Best RetroArch Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from multi-system emulators ranked against RetroArch on the same published basis.
- 2RetroArch vs MAME
- 3RetroArch vs Dolphin
- 4RetroArch vs Lemuroid
- 5RetroArch vs Flycast
- 6RetroArch vs FinalBurn Neo
- 7RetroArch vs VICE
- 8RetroArch vs Delta
- 9RetroArch vs Foxol
- 10RetroArch vs Provenance
- 11RetroArch vs EmulatorJS
- 12RetroArch vs Atari800
- 13RetroArch vs Happy Chick
- 14RetroArch vs AmiArcadia/WinArcadia
- 15RetroArch vs ares
- 16RetroArch vs SkyEmu
- 17RetroArch vs OpenEmu
- 18RetroArch vs TeknoParrot
- 19RetroArch vs Manic EMU
- 20RetroArch vs Retropa
- 21RetroArch vs Mednafen
RetroArch alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MAME | 9.6 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, 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 |
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Questions about RetroArch alternatives
What is the best alternative to RetroArch?
MAME, number 2 in multi-system emulators with a score of 9.6 out of 10. The others here: Dolphin, Lemuroid, Flycast and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to RetroArch?
MAME 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.