AmberELEC vs Manic EMU
AmberELEC
amberelec.orgManic EMU
github.comSide by side
| Figure | AmberELEC | Manic EMU |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 9 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 8.0 (#9) | 8.9 (#2) |
| Integrations | The guides describe importing LaunchBox playlists, games, metadata, and media, and using RetroArch Netplay when players have the same AmberELEC version, ROM, and core. | Cloud import supports Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Baidu, Aliyun, WebDAV, and SMB. |
| Purpose | AmberELEC is open source firmware developed for the Anbernic RG351P/M/V/MP and RG552 handhelds. | Manic EMU is an all-in-one retro game emulator for iPhone and iPad. |
| Support | The project directs general questions and help requests to its Discord community and asks users to submit bug reports and feature requests through issue templates. | The official site links users to FAQ and guides, GitHub, and Discord for support resources. |
Plans
Manic EMU
- FreeFree
- SideloadFree
- Sideload / GitHubFree
- Premium Monthly$0.99 a month
- Premium Monthly Plan$0.99 a month
- Premium Annual Plan$4.99 a year
- Premium Annual$5.99 a year
- Premium Forever Access$9.99, paid once
- Forever Access$11.99, paid once
In their own words
Manic EMU
Manic EMU is a free retro game emulator for iPhone and iPad, supporting more than 30 classic platforms across consoles, arcade, DOS, Symbian, and J2ME. It includes save states, auto-saves, fast-forward, cheats, shortcuts, filters, screenshots, and custom skins. Cloud import works with Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Baidu, Aliyun, WebDAV, and SMB. The project says iCloud sync keeps games, saves, and settings encrypted in the cloud across devices. Manic EMU integrates RetroAchievements and supports local multiplayer and Netplay on eligible Libretro cores. The free App Store build limits fast-forward to 2×, save states and cheat codes to three each, and controllers to one player. Premium plans cost $0.99 a month, $4.99 a year, or 9.99 USD once for lifetime access, and include higher fast-forward speeds, more save states and cheat slots, and extra controller players. A free sideload build includes premium play features but does not provide iCloud save sync. The app does not include ROMs, BIOS files, or game data.