4 Brilliant Windows Emulators For Macintosh, Listed From Most To The Least Affordable (PlayOnMac, Wineskin, Crossover, And Parallels Desktop)
Hello, dear readers from both HIVE and outside of it! For today's second post on my HIVE blog, I decided to write a bit about 4 brilliant Windows emulators or compatibility layer (so as to express myself a bit technical with respect to software engineering) that work like a charm on Macintosh.
On a personal note, this is a particular post which I have been very much looking forward to writing for quite a long while now. Fortunately for me (and hopefully also for you dear readers), that day has finally come! However, before delving in the list of the four best Windows emulators on Mac, let's have a short recap here, shall we?
First off, as most of you already know regardless of whether you have used any Apple laptop or desktop with a Macintosh-based operating system (or like Apple's technological creations for that matter as well), a lot of Windows applications do not run on Macintosh and were not even created to run on another operating system than Windows (therefore not Macintosh-compatible at all, not even to mention Linux here). However, thanks to a series of great emulators/compatibility layers, these Windows programs can be successfully ported, installed, and used (subsequently also enjoyed) on Mac.
Therefore, without further needless ado on my behalf, down below is a personal top of the 4 best Windows emulators on Mac, based on my experience with the following emulators (side note: I've been an Apple guy since the age of 13 since I switched from PC to Mac but in actuality I was converted by one of my best friends as early as 11 when he first introduced me to his iMac and GarageBand), their affordability/license, durability, user friendliness, and overall quality. Let's get started!
1. PlayOnMac
PlayOnMac is one of the newest and most finest emulators for Windows on macOS. It was developed by Quentin Pâris and its open-source, public GitHub repository can be accessed right here: https://github.com/PlayOnLinux/POL-POM-4.
Image source: PlayOnMac
It is licensed GNU General Public License and GNU Lesser General Public License, which, very much fortunately for many, many macOS users I should add, makes it absolutely freeware.
Its official website can be accessed here, from where users can download a particular version of the emulator which best suits the version of the macOS they have installed on their type of MacBook or iMac: https://www.playonmac.com/en/. PlayOnMac was developed with a combination of two programming languages, more specifically Bash and Python. Moreover, it also uses the wrapper/toolkit wxPython.
This emulator is based on the open-source Wine project and can as such create and make use of virtual drives much like Wineskin wrappers (the virtual drives are essentially Wineskin wrappers operating on a particular version of Wine). For long time Wine(skin) users (myself included), you can basically think of it as an advanced Wineskin which produces virtual drives just like Wineskin Winery does.
Last but not least, users should also install XQuartz (an important freeware which supports libraries and applications on macOS) on their virtual machine while using PlayOnMac.
Why have I decided to put it to the top of my list? The answer is very simple: please check the screenshot from down below from their website, comparing it with other popular Windows emulators on macOS. :)
Image source: PlayOnMac
Down below are two interesting Youtube videos which detail how to install and use PlayOnMac (testing the classic 'Heroes of Might and Magic III' in the process and thereby proving it works just fine):
2. Wineskin
Wineskin has been my sturdy favourite emulator for many, many years and many video games that I tried and played on macOS were actually running on a particular wrapper of Wine. However, with time, it got replaced by PlayOnMac in my case and last I checked (more specifically this year, 2021 AD for connoisseurs), Wineskin Winery's downloadable Wine versions' online page is not accessible anymore, unfortunately. Still, it can remain an option for many other users, if they still have versions of wrappers installed on their devices or on separate drives or if they know of other internet websites from which they can download Wine versions.
In-app screenshot of Wineskin. Image source: www.howtogeek.com
Wine is also freeware and has been developed since the mid 1990s, needless to mention it is the basis and 'bread and butter', so to put it, of PlayOnMac. You can try download it from SourceForge and see whether it works for you: https://sourceforge.net/projects/wineskin/.
3. Crossover
Crossover used to be good for me during the early 2010s when the some of the early versions of Wine were not capable of porting all my most favourite all time video games on macOS, but unfortunately it has a license for which you have to pay and is not as good as PlayOnMac is nowadays. Still, it is worth mentioning and maybe it can be the best choice for you, after all, who knows? Try it out.
4. Parallels Desktop for Mac
The reason why I have decided to put Parallels Desktop on the 4th and last position of my personal top is purely based on its affordability not on its overall quality, which is far superior to the aforementioned three emulators.
Unfortunately, it is not free, but it is brilliant nevertheless. It is more than a simple emulator, it basically lets you run any version of Windows you want on your macOS MacBook or iMac. To cut the long story short and to express myself in technical terms, it provides excellent hardware virtualization.
My last wise advice here is: if you really want the best experience with your Windows games on macOS, go try and buy an official version of Parallels Desktop for your device(s). Have fun!
Documentation sources and external links:
- PlayOnMac on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Wine on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Crossover on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Parallels Desktop for Mac on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
P.S.: I truly hope you liked my article on 4 brilliant Windows emulators for Macintosh (macOS) and I hope it can make a positive difference in your Apple user life. That being said, thank you very much for your readership, support, appreciation, positive/constructive feedback, and re-blogging here on HIVE. Stay safe, well, healthy, blessed, and loved along with your close ones! Cheers, peace, and love! :)