gem5 vs Spike (RISC-V ISA Simulator)
| gem5 | Spike (RISC-V ISA Simulator) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Paid from | Free | — |
| Open source | No | No |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, self-hosted | Linux |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Supported targets | Alpha, ARM, MIPS, POWER, RISC-V, SPARC, x86 | RISC-V harts; RV32 and RV64 base ISAs; documented RISC-V ISA extensions |
| Host operating systems | Linux | Linux; OpenBSD |
| Hardware acceleration | Yes | — |
| Snapshots and restore | Yes | — |
| Debugging tools | Yes | Yes |
| Network simulation | Yes | — |
| Automation access | Yes | Yes |
Both are listed in Best Emulator Software. On Samsung Mobile US Press, gem5 scores higher on our published basis.