86Box vs Renode
86Box
86box.net
Renode
renode.ioSide by side
| Figure | 86Box | Renode |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Emulator Software | 8.2 (#12) | 7.5 (#28) |
| Purpose | 86Box emulates x86-based IBM PC systems and compatibles from 1981 through systems based on the PCI bus. | Renode is an open source framework for emulating complex computer systems, including CPUs, peripherals, sensors, interconnects and multi-node systems. |
| Support | The project offers community discussion through IRC and Discord and links to a documentation site. | Antmicro provides commercial and enterprise support, including platform and peripheral modeling, integrations and CI infrastructure. |
Plans
In their own words
86Box
86Box is a free emulator for x86-based IBM PC systems and compatibles, covering machines from 1981 through PCI-bus systems. It emulates processors from the 8086 through the Pentium with an emphasis on accuracy and supports configurable machines such as the IBM PC 5150 and IBM PS/2 line. Users can select video adapters, sound cards, network adapters, hard-disk controllers, and SCSI adapters. Supported guest systems include MS-DOS, older Windows releases, OS/2, many Linux distributions, BeOS, and NEXTSTEP. MIDI output can use Windows MIDI support, FluidSynth, or emulated Roland synthesizers. 86Box runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and is released under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later. The project offers stable and experimental builds; experimental versions may be less stable or slower. Most emulation logic runs in one thread, so results depend on host and guest configuration. A BIOS is required. The project recommends manager applications for multiple virtual machines, while its built-in manager is still a preview.