Kitsmith / Utilities / CrossOver
CrossOver
$74.00 (CodeWeavers’ homepage lists this as the "Buy Now" price; confirm current billing term — annual vs. one-time — at checkout)
Price checked at source September 18, 2026.
Runs many Windows applications and games on Mac without a Windows license or a virtual machine — built on Wine.
Our take
A translation layer, not an emulator or a virtual machine — CrossOver (built on the open-source Wine project) translates Windows API calls into native macOS calls, so compatible Windows apps run without installing Windows at all. That is the tradeoff to understand before buying: compatibility is per-app (CodeWeavers publishes a compatibility database to check first) rather than universal the way a VM like Parallels or UTM running actual Windows would be. $74/year per the developer’s own pricing (billed as a single "Buy Now" price on the homepage, structured as an annual license per CodeWeavers’ standard model), with a 14-day free trial.
- Price
- $74.00 (CodeWeavers’ homepage lists this as the "Buy Now" price; confirm current billing term — annual vs. one-time — at checkout)
- License
- Proprietary
- Requires
- Intel or Apple Silicon Mac; per the developer’s system requirements table, Apple Silicon needs macOS 11.1+ and CrossOver 21+, and macOS 26 (Tahoe) needs CrossOver 25.1.1 or higher. Does not run on iPad or iPhone.
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
- Developer
- CodeWeavers, Inc.
Do you use CrossOver?
Who made this
Are you CodeWeavers, Inc.? Claim this profile to add a photo, a bio, and links — or ask us to remove it.
What it does
No Windows license needed
Runs compatible Windows software without installing Windows or buying a Windows license.
Native speed, no VM overhead
Per the developer, apps run without the performance overhead of a full virtual machine.
Compatibility database
CodeWeavers maintains a public database of which Windows apps and games are confirmed to work before you buy.
The deal
- $74.00 per the developer’s homepage pricing, with a 14-day free trial — confirm current billing term at checkout
Worth knowing: Not every Windows app or game works — compatibility is per-application. CodeWeavers publishes a compatibility database (linked from their homepage) to check a specific app before buying. This is a Wine-based translation layer, not a virtual machine running real Windows — for that, see Parallels Desktop or UTM elsewhere in the catalog.
CrossOver — questions people ask
Is CrossOver a virtual machine?
No — it translates Windows API calls into native macOS calls (built on the Wine project) rather than running a full virtual Windows installation. For a true VM, see Parallels Desktop or UTM.
Will my specific Windows app work in CrossOver?
Not guaranteed — compatibility is per-application. Check CodeWeavers’ public compatibility database before buying.
Is CrossOver free?
CrossOver costs $74.00 (CodeWeavers’ homepage lists this as the "Buy Now" price; confirm current billing term — annual vs. one-time — at checkout).
Does CrossOver work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — CrossOver lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download CrossOver?
CrossOver is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified September 18, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.