IOPS, and GPU options, then right-size and autoscale.

Suppose you need control of the operating system, want consistent performance, or must meet legacy app needs. In that case, online VMs provide a reliable middle path between on-premises hypervisors and pure platform services.  Looking for a fast start? Try a free Parallels RAS trial and securely deliver Windows apps and desktops from the cloud to your users’ devices.

Editor’s picks by use case

Quick picks:

• Best for Mac users who need Windows 11: Parallels Desktop for Mac offers fast setup and native-feeling integration; it enables running multiple operating systems on a single device, streamlining workflows for Mac users. The Business Edition adds centralized management and policy controls.
  • Not on a Mac? Consider a local hypervisor such as Oracle VirtualBox or a built-in option on your OS.
• Best enterprise app and desktop delivery with simple TCO: Parallels RAS; unified publishing and single-console admin.
• Best hyperscale elasticity: AWS EC2.
• Best Microsoft stack and hybrid: Azure Virtual Machines.
• Best data and ML tooling: Google Compute Engine.
• Best developer-friendly VPS: DigitalOcean or Vultr.
• Best low-cost in the EU: Hetzner or Scaleway.
• Best GPU clouds: Lambda, RunPod, Paperspace.
• Best on-ramp to cloud PCs: Windows 365.

You don’t need a sprawling matrix to move forward. Select the fit that matches how your team works today, pilot one small slice in the next sprint, and measure the time to the first productive session. 

As patterns emerge, layer in cloud governance and cost controls, your mix of Parallels, cloud VMs, and GPU options will feel less like a gamble and more like a system you can trust.

Desktop hypervisor comparison (at a glance)

This overview is for teams choosing a local desktop hypervisor to run virtual machines on a single device, not for online/cloud VMs.

Each of these tools lets a single host run one or more VMs side by side for dev, testing, or running another OS locally. 

Below, I compare Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, and Oracle VirtualBox on the basics people usually check first, so you can narrow down to one or two options before digging into detailed features and pricing:

• Parallels Desktop:
  • Host OS support: macOS (Intel and Apple silicon)
  • Guest OS support: Windows, Linux, and others; strong focus on Windows-on-Mac
  • Graphics and performance: High performance; strong 3D/graphics; optimized for Mac hardware
  • Integration and UX: Deep macOS integration (Coherence mode, shared clipboard, folders, printers, etc.)
  • Licensing: Commercial; subscription/perpetual options
• VMware Fusion:
  • Host OS support: macOS (primarily Intel; some Apple silicon support by edition)
  • Guest OS support: Windows, Linux, and others
  • Graphics and performance: Good performance; solid 3D acceleration, especially on Intel Macs
  • Integration and UX: Good macOS integration; shared folders, clipboard; ties into broader VMware tooling
  • Licensing: Commercial; some personal-use options
• Oracle VirtualBox:
  • Host OS support: Windows, macOS, Linux, and others
  • Guest OS support: Wide range of Windows, Linux, BSD, and legacy systems
  • Graphics and performance: Adequate for many dev/test workloads; less optimized graphics overall
  • Integration and UX: Basic integration (shared folders, clipboard); more utilitarian UI
  • Licensing: Free and open source (with optional extensions)

Use this TL;DR to narrow your shortlist of local desktop hypervisors, then validate it against your workload patterns and governance needs.

If your primary concern is secure, remote access to apps and desktops, you’re in “delivery layer”/online VM territory rather than local hypervisors. And if your goal is specifically to run Windows locally on a Mac, Parallels Desktop is usually the best fit, with VMware Fusion and VirtualBox as alternative desktop hypervisors to consider.

Local virtualization on Mac: Parallels Desktop

If you need to run Windows or other operating systems directly on a Mac, Parallels Desktop installs locally in minutes, integrates with macOS, and supports app sharing and device redirection. 

All virtual machines run on the Mac itself, giving you full control over performance, resources, and hardware.

Parallels Desktop is not an online VM provider. It’s a local desktop hypervisor you manage on the Mac. 

Business editions add tools for centralized deployment and policy, but the compute still runs on the user’s Mac, not in the cloud.

Use Parallels Desktop when:

• You want Windows apps on a Mac with near-native performance
• You control the Mac hardware and need rich, local use on individual devices

For cloud elasticity, globally distributed regions, or centrally managed server-side workloads, use Parallels RAS with your cloud of choice and the compute grid above.

Think of it this way:

• Parallels Desktop = high-performance local execution on Macs
• Parallels RAS = scalable, remote/centralized delivery of apps and desktops

You don’t have to choose one or the other forever, either; many organizations standardize on Parallels Desktop for local power users on Mac. 

Use Parallels RAS for everyone who just needs secure, anywhere access, giving them the flexibility to match the right virtualization model to each use case.

Delivery layer (VDI/DaaS): Where Parallels RAS belongs

The delivery layer publishes Windows apps and desktops to any device, providing brokering, load balancing, policy, and user experience controls. 

Unlike IaaS, it does not sell raw CPU or GPU instances. Instead, it orchestrates access to workloads that live on your chosen infrastructure (on premises or cloud).

Many delivery platforms offer access through multiple browsers, ensuring compatibility and a consistent user experience across different browser environments. 

Important clarification for RAS: storage, egress, regions, and SLAs are determined by the infrastructure where you deploy workloads. RAS brokers access and optimize the session experience; it does not provide the underlying compute or regional presence itself.

Platform deep dives

In the deep dives that follow, we call out where each platform shines, which instance families map to common workloads, and the tradeoffs that matter in day two operations. 

Each platform provides a unique virtual environment tailored to different workloads and operational requirements. 

Together, they cover both online virtual machines in the cloud/data center and rich local desktops on Mac hardware. Use these notes to pick a good default, spot mismatches early, and move to a pilot with confidence.

Parallels Desktop for Mac

If your teams run Macs but need Windows apps, Parallels Desktop installs in minutes, lets you run Windows and macOS apps together, and supports Coherence Mode so the experience feels native. 

It’s the local counterpart to your online virtual machines: use Parallels Desktop when workloads need to live on the Mac itself, alongside cloud-hosted VMs managed through Parallels RAS or your compute grid. 

If your team is replacing legacy hypervisors, see how Parallels stacks up in this VirtualBox alternative overview.

Standard is ideal for new Mac users and students, Pro adds developer and tester tooling, and Business adds centralized management and policy controls for IT. 

In practice, centralized policies and enrollment let IT standardize configurations, enforce security baselines, and onboard new Macs quickly without manual setup.

Parallels RAS

For app and desktop delivery, Parallels RAS provides a single console for publishing apps and desktops to any device, including browser access, which facilitates isolated environments for contractors. 

RAS brokers secure access to online virtual machines and hosted apps across your data center and cloud providers. 

Each session operates in an isolated environment, enhancing security and reducing risk by ensuring independent operation and resource sharing for different user groups.

This reduces virtual desktop sprawl, improves resource optimization, and simplifies virtual desktop pricing comparisons when choosing between DaaS and VDI. 

When estimating delivery costs for apps and desktops, start with the virtual desktop pricing guide to model concurrency, burst capacity, and licensing.  

Parallels Secure Workspace

When the risk profile says “no local data,” Parallels Secure Workspace enforces built-in MFA and SSO, routes access through a policy-controlled browser, and gives you a clean way to let temporary users into test environments without exposing your crown jewels. 

It sits in front of your online virtual machines, internal web apps, and RAS-published desktops, acting as a secure access layer without leaving data on the endpoint.

AWS EC2

EC2 is the default when you need every size and region, from general purpose to accelerated compute, with spot options for cost control. 

Watch snapshot growth and cross-AZ traffic; they sneak into bills. Utilize rightsizing and hibernation to reduce idle VM instance costs.

Azure Virtual Machines

Azure VM families map cleanly to Microsoft stacks, hybrid identity, and policy controls. 

If you already rely on Entra ID and Azure Policy, you gain consistent RBAC and drift control across subscriptions and tenants, which is particularly useful for server consolidation projects and disaster recovery drills.

Google Compute Engine

GCE pairs well with data and ML workflows, with preemptible or spot-style discounts and sustained-use savings that reward steady pipelines. 

Build live migration and maintenance windows into your SLOs so batch jobs are resilient.

DigitalOcean and Vultr

These developer-friendly VPS providers excel at rapid deployment and straightforward billing. 

You trade some breadth of features and regions for highly predictable pricing and a clean flow for small teams and experiments on Linux operating systems.

Hetzner and Scaleway

For EU workloads, these value-oriented providers offer strong price-performance and data residency. 

Confirm the location of snapshots and document any hybrid approach that involves moving data across regions to minimize egress surprises.

GPU clouds, Lambda, RunPod, Paperspace

Purpose-built GPU providers make it easier to match model needs to GPU tiers, especially when you need short bursts for training or inference. 

Queue times and availability vary, so it's best to keep a backup plan handy.

Pricing and TCO, what really moves the bill

Your monthly bill is three big pieces: compute, storage, and egress, with egress as the frequent budget breaker. 

Compare four price signals first: entry vCPU per hour, RAM per GB per hour, one representative GPU per hour, and the first egress tier. 

Then test your estimate in a real environment for one day to see how snapshots, backups, and logs shift the total.  

Virtualization enables running multiple workloads on a single physical machine, reducing hardware expenses and improving resource utilization.

Rule of thumb: use on-demand for spiky or trial workloads, reserved or savings plans for steady 24×7 services, spot or preemptible for fault-tolerant batch. Autoscaling, hibernation, and rightsizing help you trim waste without sacrificing performance. 

Parallels helps in two places, rapid Windows provisioning on Mac with Parallels Desktop, and all-in licensing and single-console admin with Parallels RAS so you spend less time stitching parts together.

Reader tip: The most common surprise is either egress or snapshots; project teams keep more copies than planned. 

Estimate egress with a two-step model, total GBs out of region plus a 1,2 buffer for audit copies and DR tests, then apply the headline tier rate to that sum.

Security, compliance, and governance checklist

A consistent baseline keeps multi-cloud VMs safe and sane. Start with SSO or MFA, enforce least-privileged roles, and enable audit logging everywhere. 

Encrypt data at rest with a KMS you control, isolate networks with VPC or VNet and private access, and set basic DLP reminders to prevent credentials and regulated data from leaking. 

Round it out with backup and DR policies that name an RPO and RTO you can actually meet. 

In Parallels RAS and Secure Workspace, map these directly to policy controls, identity integration, and browser-based access so contractors still pass the same gate.  

While virtual machines offer strong isolation and security controls, some compliance scenarios may require validation on real devices for maximum fidelity and accuracy.

Quick-start playbooks

You can begin this week with short, manageable steps that don't put you in a corner. 

The goal is to maintain power while respecting compliance and change control:

• Mac plus Windows 11, install Parallels Desktop, create a Windows 11 on Arm VM  (you can also set up VMs for different operating systems to support diverse development and testing needs), enroll the device in Business policies, distribute to users through your preferred MDM, document how profiles and access are assigned.
• VDI in days with RAS, stand up RAS in your preferred cloud or on-prem, publish priority apps or full desktops, enable browser access with Secure Workspace, add SSO, run a pilot with a volunteer group, tune and expand.

You can light up one Windows 11 on Arm VM with Parallels Desktop and one published desktop with RAS. Capture what worked, fix what dragged, and lock in SSO, policies, and logging as you widen access. 

Alternatives to online VMs

Sometimes a VM is more than you need. Containers and Kubernetes are ideal for microservices and homogeneous operating systems, where fast scaling and portability are key. 

Serverless is ideal for event-driven, bursty, stateless jobs that finish quickly. Consider keeping on-premises virtualization when strict licensing, data gravity, or latency outweighs the public cloud's promises. 

FAQs

Questions come up fast once you start sizing instances, mapping identities, and planning rollouts. This FAQ collects the short, practical answers teams ask most, from Windows on Mac support to cost and policy basics, so you can keep moving without digging through docs. If you need a deeper dive, each answer points you to the next action.

Can I run Windows 11 on a Mac in 2025?

Yes. You can run Windows 11 on Arm using Parallels Desktop in a Microsoft-supported configuration, so you continue to receive updates and security patches. This is a local virtualization setup on your Mac, not an online virtual machine platform.

How do I deliver Windows apps to any device?

Use Parallels RAS to publish Windows apps and desktops from a central server or cloud environment and securely deliver them to any device, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, or HTML5 browser. 

Parallels RAS handles user access, connection brokering, and performance optimization, so users get a native-like experience. At the same time, apps run centrally in your data center or cloud, not on their local machines.

Are x86 apps okay on Windows 11 Arm?

Many common x86 apps run through emulation, test critical line-of-business apps in a controlled pilot, and document any performance hotspots so you can size appropriately.

Is Parallels cheaper than building VDI piecemeal?

When you compare TCO, look beyond raw infrastructure costs. Parallels RAS consolidates licenses, gives you single-console administration, and shortens time to first desktop. 

Include the people hours required to stitch together identity, policy, monitoring, and image management on your own; those integration costs are where DIY VDI often gets expensive.

Ready to move, start with the fastest win

Your future state is a clean mix of virtual desktops, secure browser sessions, and right-sized cloud VMs, all governed by the same baseline. We want you to get a feel fast. Start a free trial of Parallels Desktop to run your key Windows apps on Mac, and get one working day back per user by skipping dual-device setups.