Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Microterm runs Linux VM in any browser tab via WASM, RISCV64 emulation

Microterm is a fully compliant Linux virtual machine that runs in any browser tab. It is designed for real development and operations workflows, not demo-only terminal output. You can use it on desktop, tablets, and phones, including iOS home-screen PWA installs. Under the hood, Microterm combines Restty (libghostty + WebGPU) web terminal rendering and a TinyEMU-backed Alpine Linux guest on RISC-V64. The VM image is chunk-loaded in the browser and booted locally. I successfully used it to run Codex directly without leaving an in-app preview inside X app or Telegram :) Can be used to SSH to…

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

1. 1
   microvm – a minimalist machine type for QEMU inspired by Firecracker▲145

   2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Sub-millisecond VM sandboxes using CoW memory forking▲311

   I wanted to see how fast an isolated code sandbox could start if I never had to boot a fresh VM. So instead of launching a new microVM per execution, I boot Firecracker once with Python and numpy already loaded, then snapshot the full VM state. Every execution after that creates a new KVM VM backed by a `MAP_PRIVATE` mapping of the snapshot memory, so Linux gives me copy-on-write pages automatically. That means each sandbox starts from an already-running Python process inside a real VM, runs the code, and exits. These are real KVM VMs, not containers: separate guest kernel, separate guest…

   Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   HyperTerm▲433

   Terminal emulator based on JS, HTML and CSS

   2016 · hyper.is · its alternatives →

4. 4
   WebTerm▲109

   Free online Linux terminal that runs in your browser. Practice Linux commands and Git with interactive tutorials. No installation, no sign-up.

   Jan 2026 · webterm.app · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Smol machines – subsecond coldstart, portable virtual machines▲499

   Branchable computing by using a portable, lightweight, self-contained virtual machine - smol-machines/smolvm

   Apr 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   QEMU front end for M1 and Intel Macs▲418

   Securely run operating systems on your Mac

   2021 · mac.getutm.app · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Lume – OS lightweight CLI for MacOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon▲309

   We just open-sourced Lume - a tool we built after hitting walls with existing virtualization options on Apple Silicon. No GUI, no complex stacks - just a single binary that lets you spin up macOS or Linux VMs via CLI or API. Why we built Lume: - Run native macOS VMs in 1 command, using Apple Virtualization.Framework: `lume run macos-sequoia-vanilla:latest` - Prebuilt images on https://ghcr.io/trycua (macOS, Ubuntu on ARM) - API server to manage VMs programmatically `POST /lume/vms` - A python SDK on github.com/trycua/pylume Run prebuilt macOS images in just…

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

8. 8MO
   MicroMDM – Open Source MDM Server for Apple Devices▲146

   2018 · micromdm.io · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Ephemeral VMs in 1 Microsecond▲84

   Contribute to libriscv/drogon-sandbox development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Wiser – minimal hypervisor boots Linux VM, written in C▲136

    :racehorse: Extremely minimal vmm for linux written in C. Hopefully someday will spin linux-vm for you. - flouthoc/wiser

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Tiny type-2 Linux hypervisor built using Linux/KVM. In in C▲18

    :racehorse: Extremely minimal vmm for linux written in C. Hopefully someday will spin linux-vm for you. - flouthoc/wiser

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    machine0 – Persistent NixOS VMs You Control from the CLI▲96

    Hi HN! Excited to launch machine0, a CLI that makes it easy to create, provision and snapshot persistent NixOS (& Ubuntu) VMs. You can think of machine0 as a modern VPS provider. VMs stay on unless switched-off (with 99.99% uptime), they have static IPs and HTTPS endpoints, 1-60 vCPU, up to 240GB RAM and optionally GPUs. The CLI provides commands to manage lifecycle, snapshots and also provision the VMs using Nix flakes or Ansible playbooks. VMs are priced by the minute of usage. What makes machine0 unique is that it has first class support for NixOS! In a nutshell, NixOS lets you define…

    Jun 2026 · machine0.io · its alternatives →

13. 13VM
    Virtual Machines in the Browser▲281

    2013 · blog.grunseid.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    The Cloud for AI Agents▲128

    Spin up secure sandboxes in ~100 ms

    Nov 2025 · hopx.ai · its alternatives →

15. 15
    My microkernel-based OS built from scratch now has basic Unix commands▲69

    This project contains no code from Linux, BSD, Minix, or any other OS. Everything up until this point is written entirely from scratch, including a pure microkernel (that only implements multiprocessor priority scheduling, memory management, and interprocess communication), a work-in-progress implementation of the standard C library, and a variety of servers that provide drivers and other essential OS functionality. At the time of writing this post, the servers provide drivers for the keyboard, NVMe SSDs (that works on real hardware), a Unix-like virtual file system (with a single root…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    WebVM – x86 VM in WebAssembly, now with networking (via Tailscale)▲23

    Linux virtual machine, running in the browser via HTML5/WebAssembly. Networking and graphics supported.

    2022 · webvm.io · its alternatives →

17. 17
    VVTerm▲80

    Ghostty-powered SSH client for iOS, iPad, MacOS.

    Feb 2026 · vvterm.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    UTM SE▲134

    Run classic software and games on iOS

    2024 · getutm.app · its alternatives →

19. 19
    µFSM – A state chart library for embedded applications▲154

    Statechart library and editor. Contribute to jonasblixt/ufsm development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Run Python, Ruby, Node.js, C++, Lua in the Browser via x86 to WASM JIT▲171

    Linux virtual machine, running in the browser via HTML5/WebAssembly. Networking and graphics supported.

    2021 · repl.leaningtech.com · its alternatives →

21. 21HT
    HTerm, The Graphical Terminal for iOS, MacOS and Linux▲67

    2013 · 41j.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Lume 0.2 – Build and Run macOS VMs with unattended setup▲154

    Hey HN, Lume is an open-source CLI for running macOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon. Since launch (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42908061), we've been using it to run AI agents in isolated macOS environments. We needed VMs that could set themselves up, so we built that. Here's what's new in 0.2: *Unattended Setup* – Go from IPSW to a fully configured VM without touching the keyboard. We built a VNC + OCR system that clicks through macOS Setup Assistant automatically. No more manual setup before pushing to a registry: lume create my-vm --os macos --ipsw latest…

    Jan 2026 · cua.ai · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Docker in the browser using x86-to-WASM recompilation▲119

    Run KolibriOS, Linux or Windows 98 in your browser

    2022 · copy.sh · its alternatives →

24. 24
    WindTerm 0.8 – A whole new generation of terminal emulator▲13

    A professional cross-platform SSH/Sftp/Shell/Telnet/Tmux/Serial terminal. - kingToolbox/WindTerm

    2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →