Kitsmith / Utilities / Multipass
A command-line tool from Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) that spins up disposable Ubuntu VMs in seconds — built for developers simulating cloud servers locally, not a general-purpose desktop VM app.
Our take
A different tool than the rest of this section: no GUI, no Windows or macOS guests — just fast, scriptable Ubuntu instances from the terminal, initialized with cloud-init the same way you’d configure an AWS or Azure server. The right pick if you want to test server-side setups locally rather than run a desktop OS in a window.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Requires
- macOS 13 or newer (Homebrew cask requirement)
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
- Developer
- Canonical Ltd
Do you use Multipass?
Who made this
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What it does
One-command Ubuntu VMs
Launch a fresh Ubuntu instance with a single terminal command — no manual OS install.
cloud-init support
Configure new instances with cloud-init the same way you would on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or Oracle Cloud, to simulate a real cloud deployment locally.
Native hypervisor per platform
Uses QEMU on macOS (Hyper-V on Windows) for minimal overhead, with the option to switch to VirtualBox as the underlying hypervisor.
The deal
- Free and open source, developed by Canonical with community contributions on GitHub
Worth knowing: Command-line only, and limited to Ubuntu guest images — not a fit if you want a Windows VM or a graphical VM manager; see UTM, Parallels Desktop, or VirtualBox in this section instead.
Multipass — questions people ask
Does Multipass have a graphical interface?
No — it’s a command-line tool. For a GUI virtual machine app, see UTM, Parallels Desktop, or VirtualBox in this section instead.
What operating systems can Multipass run as guests?
Ubuntu only — it’s purpose-built by Canonical for spinning up Ubuntu instances, not a general-purpose VM app.
Who makes Multipass?
Canonical Ltd, the company behind Ubuntu.
Is Multipass free?
Yes — Multipass is free.
Does Multipass work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Multipass lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Multipass?
Multipass is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Is Multipass open source?
Yes — Multipass is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 28, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
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