Best NES Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: KuroganeNES is ranked #1 of 24 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of NESER and Dendy. The best-ranked option with a free plan is NESER.
Picking an NES emulator starts with checking whether it supports the platform you want to use. From there, compare features that affect play, including save states, rewind, cheat support, and netplay. Nesbit, Lynx.emu, and NESER are among the options shown, with HalfNES and Jnes also worth comparing against your needs. Shader support can be relevant if visual adjustments matter to you. The entries also include free-plan availability and paid-from details, giving you cost information alongside supported platforms and play features. Use those listed criteria to focus on the emulator capabilities that matter for your device and the way you want to play.
24 NES emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 KuroganeNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.2Free Supported platforms: Modern web browsersSave states: YesRewind: Yes
- 2 NESER No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.0Free Supported platforms: Web browser, Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop buildsSave states: Yes
- 3 Dendy No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.6 Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, and modern web browsers via WebAssemblySave states: YesRewind: Yes
- 4 puNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.5 Supported platforms: Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, WindowsSave states: YesRewind: Yes
- 5 binjnes No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.4Free Supported platforms: Linux, macOS, web via WebAssemblySave states: YesRewind: Yes
- 6 Nintengo No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1 Supported platforms: macOS, Linux, Windows, WebAssembly/browserSave states: Yes
- 7 fixNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1Free Supported platforms: Windows, Linux
- 8 Nesbit iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1 Supported platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS
- 9 HalfNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9Free Supported platforms: Windows; Linux; other Java-compatible platformsSave states: No
- 10 WebNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.8 Supported platforms: Web browsers; optimized for Chrome and unsupported in Internet ExplorerSave states: Yes
- 11 Jnes No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.8Free Supported platforms: WindowsSave states: Yes
- 12 Nestopia Undead Edition No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.7 Supported platforms: WindowsSave states: YesRewind: Yes
- 13 GoNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.7 Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, web browsersSave states: Yes
- 14 FCEUX No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6
- 15 Nestalgia No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4 Supported platforms: Windows, Linux, macOSSave states: Yes
- 16 Nintendulator No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0 Supported platforms: Windows 10 and later; older Windows versions may work; Wine is tested for recent buildsSave states: YesRewind: No
- 17 Nesalizer No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0 Supported platforms: Linux/POSIX; Windows (experimental port)Save states: YesRewind: Yes
- 18 NET-NES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.9Free Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
- 19 NES Emulator + 6502 Studio No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Supported platforms: Web browser; native builds via C++ and CMake
- 20 My NES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6 Supported platforms: WindowsSave states: Yes
- 21 JSNES No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Supported platforms: Browser, Node.jsSave states: Yes
- 22 no$nes No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0Free Supported platforms: Windows 32-bit
- 23 OpenInvoice No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 4.6
- 24 Nes2x No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 4.5
Compare all 24 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Save states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KuroganeNES | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Modern web browsers | Yes |
| 2 | NESER | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Web browser, Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop builds | Yes |
| 3 | Dendy | 7.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, and modern web browsers via WebAssembly | Yes |
| 4 | puNES | 7.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows | Yes |
| 5 | binjnes | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Linux, macOS, web via WebAssembly | Yes |
| 6 | Nintengo | 7.1 | No | — | Yes | — | macOS, Linux, Windows, WebAssembly/browser | Yes |
| 7 | fixNES | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Windows, Linux | — |
| 8 | Nesbit | 7.1 | No | — | — | — | iOS, iPadOS, macOS | — |
| 9 | HalfNES | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows; Linux; other Java-compatible platforms | No |
| 10 | WebNES | 6.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Web browsers; optimized for Chrome and unsupported in Internet Explorer | Yes |
| 11 | Jnes | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows | Yes |
| 12 | Nestopia Undead Edition | 6.7 | No | — | — | — | Windows | Yes |
| 13 | GoNES | 6.7 | No | — | — | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, web browsers | Yes |
| 14 | FCEUX | 6.6 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Nestalgia | 6.4 | No | — | — | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | Yes |
| 16 | Nintendulator | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Windows 10 and later; older Windows versions may work; Wine is tested for recent builds | Yes |
| 17 | Nesalizer | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Linux/POSIX; Windows (experimental port) | Yes |
| 18 | NET-NES | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | — |
| 19 | NES Emulator + 6502 Studio | 5.7 | No | — | — | — | Web browser; native builds via C++ and CMake | — |
| 20 | My NES | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows | Yes |
| 21 | JSNES | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Browser, Node.js | Yes |
| 22 | no$nes | 5.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows 32-bit | — |
| 23 | OpenInvoice | 4.6 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | Nes2x | 4.5 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which NES emulator is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
KuroganeNES is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 8.2. NESER is second and Dendy third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 24 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list 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.