I dicked around with the VM route for a while and could never really get it working 100% to my liking. There was always a trade-off. I ended up just getting a second PC and tucking it in a cabinet out of sight. When I need Windows I just use remote desktop to connect to it.
I wouldn’t say it’s better in terms of features or polish. In that regard it still has quite a ways to go. However it is certainly better in terms of freeing yourself from Google and being in control of your own photo library. I’ve been using it since late last year and for my needs it’s honestly been great!