The limited coding capacity of retroviral genomes forces these viruses to rely heavily on the host-cell machinery for their replication. This phenomenon is particularly well illustrated by the interaction between retroviruses and components of the endosomal budding machinery that occurs during virus release. Here, we focus on the use of host-cell factors during HIV-1 budding and highlight recent progress in our understanding of the role of one such factor, Alix, in both viral and cellular membrane budding and fission events.