QEMU vs UTM:Which is more popular?

Name: QEMU vs UTM: Which is searched more?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, QEMU had more branded searches than UTM among virtual machine software worldwide. QEMU had about 60,500 branded searches, while UTM had 18,000. QEMU made up 3.9% of all virtual machine software searches we track, and UTM accounted for 1.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about virtual machine software, QEMU appeared in four of the five answers and UTM in three. UTM was mentioned before QEMU in three out of four answers that named either.

Among virtual machine software worldwide in September 2026

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Top virtual machine software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, QEMU was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. UTM was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. UTM was listed before QEMU in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
VirtualBox	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
VMware	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Hyper-V	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
QEMU	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Parallels	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
Proxmox VE	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
UTM	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5

VirtualBox5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
VMware5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Hyper-V4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
QEMU4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Parallels3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Proxmox VE3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
UTM3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about virtual machine software

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which virtual machine software should I use?”
1. 1VirtualBox
2. 2VMware
3. 3Parallels
4. 4Hyper-V
5. 5UTM
6. 6QEMU
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best virtual machine software options?”
1. 1VMware
2. 2Parallels
3. 3VirtualBox
4. 4Hyper-V
5. 5UTM
6. 6QEMU
7. 7Proxmox VE
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best virtual machine software for running test systems?”
1. 1VMware
2. 2VirtualBox
3. 3Proxmox VE
4. 4Hyper-V
Searched Google, AI Overview
“virtual machine software”
1. 1VirtualBox
2. 2VMware
3. 3Hyper-V
4. 4Parallels
5. 5UTM
6. 6QEMU
Searched Google, AI Overview
“linux vm software”
1. 1QEMU
2. 2Proxmox VE
3. 3VirtualBox
4. 4VMware

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is QEMU or UTM more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for QEMU and UTM by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven virtual machine software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

QEMU and UTM among virtual machine software worldwide, by month

Month	VirtualBox	VMware	Parallels	Hyper-V	QEMU	Proxmox VE	UTM
Oct 2025	52.5%	28.9%	5.8%	5.8%	3.9%	2.1%	1%
Nov 2025	52.3%	28.8%	5.8%	5.8%	3.9%	2.6%	0.94%
Dec 2025	48.3%	32.3%	6.5%	5.3%	4.3%	2.4%	0.97%
Jan 2026	47.6%	31.8%	6.4%	6.4%	4.3%	2.3%	1.1%
Feb 2026	51.4%	28.1%	6.9%	5.7%	4.6%	2.1%	1.2%
Mar 2026	50.3%	27.5%	8.3%	5.5%	4.5%	2.5%	1.3%
Apr 2026	51.6%	28.2%	6.9%	5.7%	3.8%	2.5%	1.3%
May 2026	50.8%	27.8%	6.8%	5.6%	4.6%	3.1%	1.4%
Jun 2026	50.8%	27.8%	6.8%	5.6%	4.6%	3.1%	1.4%
Jul 2026	51.2%	28%	6.9%	5.6%	3.8%	3.1%	1.4%
Aug 2026	50.5%	27.6%	6.8%	5.5%	4.5%	3.7%	1.3%
Sep 2026	52.6%	28.7%	5.8%	4.7%	3.9%	3.2%	1.1%

How has the QEMU and UTM comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

QEMU was ahead of UTM in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QEMU’s share of searches among virtual machine software worldwide held steady at 3.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 74K to 60.5K.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, UTM’s share of searches among virtual machine software worldwide moved from 1% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 19.8K to 18K.

How did search popularity change for virtual machine software worldwide in September 2026?

1 change

In September 2026, QEMU lost share of searches among virtual machine software worldwide, from 4.5% to 3.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using QEMU’s and UTM’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.