ares vs Provenance
ares
ares-emu.net
Provenance
provenance-emu.comSide by side
| Figure | ares | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Spec score · SNES Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Spec score · Game Boy Advance Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.5 (#2) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.9 (#2) | 8.5 (#8) |
| Spec score · Nintendo 64 Emulators | 8.9 (#1) | 8.4 (#3) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Founded | 2020 | 2016 |
| Praise: interface | A Reddit reviewer praised the interface as clean and simple and liked the shader and filter choices. | Some App Store reviewers describe the interface as attractive and easy to use, especially for Atari and Game Boy systems. |
| Purpose | ares is a cross-platform, open-source multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and preservation. | Provenance is a free, open-source multi-system retro game emulator frontend for Apple platforms. |
| Save states | Save states let users resume games that lack native saving. | The emulator provides save states with visual thumbnail previews and a screenshot browser. |
| Supported systems | The catalogue includes Arcade, Atari 2600, WonderSwan, ColecoVision, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Sega systems, Neo Geo Pocket and PlayStation. | The project advertises support for more than 50 systems, including NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, PlayStation, PSP, Saturn and Dreamcast. |
| What it does | ares is a cross-platform emulator for multiple game systems, built around accuracy and software preservation. | Provenance is a multi-console emulator frontend for playing games from classic Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony and other systems. |
Plans
Provenance
- FreeFree
- Monthly$3.99 a month
- Annual$39.99 a year
- Lifetime$99.99, paid once
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.
Provenance
Provenance is a free, open-source retro game emulator frontend for Apple platforms, available for iOS and macOS. It supports more than 38 console systems, including systems from Atari, Nintendo, Sega, and Sony. Its library can display automatically downloaded box art, screenshots, release details, ratings, and scanned manuals. Listed emulation features include save states, cheats, fast forward, shaders, visual filters, controller support, RetroAchievements, and multiplayer. Apple integration includes native tvOS, Apple TV TopShelf, Siri Remote, Spotlight search, Siri shortcuts, and iCloud sync; Apple TV supports MFi, Xbox, and PlayStation gamepads. Nearly all CD-based cores support CHD disc images, and the native Mednafen core has a custom CHD implementation. The source is published on GitHub under the BSD license. Installation options include the App Store, sideloading with AltStore or SideStore, and building from source. The free plan includes emulation features when sideloaded or built from source. Plus adds iCloud sync and priority support.