Virtual machine software:Which brands are most popular in search?
Parallels and VirtualBox share the highest estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide, at 36.4% in August 2026. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
Parallels36.4%
VirtualBox36.4%
VMware19.9%
Hyper-V4%
QEMU3.3%
Follow virtual machine software and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Share of SearchLeaderboard
Compare the software teams run virtual machines with. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for Parallels, VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V, QEMU. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Parallels | VirtualBox | VMware | Hyper-V | QEMU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 32.2% | 39.1% | 21.5% | 4.3% | 2.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 32.2% | 39.1% | 21.5% | 4.3% | 2.9% |
| Dec 2025 | 30.4% | 37.2% | 24.9% | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 34.6% | 34.6% | 23.1% | 4.6% | 3.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 31.9% | 39% | 21.3% | 4.3% | 3.5% |
| Mar 2026 | 36.4% | 36.4% | 19.9% | 4% | 3.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 36.6% | 36.6% | 20% | 4% | 2.7% |
| May 2026 | 41.2% | 33.7% | 18.4% | 3.7% | 3% |
| Jun 2026 | 36.4% | 36.4% | 19.9% | 4% | 3.3% |
| Jul 2026 | 36.6% | 36.6% | 20% | 4% | 2.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 36.4% | 36.4% | 19.9% | 4% | 3.3% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — |
This month’s ranking, August 2026
| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 36.4% | 673K | 0% | -0.2 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 36.4% | 673K | 0% | -0.2 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 19.9% | 368K | 0% | -0.1 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 4% | 74K | 0% | 0 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 3.3% | 60.5K | +22.2% | +0.6 points |
36.4%
Held 1st. 673K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
36.4%
Held 2nd. 673K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
3.
VMware19.9%
Held 3rd. 368K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
4.
Hyper-V4%
Held 4th. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.
QEMU3.3%
Held 5th. 60.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.
Compare search popularity between leading brands
- Parallels vs VirtualBox: compare search popularity
- Parallels vs VMware: compare search popularity
- Parallels vs Hyper-V: compare search popularity
- Parallels vs QEMU: compare search popularity
- VirtualBox vs VMware: compare search popularity
- VirtualBox vs Hyper-V: compare search popularity
- VirtualBox vs QEMU: compare search popularity
- VMware vs Hyper-V: compare search popularity
- VMware vs QEMU: compare search popularity
- Hyper-V vs QEMU: compare search popularity
- Compare any of these brands
Which brand is most popular in search among virtual machine software worldwide?
5 brands
Parallels and VirtualBox share the highest estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide, at 36.4% in August 2026.
| Brand | Share of Search | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parallels | 32.2% → 36.4% | 41.2%May 2026 | 30.4%Dec 2025 | 2nd → 1st |
| VirtualBox | 39.1% → 36.4% | 39.1%Oct 2025 | 33.7%May 2026 | 1st → 2nd |
| VMware | 21.5% → 19.9% | 24.9%Dec 2025 | 18.4%May 2026 | 3rd |
| Hyper-V | 4.3% → 4% | 4.6%Jan 2026 | 3.7%May 2026 | 4th |
| QEMU | 2.9% → 3.3% | 3.5%Feb 2026 | 2.7%Apr 2026 | 5th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Parallels’ estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide increased from 32.2% to 36.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, VirtualBox’s estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide decreased from 39.1% to 36.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, VMware’s estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide decreased from 21.5% to 19.9%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Parallels’ estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide peaked at 41.2% in May 2026 and was lowest at 30.4% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, VirtualBox’s estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide peaked at 39.1% in October 2025 and was lowest at 33.7% in May 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, VMware’s estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide peaked at 24.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 18.4% in May 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Parallels rose from 2nd to 1st among virtual machine software worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, VirtualBox fell from 1st to 2nd among virtual machine software worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Hyper-V and QEMU held steady: their estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for virtual machine software worldwide in August 2026?
5 changes
In August 2026, QEMU gained estimated Share of Search among virtual machine software worldwide, from 2.7% to 3.3%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for VMware worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 550K to 368K in August 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Hyper-V worldwide fell 32.7% over 11 measured months, from 110K to 74K in August 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for VirtualBox worldwide fell 32.7% over 11 measured months, from 1M to 673K in August 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Parallels worldwide fell 18.2% over 11 measured months, from 823K to 673K in August 2026.
See your own brand in this picture
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to your campaigns, spend and outcomes, so you can see what moved your numbers, not just that they moved.