ares vs MAME
ares
ares-emu.netMAME
mamedev.orgSide by side
| Figure | ares | MAME |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Spec score · Sega Genesis Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.4 (#5) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.9 (#2) | 8.5 (#7) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Debugger | A built-in debugger provides simple tracing tools for development of original software. | MAME includes an interactive low-level debugger for diagnosing emulation issues, developing software for vintage systems, and examining how software works. |
| Extensibility | The command line supports loading multiple games, alternate settings files and custom slang shaders, but the project pages do not describe a hosted API or SDK. | MAME supports Lua plugins loaded from configurable plugin paths. |
| License | The source code is distributed under the ISC license. | The project as a whole is distributed under GPL-2.0, and the site says over 90% of its files, including core files, are under BSD-3-Clause. |
| Purpose | ares is a cross-platform, open-source multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and preservation. | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting hardware and how it functions. |
| What it does | ares is a cross-platform emulator for multiple game systems, built around accuracy and software preservation. | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework that documents and reproduces the inner components of arcade machines, computers, consoles, calculators and other electronic amusement machines. |
| Windows requirements | Official Windows downloads support Windows 7 or newer, while AMD64 builds require at least Intel Nehalem or AMD Jaguar architecture. | Official Windows binaries require Windows 10 or later, 4 GB RAM and a supported x86-64 or Arm CPU. |
Plans
In their own words
ares
ares is a free, open-source emulator for multiple systems, with a stated focus on accuracy and preservation. It supports systems including Arcade, Atari 2600, WonderSwan, ColecoVision, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation, though some listed systems are experimental. Playback options include save states, run-ahead, rewind, and fast-forward. Pixel shaders and optional color correction can alter display characteristics, while Virtual Game-Pads let users configure controls for use across emulated systems. The interface framework uses WinAPI on Windows, Cocoa on macOS, and GTK2 or GTK3 on POSIX platforms. Simple debugging features such as trace logging support development of original software for supported systems. Windows builds support Windows 7 or later; AMD64 binaries require at least Intel Nehalem or AMD Jaguar architecture. macOS binaries require Catalina 10.15 and support Intel and Apple Silicon. The project prefers Linux users compile from source and points to third-party packages rather than official Linux binaries. Source code uses the ISC license. Android is not supported, and a BIOS is required.
MAME
MAME is a free emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting and reproducing the inner components of arcade machines, computers, consoles, calculators, and other electronic amusement systems. It can emulate over 32,000 individual systems from the last five decades. Alongside emulation, it includes an interactive low-level debugger for investigating software behavior, diagnosing emulation issues, and developing software for vintage systems. Its Lua interface can inspect device state, access CPU registers, read and write memory, and draw overlays, though the API may change without notice. Plugins support uses such as external-program communication and alternate interfaces; included examples are Discord Presence and a GDB Stub. MAME can save and load states, record inputs for playback, and capture screenshots or video. It is available for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows; official Windows binaries require Windows 10 or later. BIOS dumps and copyrighted software are generally not included. The project is distributed under GPL-2.0 overall, while more than 90% of files, including core files, are under BSD-3-Clause.