Darling provides a Darwin and macOS emulation layer for Linux that can run macOS software in a Linux environment.
Open source
24 alternativesDarling
Darling provides a macOS translation layer for Linux, with a shell interface shown on its project page.
About Darling
Darling is a translation layer that lets users run macOS software on Linux. It provides a Darwin environment including Mach, dyld and launchd, and runs software directly without a hardware emulator through a shell interface.
Graphical application support is basic, experimental and limited to simple applications. iOS apps are not currently supported, though support on ARM devices is described as a long-term goal.
Key features
- Runs macOS software on Linux without a hardware emulator
- Implements Darwin environment including Mach, dyld, and launchd
- Provides shell interface using the darling shell command
- Basic experimental support for simple graphical applications
- Can run on Windows using WSL 2
Best for: Linux users who need to run macOS software on Linux.
Good for
- Runs macOS software directly without a hardware emulator
- Implements Darwin components including Mach, dyld and launchd
- Developed openly on GitHub under GNU GPL version 3
Watch out for
- Graphical app support is basic, experimental and limited to simple apps
- iOS apps cannot currently be run; support is a long-term goal
Darling at a glance
- Website
- darlinghq.org
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Linux Apps
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- iOS, Linux, macOS, Web, Windows
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Darling FAQ
Does Darling support graphical apps?
It has basic experimental support for running simple graphical applications.
Can Darling run on Windows using WSL?
Yes, with WSL 2.
Does Darling plan to support iOS apps?
Support for iOS apps on ARM devices is described as a long-term goal requiring its own UIKit implementation.
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