Arcade Manager vs Nearcade
Arcade Manager
cosmo0.github.ioNearcade
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Arcade Manager | Nearcade |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 0 |
| Spec score · ROM Management Software | 7.9 (#7) | 7.9 (#8) |
| Intended users | The tool is designed for use with RetroPie and Recalbox. | The project describes its main focus as private setups for sharing local couch co-op games with friends. |
| License | The repository lists the project under the GPL-3.0 license. | The Nearcade repository is published under the GPL-3.0 license. |
| Purpose | ArcadeManager manages MAME/FBNeo arcade ROM collections by filtering out unwanted, bad, and unplayable games. | Nearcade is an open-source, self-hosted platform for playing local co-op games over the internet with friends. |
In their own words
Arcade Manager
Arcade Manager has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Nearcade
Nearcade is a free, open-source, self-hosted platform for playing local co-op games over the internet with friends. A host runs the game, while viewers join from a desktop or mobile web browser without installing a client. Streaming uses WebCodecs or WebRTC and peer-to-peer connections. Hosts can allow gamepad input, raw keyboard and mouse, or keyboard and mouse mapped to a virtual gamepad; mobile viewers get touch controls and a virtual joystick. Sessions can use private Cloudflare or Zrok tunnels, or appear in the public Nearcade Arcade lobby. Public Arcade sessions are limited to 80 minutes and require a verified tunneling provider. A host needs Node.js 18 or newer and Python 3. Linux also requires PipeWire and the uinput module, while Windows gamepad support requires ViGEmBus. Linux is listed as production-stable; Windows and macOS are experimental, and macOS lacks gamepad support. The project is published under GPL-3.0 and provides setup, usage, API, and VPS server documentation.