Best MAME Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from multi-system emulators ranked against MAME on the same published basis.
- 1MAME vs RetroArch
- 3MAME vs Dolphin
- 4MAME vs Lemuroid
- 5MAME vs Flycast
- 6MAME vs FinalBurn Neo
- 7MAME vs VICE
- 8MAME vs Delta
- 9MAME vs Foxol
- 10MAME vs Provenance
- 11MAME vs EmulatorJS
- 12MAME vs Atari800
- 13MAME vs Happy Chick
- 14MAME vs AmiArcadia/WinArcadia
- 15MAME vs ares
- 16MAME vs SkyEmu
- 17MAME vs OpenEmu
- 18MAME vs TeknoParrot
- 19MAME vs Manic EMU
- 20MAME vs Retropa
- 21MAME vs Mednafen
MAME alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RetroArch | 9.8 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Dolphin | 9.4 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | Lemuroid | 9.3 | Free plan | Free | Android |
| 5 | Flycast | 9.0 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | FinalBurn Neo | 8.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | VICE | 8.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 8 | Delta | 8.8 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Mac |
| 9 | Foxol | 8.6 | No | — | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 10 | Provenance | 8.6 | Free plan | $3.33/mo | iOS, Mac |
| 11 | EmulatorJS | 8.5 | No | — | Web, iOS, Android |
| 12 | Atari800 | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 13 | Happy Chick | 8.2 | No | — | Windows, iOS, Android |
| 14 | AmiArcadia/WinArcadia | 8.2 | No | — | Windows, Android |
| 15 | ares | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | SkyEmu | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 17 | OpenEmu | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Mac |
| 18 | TeknoParrot | 7.8 | No | — | Windows, Linux, Android |
| 19 | Manic EMU | 7.7 | No | — | iOS |
| 20 | Retropa | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Mac |
| 21 | Mednafen | 7.1 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
Make your app an alternative to MAME
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled and never changes the order above.
Questions about MAME alternatives
What is the best alternative to MAME?
RetroArch, number 1 in multi-system emulators with a score of 9.8 out of 10. The others here: Dolphin, Lemuroid, Flycast and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to MAME?
RetroArch is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 13 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.