If you are a student or educator, you can get a significant discount (often up to 50% off) through the official Parallels website.
Parallels frequently releases patches for compatibility and security. Cracked versions cannot be updated through official channels, leaving your virtual environment buggy and outdated.
An open-source emulator and virtualizer for Mac that is completely free and works well for basic Windows tasks on Apple Silicon. If you are a student or educator, you
If you need Parallels Desktop 17 for its performance and M1/M2 chip support, consider these safer alternatives:
Parallels Desktop 17 was designed for specific versions of macOS (like Monterey). Unofficial repacks often cause "Kernel Panics," frequent crashes, or data loss within your Windows virtual machine. An open-source emulator and virtualizer for Mac that
Now free for personal use, VMware Fusion is a powerful alternative for running Windows on Mac.
A popular open-source choice, though its support for M1/M2 chips is still in the experimental stages compared to Parallels. Now free for personal use, VMware Fusion is
If the cost of Parallels is the main barrier, consider these free, legal virtualization tools:
While the "Pro" version is a yearly sub, the "Standard" edition sometimes offers a one-time purchase option (perpetual license) for specific versions, though it may not include future major upgrades. Better Free Alternatives